Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).
Sometimes we take in filth. We don’t mean to do it, it just happens. We embrace or walk into situations that leave dark deposits on our souls. We know there are some things we may see and hear that are shocking, or hurtful, or possibly criminal, but we don’t think to arrest the information in the spirit before it leaves its dirty mark on our soul. In a world where we are bombarded daily with so much demonic activity, it can be hard to stay in front of the rubbish the enemy attempts to place before our eye gates and our ear gates when we encounter a dark situation, but as children of God, we have power over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19) and we can determine what rules the thoughts and the intents of the heart.
Just as we guard our personal information from would-be thieves and hackers, so should we carefully guard the pathways to the heart. The Bible says that the spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD searching out his innermost being (Proverbs 20:27) and if we take in just a little bit of darkness then the whole body can be defiled (Mark 7:15). So how do we guard the pathways of the heart from dark deposits on the soul? We loose the darkness from our souls through prayer and we bind the good things of God to our souls through the reading of the Word and the confession of the mouth. We can verbally declare and decree a thing and the Bible says it will be established (Job 22:28). So if you find yourself in a less than godly situation and you have seen or heard information you know the Holy Spirit would deem inappropriate or ungodly then get it off your soul. Verbally remove that junk and ask the Lord to fill those places with His light, His love, His purposes and then repeat as needed. This goes for improper conversations you have overheard or have indulged in, gossip you have received or spread, music you have listened to that defiles what is sacred and holy, television shows or movies you have watched that are rampant with sexual content, offensive language or excessive violence, reading materials that encourage adultery, witchcraft, or open rebellion against God. None of these issues promote godliness and none of these issues add value to us or to the kingdom. Now that doesn’t mean we’re to go through life with our heads buried in the sand and unable to communicate with worldly people who may indulge in toxic forms of entertainment; after all, we are called to reach the lost, but a regular routine of soul cleansing will keep us from being infected by the dross of the world while we’re working to affect godly change in worldy spheres. If the kingdom of God is within us then we need to look like we belong to the kingdom of God.
Going forward, make the decision to regularly wash away the dark deposits left on the soul from the junk we may take in whether knowingly or unknowingly. Make it a habit to perform a soul check and take the steps necessary to cleanse your heart. Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only (James 1:22). Use the resources God has given to us in His Word and through prayer to clear away the dirty deposits that come from the camp of the devil and daily guard your heart because the issues of life do indeed flow from that very special place and it should always be reserved for the light of the Father.
Be blessed friends and cleave to Jesus.