Spiritual house-cleaning
Recently I indulged myself by watching the cut version of a movie I've always wanted to see. I justified in my mind that it was OK because the version I was viewing had the "bad" stuff removed (TNT new classics!). Still, it was coarse, suggestive and unholy; nothing that a believer in Jesus should be exposing their mind to. A third of the way through I turned it off because it was dinnertime and thankfully, never came back to it. The following morning, the Holy Spirit "called me on the carpet" in a HUGE way. First, my One-Year Bible passage offered this timely conviction from Job 11:14-15: Put away the sin that is in your hand; let no evil remain in your tent. Then you can lift up your face without shame, and you can stand strong without fear. Second, John MacArthur's devotional reading for the morning reminded me that Satan "tries to blur the line between righteousness and sin by surrounding me with evil influences that increase my tolerance for sin. He clothes offensive sin in the blinding garment of entertainment. He puts it to music and masks it in humor to confuse me and deaden my spiritual senses" (personal emphasis mine).
I was guilty! I'd welcomed unrighteousness into my tent and allowed my spiritual senses to be dulled. I immediately confessed my sin and vowed to delete the remaining portion of the movie from our DVR.
What are you allowing your eyes to see (or your ears to hear or your hands to touch) that have no place in the life of a believer? Why not confess it (them) as sin right now and do some spiritual house-cleaning? Then you can say, like King David (and me), Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. I said, “I will confess my sins to the Lord,” and you forgave my guilt. For this reason, all who obey you should pray to you while they still can. The Lord says, “I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you." Rejoice and be happy in the Lord. Sing all you whose hearts are right (Psalm 32, part).