So, I had another one of those moments. You know, the kind where you’re talking to someone, think you’re going somewhere with the conversation, being hilarious even, and they make a comment that instantly stops you in your tracks because of it’s conviction? It’s not a condescending comment, like I’m a horrible person and they’re so righteous, it was just a comment that made me stop, think, and reconsider my values.
I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about the movies Think Like A Man and Think Like A Man Too. I’m not a huge comedy person (and they are), but I found these movies hilarious. As I was expressing my delight in all the different hilarious scenes from that movie, I asked if they had seen it. My friend in turn responded by saying no, that they thought it was too much.
Too much? Too much of what?! I had seen nothing wrong with the movie other than a few scenes that were a bit too risque for my taste.
My friend then responded by saying, “I like to be mindful of what I feed my spirit.“
…
*Gulp*
…
Instant conviction.
What have I been feeding my spirit? Are these movies (or tv shows, books, etc) that I’ve been watching really affecting me that much? I highly doubt it.
But as time went on since that conversation I keep thinking about it. What am I really feeding my spirit? What am I allowing inside my head, heart, and soul? I think of myself, usually, as someone with high standards and aiming to live a life of purity, but am I really? Am I just talking big and living small?
One of my biggest passions is to live my life in purity (yes, I definitely mess up. Beyond mess up), but I don’t think I’ve ever really taken a moment to really be careful of what I let into my life.
I think this is why it is SO important for us to have a couple solid, godly, convicting friends in our lives to keep us focused and in check with God’s Word and the life He calls us to live. I highly recommend evaluating what kind of people you let into your inner circle. Are they helping make you into the person God wants you to be, or are they destroying your very essence? Are they toxic to who you’ve been designed to be?
If my friend hadn’t said this comment, I probably would have kept going on living my life with my head in the clouds of disillusionment. Yes, Think Like a Man and Think Like a Man Too aren’t THAT bad, but what standards are we comparing these to? God’s standards or the worldly standards of comedy/humor/vulgar?
Obviously compared to most of the world, these movies aren’t horrible, but what does scripture say about what we should be thinking about, viewing, or living our lives?
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
– Philippians 4:8
and
Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
– Matthew 18:7-9
Okay, that last passage can sound a bit extreme, but the point Christ is getting at is that we can’t just be on the fence about things in our lives. If there’s anyway something can cause us to sin in the slightest bit, we should flee from it. Solomon explains it a bit better in the first few books of Proverbs, but I’ll only post one section (you should read the rest yourself, especially Prov. 4)
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of the foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan when your flesh and body are consumed…
Prov. 5:1-11 (but you should read the rest)
I know there are plenty of other passages that mention keeping our eyes and hearts pure, but I don’t want to take up all of your time sharing each one, so maybe when I come across them I’ll just put edited section at the bottom of this post.
I just want to encourage you to think about what your letting into your life.
What are you watching?
What are you reading (i.e. books, magazines, gossip columns, etc)?
What kind of friends do you have?
Who are you in a relationship with?
Are you compromising your standards?
Where do you spend most of your time?
What kind of words are you speaking over the lives of those you come across throughout your day? (Matt 15:10-20)
Even if it’s something small and seemingly insignificant, we should really evaluate compared to God’s standards if we should be allowing it in our lives. If there’s any compromise that may happen, whatever the temptation is, we should flee from it.
On a slightly continued note from that, I have had this song stuck in my head all day as I thought more about what my friend said. Here are the lyrics in summary:
Oh be careful little eye what you see…
For the Father up above is looking down in love…
Oh be careful little ears what you hear…
For the Father up above is looking down in love…
Oh be careful little feet where you go…
For the Father up above is looking down in love…
Oh be careful little hands what you do…
For the Father up above is looking down in love…
And I apologize if you have that song stuck in your head now. I just had to share it and end this post with this last thought.
In Psalm 19:14, David says,
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable (pleasing) in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Keep your eyes focused on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. And as Paul says after that, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9).
I hope you all have a blessed day.
Let me know your thoughts.
❤
~Woman of Purity
Woman of Purity 