PONDER THIS

When you go to the airport to travel on an airplane, you have to go through security before you board. At security, you walk through a magnetometer, and you have to get ready: You take out your keys; you take out your phone; you take off your shoes; and you think you’re ready to go through. Then, that alarm starts to beep. So, security asks you, “Would you step back, sir? Do you have anything in your pockets?” You try again, but again it goes off. Then you have to step to the side for a pat down so they can really investigate if you are hiding something.

I wish we could put some of those at the doors of this sanctuary that were designed to detect sin. After I preach, you try to get out, it’d say, “You are not ready. You’ve got something else you need to surrender to Him.” You also need to keep that level of detection for your mind, and you don’t let anything that is not God-glorifying get into the fortress.

Center your mind on the Lord Jesus. Don’t let the devil take away your pure-hearted devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Stay in love with Him, and there won’t be any room for those filthy, dirty, wicked, lascivious, lustful, prideful thoughts that bombard us all.

• What are some areas of life where you consume and don’t guard your heart and mind very well?
• What do you do with a thought that is not glorifying to God?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask a fellow believer to help hold you accountable for keeping your thought life pure.