CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 938

“Fifty Shades of Poison”

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

I recently changed my whole house water filter. It was disgusting after 90 days of service. I filter my well water for sediments and odor with this filter and purify our drinking water through an additional three stage water purification system. There are more than one hundred harmful impurities found in well water. Many of these impurities are known carcinogens that can literally poison us and make us ill. With this filtration system I choose to not poison my family and I would hazard a guess that all of you reading this blog would also choose to protect your family from poison also.

How is it then that many of us see no harm in poisoning our mind and spirit? How many of us choose to disgrace God’s grace by embracing ungodliness and feeding our worldly passions? For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. (Titus 2:11-12) How many of us as professing Christians will choose to poison our minds, spirits and marital and family relationships by partaking of the impurity of this world such as are depicted in the book/movie titled Fifty Shades of Grey?

This much talked about book/movie and others like it feed those who embrace it with poison that destroys the holiness of sexual relationships as God intended them to be. Wake up, church! We do not learn to improve our marital relationships and sexual intimacy through pornography. Do not be deceived by the clever marketing of such impurity.

God’s law of sowing and reaping also applies to the spiritual realm. How much poison are you willing to ingest? How much is ‘an acceptable amount’ of profanity, sex, or violence to be entertained by? Just a little poison won’t hurt – will it? Why choose to defile the temple of God? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

A little poison will corrupt you spiritually. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Galatians 5:9) It may be gradual but you will reap a poisonous harvest. Your language will become coarser and in certain situations you will find yourself speaking vulgarity. You will one day find that your spouse does not quite live up to the fantasy lover you have poisoned your mind with and you will be dissatisfied. You may even find yourself acting out in violence in certain situations in accordance with the entertainment you have poisoned yourself with. But through God’s grace you can be cleansed.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:10-12, NIV)