Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outburst of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
In a video teaching about desires, the speaker remarked that if we have desires, it’s because we are human. There is an inner war in our souls, she remarked, and sin and Satan are trying to lure us away from God. But the struggle with sin, she says, is a good thing because it shows you have not surrendered. The struggle means you are still fighting for what is good, and the Holy Spirit is still trying to win.
Sin does lead us away from God. As I mentioned in an early study, our hearts can only handle so much, and it can’t handle both sin and God. So Satan is trying to fill our hearts with desires of the world by using things all around us. Television shows often have shows with the things mentioned in the verses above: immoral acts like crime and murder, sexual acts outside of marriage, people putting things above God, etc. These shows aren’t using the themes as lessons for people who are watching. They are making it seem that these things are part of people’s lives and that they are ok. They even have shows for kids that show jealousy, rivalry, impurity, with no bigger lesson in them. Kids have apps on social media where they see other people doing things, and then the kids want to seem cool so they try them too.
We all struggle with sin. What things can we put away to grow closer to God? Because these sins mentioned above go well beyond just TV, but what we allow to fill our minds can lead us to believe certain actions are ok. The same can be said about music on the radio. What thoughts are being put in your head when your radio station is playing music? If you don’t already, I encourage to try the K-Love challenge. The challenge is to listen to nothing but K-Love for 30 days. I challenge you to try it for a week, because 30 can seem a lot, though you won’t regret going all for it to begin with. Listen to wholesome Christian music only in the car, at home, at work (K-Love has an app tuned into their radio station). In no time, your mind will be filled with words and messages about Christ. Let these messages be the ones you use to drown out the world. Let these words be what draws you to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (v. 22).
Who do you allow yourself to associate with? Sometimes at work, we can’t help who we work with, but we can change who we choose to listen to and spend time with while at work, and especially outside of work. Do your friends hold the same values as you? Are they keeping you from turning to God? Are they preventing you from reaching deeper within yourself to grow in holiness? At work, you can always choose to plug in to wholesome music and drown out others who are jealous, gossiping, envious, etc. Can you openly talk to your friends about your relationship with God? If your friends aren’t helping you build a better relationship, they may have been put in your life to try and stop that growth. Pray about what connections you have and where you should be putting your time and effort.
Letting go of things of the world is hard for us to do. It is a struggle, and we will fall. But the Holy Spirit is there waiting to help you back up and build that bridge even stronger. We must consciously want to put things away. Our desire needs to be to walk with the Lord. My growth isn’t perfect, not by any means. I have sinned and made many mistakes in my life, but I grew from them and want to help others because of them. I am not perfect. But God sees me trying. Revelations 2:2 says, “‘I know your works, your labor, and your endurance.” I am his daughter and I long to be closer to him. I am closing doors on things that do not bring him joy, and I encourage you to try. Peace be with you.
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