Grace-energized Men Starve their Flesh (Romans 13:14).
Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. NKJV
Cut all supply routes. If there are websites, TV shows, magazines, videos, and so on, that are less than Christlike, destroy them. If there are avenues that defile, such as cable TV/HBO and ungodly internet access, get rid of them. Do whatever it takes to starve the evil desires of your flesh, and those of your family. Put on Christ by starving your flesh!
Have a no-television week or month.
Read God’s Word before email or online news each morning.
Pray in the car or meditate on a verse instead of listening to the radio.
Cancel the newspaper or magazine.
Create an intentional solitude.
Grace-energized Men Hate Evil (Rom. 12:9). As pilgrims in this world, and with the Tsunami of sin crashing over and around us each day, Paul prescribed one constant attitude—hate evil. Abhor, turn away from, and hate evil!
Evil, because of our ever-present flesh, is always more interesting. This obviously is not a statement about the way things should be, but simply a statement of the way things are. Once we understand this, much that is mysteriously wrong in life becomes clearer. For example, if we had forty-nine stations broadcasting healthy, virtuous programming, and only one station broadcasting violent or sexual programming, most of America would be tuned into the one channel, even church people. Evil is always more interesting.
Understanding the allure of evil explains why we watch so much of it, even when it is so clearly destructive. The sheer volume of evil our nation is exposed to on a daily basis is one of the most disturbing effects of the proliferation of media. The only remedy I know is two thousand years old:
Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor [hate so go away from] what is evil. Cling [go toward so stuck to, glued to] to what is good. NKJV
The heart of the message Paul taught them is in Ephesians 4:22-24. Christ’s Lordship must fill our lives displacing any places in our lives to the Devil. Three clear choices we must make!
Ephesians 4:22-24 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
To apply all this, remember when Paul taught the Ephesian believers about anything tied to Satan in Acts 19:19-20, they collected and burned all of the objects associated with demonic and satanic contact. Right now, if you have music, videos, games, books, posters, or other objects that are tied in any way to the occult, destroy them today.
From GEM-07 – Reversing the Erosion of A Reverent Mind (071125PM) – https://youtu.be/CpvKbNmRLQA
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