What we intake determines what we output.

One of the first things I did when I became a Christ-follower was to put aside the things that were driving me to sin. As I began to evaluate the things that I struggled with the most, I had to recognize where these inputs were coming from. One of the biggest temptations for me came from the music that I listened to and the movies that I watched. If the lyrics of certain songs caused me to have sinful thoughts and lead me down the wrong path, I needed to rid myself of that music. If the movies that I watched had scenes with sexually provocative overtones, I no longer watched them because I knew that that would take my mind to places where it shouldn’t go.

The Bible often talks about how important it is that we guard our hearts.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” —Proverbs 4:23

We really do have to put our guards up and be careful what we fill our thoughts with. One of the easiest influencers in our culture is social media. There are so many opinions, views, and stances being thrown out constantly and I’ve realized that the more I pay attention to these posts, the harder it is to keep my thoughts from swaying from the truth. Recently I took a week-long fast from screens. It was a struggle because I look at my phone a lot, especially paying attention to social media. But after a week without it I found that not only had I been able to be much more productive at work and present with my family, but I didn’t desire it as much anymore—the rewards of leaving it behind were too great! This eye-opening victory was a huge encouragement and a challenge for me to be more proactive in the future.

However, we aren’t supposed to stop all input, we need to find uplifting things to replace what was once tearing us down. Instead of choosing to completely stop listening to music, I try to fill my mind with Christian music and positive sources that will fill my mind with truth. Music has the power to go past your conscious and into your subconscious. The other day I was in a store and heard a commercial jingle come on when I realized that I knew every word to it, even though I had never intentionally paid attention to it! If you are constantly listening to things that lift up the name of Jesus, your heart will reflect that truth and your spirit will be encouraged.

There is a strong battle with sexual sin and temptation in this world. For me, I have found that learning verses to combat that struggle has been extremely helpful. There will always be commercials and movies that show too much skin and women dressed or acting in ways that draw men’s attention, but if we arm ourselves with the weapon of God’s Word, we can fight the battle in our hearts and minds successfully.  “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” —Psalm 19:14

“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 10:5

This battle we face is not against flesh and blood. It’s spiritual. The enemy will continue to try to keep us ineffective in our walk with God by distracting us with the things of this world. Whatever tools we can use to effectively fight back, we need to have ready.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —Ephesians 6:12

When you put the right tools in place, it’s much easier to find victory in the battle. When I dwell on the Scripture that I’ve hid in my heart and be careful about the music and movies I take in, I’ve already won half the battle.

One of my mentors explained it in this way: “I can say that I want to go on a diet but if I continue to get fast food every day and sit it in front me with the intention to not eat it, I’m going to fail. I’ll give in because it’s right in front of me! In the same way, if I take away the temptations that are staring me in the face, there’s no room for excuses.

We are to stay on the alert, vigilant in the fight. What are you going to do today to prepare yourself for battle?

—Joshua Vaughan

Joshua Vaughan is a regular contributor of  The Increase, providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Joshua’s Increase profile here: http://theincrease.com/author/josh-vaughan/    

 
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