45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
It is so important what we expose ourselves to, because it will end up being stored in our hearts. No, I am not talking about cholesterol or environmental toxins. I am talking about the media we watch, the conversations we have, the books we read, the internet we take in. All of these things and more get stored in our inner being. And when the time is inappropriate, sinful thoughts and words come out. Jesus gives us the solution. If we store up good things, then good things will come out. If you step on a fast food ketchup packet, ketchup will come out. We need to be filling ourselves with the Word, worship, prayer, and good fellowship. I know that I need lots of this in order to undue the natural tendency to absorb from the World. Our world is always pushing its garbage at us. It takes effort not only to not absorb what they are throwing in our direction, but also to replace that flow with the good things of God. It will not happen by accident. It takes time and effort to live godly, to expose ourselves to God’s presence and His Word. I have to admit that I spend too much time watching Netflix in the evenings. Often it is some old movie or British TV show. But I also watch some of the new shows and movies to keep my preaching mind current and relevant. But I also spend time every day in the Word. And as you can read in this BLOG, I also spend time reflecting on the Word and how God wants to use it to impact my life. But I need so much more exposure each day. I need godly conversations with others and periods of prayer. I hear and experience so much evil every day that I need giant doses of the Lord to counteract the World’s influence on me. Sin erodes and I need the heavenly Corps of Engineers to constantly repair my spiritual structure. So, how much of the Lord are you exposing yourself to every day? Is it enough to counteract your exposure to the World? If not, you can increase your exposure to the Lord. Read more of His Word. Listen to worship music as you travel. Spend more moments and even a season or two in prayer for others. Go hang out with some people from church. Each of these can help counteract the world’s influence in our lives.
The Arnold Journey 