Be on the Alert

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way...” Ephesians 4:17-20

As Paul ministered throughout Asia, he discovered a widespread spiritual danger among believers - a hardened heart. We may think it’s next to impossible for us to fall victim to this problem, but think for a moment of the things we witness on television each day. Sexual immorality, violence, and disrespect for authority are favorite themes for programming. Many times we listen and watch out of boredom without a clue to what this type of message is doing to our spiritual well-being. The moment we brush off immorality of any kind, we ignore it’s greater effect.

God calls us to lives of purity. Jesus prayed that while we were in the world we would remain separate from its influences. This comes only as we refuse to become involved in things that are in opposition to God’s holiness. Genuine love songs on the radio are fine, but lust songs about adulterous affairs should prompt us to question what we are hearing.

The people who struggled with hardened hearts in the New Testament weren’t lost sinners. They were believers like us who opened themselves up to the temptations of the world. Ask God to help you remain pure and reveal any area where hardness to Him and His will is occurring.