I was once told that if you don't want something in you, then don't put it in front of you. That statement is so true. In last weeks post I wrote about how the enemy is looking to use anyone who allows him, as well as Christians he is also looking for anyway to influence us to do the wrong thing. That is why it is very important to be careful of what we watch, listen to, and what we say. These three things, among others, can open the door for satan to put negative ideas, thoughts, or suggestions in our mind.
I was given a real life example that sums up Matthew 12:35 that I will share with you. Three key things to help you understand: heart = ATM, treasure = deposit, things = withdrawal. Got it? Okay...let's go. If you deposit good things in your ATM, then you can withdraw good things. If you deposit bad things in your ATM, then you withdraw bad things. So you can read Matthew 12:35 like this, "A good man out of the good deposits (treasure) of the heart (ATM) bringeth forth good withdrawals (things): and an evil man out of the evil deposits (treasure) bringeth forth evil withdrawals (things)." The good things we should deposit is God's word. It's full of truth and instruction on how we should live our lives. When we deposit the Word we can withdraw; love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. However, if we deposit junk (things of the world), we will withdraw: sexual immortality, debauchery, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, envy, and drunkenness. Have you paid attention to what you are depositing in your ATM? What kind of withdrawals are you making?
As I mentioned before satan is looking for the open door so he can come in and influence us. Sometimes we do not realize that we have opened the door for satan until something happens. However, when we realize it we can be on guard next time. We should be mindful of the television shows and movies we watch, the music we listen to, our followers/friends on social media, the conversations we are around, and even the words we speak. We should think of ourselves as little babies or toddlers who can be influenced by everything around us in a good or bad way. So I ask you this question....did you open that door?
Thanks for reading!
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