Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. 2Samuel 11:2-4 (NLT)
King David should have been out with Uriah, and the rest of his men working, but he wasnt. He should have had his head down, with his mind on the things of God, and the Kingdom, but he decided to take some time off. As he roamed about looking around on his roof this particular day, his eyes came upon a beautiful woman who was bathing on the rooftop next-door. But she was the wife of another man.
The Devil continues to use this same type of bait to ensnare both men and women to make the same ill-fated mistake that David made. They too, will take their eyes off their walk with the Lord and what they should be doing, and becoming unsatisfied, they will begin to look around.
It could be because they are bored with their current relationship, and are looking for fulfillment in their life based upon something new, fun or exciting. Or perhaps the relationship theyre in is full of stress because things arent going smoothly or as theyve planed.
It isnt usually planed and many of the people whove done this will tell you they dont know how they got there in the first place. Its as if everything was going along in their life, and it just begun to change one day at a time. This is exactly what the writer of the song, Slow Fade, by Casting Crowns is speaking of. Check out these Lyrics from part of the song.
The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day
Just as in King Davids case, it can start out as a simple glance, and then the glance becomes a fixed stare. Soon the mind is going off in a direction that is wrong as enticing thoughts race about. If not held captive, sin is born, and that which you have been staring at, you now want. Action can and will eventually follow if thought upon enough, and lives will be changed.
This is exactly what King David experienced, and it will continue to happen as long as human beings continue to make the same mistakes leading up to the act of being unfaithful.
Its the little compromises that get us going down the wrong paths of life. Not taking each thought captive is the basis for poor decisions and improper actions. Whether it is fixing our eyes upon the TV, movies, magazines & books, the Internet, or just another person, we need to sift through our thoughts and decide if theyre righteous (white) or otherwise (black). We need to remember, there is no grey, because grey is only mans attempt to compromise Gods perfect white and mix it with our imperfect black.
The temptations were going to face wont just be sexual ones filled with lust either. They can be drugs, stealing, gossiping, hatred, divisiveness, and others. And initially, if acted upon, they can even cause a sense of excitement or even euphoria. But they do have a common denominator, and that is that they will all start in the mind, and if not trapped, will continue to the heart. Once our heart is filled with this trash, our actions will soon follow.
Jesus talks about this in the book of Mark.
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. All of you listen, he said, and try to understand. Its not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. And then he added, It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a persons heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you. Mark 7:14-15, 20-23 (NLT)
Our mind is the filter to our soul, and it is the thoughts that get through that will eventually shape our character, so be careful what you allow to go through it.
We cannot have a consistent peace of mind and continue to feed our sinful fleshly nature at the same time. And once youve had Gods peace in your life, do you really want to go back to anything else?
I want to encourage you today to focus on the Lord and His Word. Read your Bible, and spend time in prayer with your Heavenly Father. Apply what youre learning from His word to your life. Be thankful for the people God has put in your life. Be what God has called you to be to them, asking Him for guidance and strength, wisdom and discernment for every choice.
Youll find out what true happiness and contentment is when you make the Lord first in your life, and learn to love the others as you would Him.
STUDY QUESTION: According to Jesus teaching in the scriptures of Mark above, why must we screen what goes into our minds? Where will these thoughts lead to, and what will be the byproduct?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Have you found yourself thinking about, or entertaining the thought of being in another relationship?
APPLICATION: When these thoughts come, dont entertain them! Dont go down that path. Replace any thoughts that would not be honoring to God with ones that will. Think and act on these things.
King David should have been out with Uriah, and the rest of his men working, but he wasnt. He should have had his head down, with his mind on the things of God, and the Kingdom, but he decided to take some time off. As he roamed about looking around on his roof this particular day, his eyes came upon a beautiful woman who was bathing on the rooftop next-door. But she was the wife of another man.
The Devil continues to use this same type of bait to ensnare both men and women to make the same ill-fated mistake that David made. They too, will take their eyes off their walk with the Lord and what they should be doing, and becoming unsatisfied, they will begin to look around.
It could be because they are bored with their current relationship, and are looking for fulfillment in their life based upon something new, fun or exciting. Or perhaps the relationship theyre in is full of stress because things arent going smoothly or as theyve planed.
It isnt usually planed and many of the people whove done this will tell you they dont know how they got there in the first place. Its as if everything was going along in their life, and it just begun to change one day at a time. This is exactly what the writer of the song, Slow Fade, by Casting Crowns is speaking of. Check out these Lyrics from part of the song.
The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day
Just as in King Davids case, it can start out as a simple glance, and then the glance becomes a fixed stare. Soon the mind is going off in a direction that is wrong as enticing thoughts race about. If not held captive, sin is born, and that which you have been staring at, you now want. Action can and will eventually follow if thought upon enough, and lives will be changed.
This is exactly what King David experienced, and it will continue to happen as long as human beings continue to make the same mistakes leading up to the act of being unfaithful.
Its the little compromises that get us going down the wrong paths of life. Not taking each thought captive is the basis for poor decisions and improper actions. Whether it is fixing our eyes upon the TV, movies, magazines & books, the Internet, or just another person, we need to sift through our thoughts and decide if theyre righteous (white) or otherwise (black). We need to remember, there is no grey, because grey is only mans attempt to compromise Gods perfect white and mix it with our imperfect black.
The temptations were going to face wont just be sexual ones filled with lust either. They can be drugs, stealing, gossiping, hatred, divisiveness, and others. And initially, if acted upon, they can even cause a sense of excitement or even euphoria. But they do have a common denominator, and that is that they will all start in the mind, and if not trapped, will continue to the heart. Once our heart is filled with this trash, our actions will soon follow.
Jesus talks about this in the book of Mark.
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. All of you listen, he said, and try to understand. Its not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. And then he added, It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a persons heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you. Mark 7:14-15, 20-23 (NLT)
Our mind is the filter to our soul, and it is the thoughts that get through that will eventually shape our character, so be careful what you allow to go through it.
We cannot have a consistent peace of mind and continue to feed our sinful fleshly nature at the same time. And once youve had Gods peace in your life, do you really want to go back to anything else?
I want to encourage you today to focus on the Lord and His Word. Read your Bible, and spend time in prayer with your Heavenly Father. Apply what youre learning from His word to your life. Be thankful for the people God has put in your life. Be what God has called you to be to them, asking Him for guidance and strength, wisdom and discernment for every choice.
Youll find out what true happiness and contentment is when you make the Lord first in your life, and learn to love the others as you would Him.
STUDY QUESTION: According to Jesus teaching in the scriptures of Mark above, why must we screen what goes into our minds? Where will these thoughts lead to, and what will be the byproduct?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Have you found yourself thinking about, or entertaining the thought of being in another relationship?
APPLICATION: When these thoughts come, dont entertain them! Dont go down that path. Replace any thoughts that would not be honoring to God with ones that will. Think and act on these things.
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