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What Holds Influence Over You?
God has been teaching me certain lessons recently. I've noticed at least two different videos from two different people on youtube that I'm not the only person pointing these things out. I've always felt that when you see certain things coming up over and over from different sources that God is really trying to get His point across, so I figured I would share what He's been putting on my mind, as well. I think that so many of us don't realize the many potential spiritual pitfalls that we encounter in our daily lives. I believe there are a number of things out there that seem to be pretty benign, but we don't realize how the enemy can and does use them against us. One of the big ones that I've been made aware of deals with music. I've always loved music, all kinds of music. Growing up I always had something playing, something I was listening to. I might would be playing a tape or cd back in my bedroom, or have headphones on, listening as I'd go about my chores, or out for walks, or have something playing in the car when going places. Just, always having something going. No matter what I was listening to, I never really thought anything at all about there being anything wrong with it, anything to be concerned about. In my mind it was just music. I heard about those out there who warned about the dangers of certain kinds of songs and music, but I'd always thought that was just people being silly. I knew that music always had a big impact on my emotions, but I didn't really think of anything beyond that. As time went on, I didn't really give it much more thought than that, either. In the last little while I've been listening to a lot of Christian and praise music. I don't know if it was the comparison between the different types that really showed me this, or what exactly it was that brought it to my attention, but I began to notice something that I hadn't before. I started to notice that when I listened to certain kinds of music, it had an effect on me. The initial effect it had on me was gradual, actually. It was just a slight change. I don't know if this will make sense you to as it's really hard to describe, but it was like, a slight difference that I felt in the area around my heart. I think this is because it's the area where I mainly feel the stir and movement of the Holy Spirit. This particular sensation was not the Holy Spirit that I felt so much as like a vague, sinking sensation. It was very vague, enough that you wouldn't exactly notice it so much on one or two occasions, unless you start noticing it repeating to then realize, "Wait a minute, every time I listen to this, I feel this". But every time this is also followed by a period of feeling distanced from God. I could feel as though there was this change in my direction, where before my thoughts and my path would be centered on God, then they'd take on almost a rebellious nature. Not necessarily that I'd be going out and doing anything rebellious, just the direction of my thoughts, the plans I was wanting to make began to take on a more rebellious tone. This would then get me into a period - sometimes days at a time - in which I was struggling almost with one part of me wanting to get back on track, and another part of me wanting to go elsewhere. I've observed that this is something that has happened every single time I've opened myself up to something. Music is where I noticed it first, one of the stronger areas I've noticed it in. I'm coming to believe that there's a similar influence with t.v. as well, depending on what's being watched. Thoughts is a big one, too. The things with thoughts, I believe, is the more we entertain something in our minds, even if it's something we don't intend on doing, the more likely we are then to become accustomed to the idea, and the more likely we are to act on these thoughts. After all, why would we go out and do something that we shouldn't do if it's not even something we'd been tempted by? How is it that you're tempted? The thoughts play on your mind. We need to be very careful about what kinds of thoughts we allow ourselves to entertain. For instance, just yesterday actually I had to deal with a struggle I'd opened myself up to the day before. You see, sometimes there are certain directions that we would like to move in, and then for whatever reason, God says 'No'. Even if that direction doesn't seem like it'd be sinful in and of itself, maybe it's something that would end up leading to sin if it was followed. Or maybe it's because God doesn't want you there, because He wants you somewhere else. Whatever the matter may be, if God is telling you 'No', and you go anyway, then you're in disobedience. If you're in disobedience, then you're sinning. Recently, there's been something that I'm well aware of is not for me, and I'm aware that whatever it may be that God has something else in mind for me. And, for the most part, I've been perfectly fine with that. I've used this as something to offer up to Him. However, the day before yesterday, I guess I was allowing myself to entertain this thought, even though I knew it wasn't the direction that God had for me, but thinking that it would be nice. This thought stayed on my mind, and at the time I really was wishing, even though I knew that God had said 'No', I was still entertaining this idea. Then that night, the same thing was playing heavily on my dreams, which seemed only to reinforce it in my mind the next morning whenever I woke up. Throughout all the rest of the day, I was almost wrestling with this rebellious spirit, which, by the way, the influences that are in the spiritual realm are very real, and can be very strong if we're not careful. Each time I've opened myself up to something, whether through music like I'd mentioned before, or through my thoughts like I did the other day, I'd opened myself up to these influences, and I believe that for me it was a spirit of rebellion that was trying to take it's foothold in me. It wasn't until late last night that this spirit was overcome, and that didn't happen until I fully opened myself up to God. He and I were having this major heart to heart, basically. I was confessing, repenting, and just really humbling myself before Him. It was then that the spirit was lifted. Each time I've opened myself up to something, the influence from that has stayed with me until I really made it a point to seek God out and His will, not my own, and repent of whatever it is that I needed to repent for. Every time, this influence does not and will not change until then. This time it took just over 24 hours to correct the problem, but in the past it's taken anywhere from a couple of weeks to even a couple of months depending on my stubbornness. At the worst it's been a matter of years, and that was before I learned to understand how spiritual influences can really effect someone. My point is, we need to be really careful of what we open ourselves up to. We can be opening ourselves up without even realizing it. There was a time when I wouldn't have thought about what I was listening to, or what I was watching, or thinking, or taking in, in any manner. I didn't think any of that made much of a difference. I didn't think it mattered. I didn't used to even feel the difference, but now... I don't know if it's just a difference in where I've grown spiritually or what, but God has been letting me feel the difference that these things make. These things make much more of an impact than most people realize. They have much more of an impact than I ever used to realize. We need to be careful every day. We need to remain vigilant. The Bible tells us that we need to take up our crosses daily and follow after Him. I believe that this is part of it. Brethren, there's a very real spiritual war going on all around us constantly, all of the time. The enemy is always, constantly looking for ways to gain ground. Does it not make sense that he'd find ways to sneak in the back door, gaining a foothold on us without us being aware that he's got it? This is a lesson that I'm still learning, it seems. Every time I think that I've got it down, here he comes back around, sneaking in again. Be vigilant every day. Be careful every day of what you take in, what you allow in. It has a bigger impact than what you may think. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: ~ 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV) |