Oh, Be Careful Little Eyes what You See!!

I was called into women’s ministry to lead women in biblical living.  There is more to that than just teaching a Bible study or doing events.  The longer God allows me to minister the more I understand Paul when he said, “I am jealous FOR you with a Godly jealousy.” Paul wanted those who heard his words to grow closer to Jesus and to understand the incredible life we have in Christ.  Through lots of breaking in my life, I finally understood that a life lived for Christ is fulfilling and abundant.  He has had to do a LOT of work in me, let me tell you.  I was one messed up Christian girl! By His grace I can tell you His ways are best!  Today, please let me share my heart to the church.

The Bible clearly states these words:  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” I Peter 1:15-16

If I read that right, Christians are to be holy just as God is holy.  Does that mean we are to be perfect?  No, it means to be “pure” and “set apart.”  The word “pure” actually means without foreign matter (things of the world) and obviously the “set apart” means to be different than the world.  Christians are to be different…God has, through the death of His son, intentionally set us apart for Himself…for a special purpose and we are to fulfill that purpose.   So why am I so grieved?  I see precious young women in our churches falling for the lures of this world seemingly without regard to what it means to the Father.

Now don’t think I think I am above this…I am not. I know the temptations and I know what happens to the mind when we don’t protect ourselves.  I wish to goodness I could remove from my mind things that I allowed to enter when I was young. Godly people warned me but that didn’t stop me because “I could handle it” or “I wasn’t hurting anyone!” (that was my justification!)  Oh, to have listened to wise counsel.   

Be assured our mind is the first place satan goes to destroy us!!  God knew that and he inspired Paul to write these words: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” Philippians 4:8   If a thought comes into your mind that is not one of the above, it is not of God so take it captive.  Don’t let it go any further in your thought process.  Run!! 

This “taking captive” our thoughts requires work because so many of us just think without thinking!!  I am not talking about thoughts that creep in but what we actually invite in.  I mean the kind of movies we watch, the kind of books we read or the sites we visit on the Internet etc.  Our brains are amazing; they record every single thing it sees!  We might not be able to pull up the information at will but it is in there.  There is great wisdom in the song I remember singing as a child, “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see”.  How many times does a thought or a picture from years ago come to your mind at the strangest times?  Pretend you read a very racy novel…you do it alone in the privacy of your home so it won’t hurt you, right??? You justify reading it because “so and so” read it and she is a Christian.  It’s your business isn’t it?  But is it?  God sets the standard for holiness and it doesn’t include things like this. Satan, on the other hand, loves this for he knows once something is in your mind it can be used against you and you never know how or when.  God desires purity in our lives NOT for Him but for US…all His commandments are for our good. He knows when we get really tired and our defenses are down, the subconscious things in our brain begin to surface.  That is why I have become so adamant about the movies and television programs I watch and the books I read. Those images I wished I could erase from my memory from when I was younger, only the Lord could remove but I am intentionally taking captive the images that enter my mind now.  I am taking this seriously.  How about you? The scripture I claim is Romans 12:2 “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  There is hope of renewal in the mind even after we have put ungodly things into it. (Praise Him!!)

We need Christian women who will take a stand and help their sisters in the faith.  Have we been so engrained with the term “do not judge” that we have forgotten that we are commanded to help our fellow Christians flee from sin?   The tiny book of Jude states that we are to “snatch” from the fire those who are being swayed.  I truly hate with everything in me to tell a fellow Christian that what they are doing is harmful but I am commanded to do just that.  I am compelled to do that because I love them and because Christ loves them not because I want to hurt them or “judge them”.  I am in women’s ministry because I love our young women and …I love them too much to not warn them of the dangers this world presents to the Bride of Christ.  Revelation 19 says

 “Hallelujah!

For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad

and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

The Bride is the church and we who bear the name of Christ are the church. Are we making ourselves ready or are we just playing a game…a game of being one thing at church and another away from church. It doesn’t really matter that everyone is doing it…God has a standard and He knows our inward being.  Yes, I am grieved--- over what I know grieves my Lord.