Battle for sexual purity.

Did you know that you have the capability to wire your own brain? What you take in with your eyes and ears will, over time, cause you to think and behave in certain ways. Your brain is powerful that way; it can store images for years, and these images will literally re-wire your mind.

In our modern world, that can be troubling. Across social media feeds, broadcasted through commercials, and mixed in popular TV shows, we’re bombarded with impure images—from graphic violence to all sexuality outside of marriage—and as we take in these illustrations, it’s becoming normalized. Our brain patterns are changing, and our behavior is at the risk of being altered.

And that’s the problem.

Jesus says that a good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree produces bad fruit. What does that mean? If you have lust in your heart, it will produce lustful behavior; if you’re fostering sinful thoughts in your heart, they’ll produce sinful behavior.

But the only way to change your behavior is to change your heart. How? Jesus says in Matthew 6:22, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” Ultimately, what you take in with your eyes will make its way to your heart.

So in order to wire our brain in a positive way toward godliness, we have to guard our hearts and guard our eyes. It’s in this effort that we realize the truth of Proverbs 14:16: “The wise are cautious and avoid danger.” This is the reward—by being watchful and prudent with what our eyes and heart take in, we will also find ourselves growing in other ways, such as with godly wisdom. This is because God sees and will bless our commitment to Him.

If you were being honest with yourself, what sinful behavior is affecting your life?

To dig a bit deeper, what sinful thoughts might those behaviors stem from?

         

May this be our prayer today: “God, I want to be a good tree that produces good fruit. Please give me the strength to battle negative images, and as I guard my eyes, may you be honored by the fruit I produce.”