Tag Archives: obedient to Christ

Visual Sewage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaKDT_Cifec

The human mind often acts as a sponge, absorbing information that you hear, learn and understand.  Meanwhile, Jesus refers to eyes as the lamp of your body.  These head lights serve as a guide through life; a vehicle that when functioning properly enables individuals to dodge the visual sewage that exists in this world.  One of the greatest dangers to your soul is pornography, tempting your eyes to embrace the human flesh by gratifying your sinful nature.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,” Matthew 6:22.

There is a ministry that exists to combat the urge to lust.  Covenant Eyes provides resources for internet accountability and filtering to protect the innocent, pure and young.  Yet, the internet isn’t the only place where visual sewage resides.  Pornography lurks in your mailbox with questionable catalog images.  On Halloween night modesty will be pushed aside for more sexy costumes.  Demonic forces, oppression and powers of darkness seek to destroy souls through visual sewage present on any cell phone.

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols, Acts 17:16.

The Greek word κατέιδωλον appears only once in the Bible within the passage above.  This term is translated into English meaning full of idols.  The residents of Athens embraced gods and goddesses, erecting altars throughout this ancient city.  Some of these places of worship were dedicated the goddesses of love, encouraging the practice of prostitution and sexual orgies in the name of love.  Essentially, Paul was greatly distressed by this visual sewage.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul provides advice to combat this dangerous addiction.  Corinth is located in Greece, likely placing members of this congregation into this cesspool of sin.  Ignoring this negative environment wasn’t an option.  Thus, Paul steers believers toward using spiritual weapons, relying on God’s power to demolish demonic strongholds.  Victory is achieved through taking your thoughts captive.  This process begins by meditating on God’s Word so that when evil arises, you are able to take captive every thought.  If a current environment of visual sewage is overwhelming you, flee by purging yourself from any reminder of pornography so that your thought life will become obedient to Christ.

by Jay Mankus

State of Hysteria

For the drama kings and queens, worry warts and pessimists, hysteria is a relatively normal state.  This condition of emotional distress often leads to melt downs or what I call tizzy’s, an adult version of a tantrum.  Blowing things out of proportion makes for great reality television, at least from a ratings perspective.  However, have you ever thought about what force or inspiration is ultimately behind hysteria?

According to Exodus 23:27-28, the God of Israel sends a spirit of hysteria into the land of Canaan.  The purpose of this terror is to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of their land.  Like a stirred up hornet’s nest, God uses supernatural powers to accomplish His will.  Without the numbers, strength or weapons, Jehovah Jireh delivers a promised land an ordinary group of people, unable to take the credit for this miraculous event.

If this happened in the Old Testament, I wonder if God has the desire to allow a similar state in the world today.  Although, modern outbreaks of hysteria are likely from another force, demons using angelic powers.   Some nations experience countless years of civil unrest.  Meanwhile, others countries promote a generation of starving children.  Somewhere in the middle, hysteria roams from city to city, resulting in hate crimes, violence and suicide.

God provides weapons against such spirits in Ephesians 6:10-20.  With all but one defensive, the Word of God is double edged, able to go from defense to offense in one motion.  May these tools help you build an invisible force field of faith around you, saving yourself from caving into the hysteria in this world.  Keep the helmet of salvation tightly secured to guard your mind from suffering from spiritual amnesia, 1 Thessalonians 5:8.  Finally, apply 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 daily as you take each thought captive, making each obedient to Christ.

by Jay Mankus