Be Careful...What You See

Our desires should be for the Lord and what pleases Him - the enemy wants to get us off track and lure us to embrace the things of this world, which can be harmful to our spiritual life. The Bible says in Proverbs 4:
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

You will also find that the word "guard" is used at the beginning of verse 23, as in, "Guard your heart..." We can be thankful that God has provided us powerful resources through which we can walk in holiness. We reflect His glory as we place a desire for Him above all earthly desires and reject what the world would offer us.  We do have the power to resist temptation, to "resist the devil," as the Scriptures say - we have to make up our minds to walk in God's ways.

+++++

In the 101st Psalm, David writes about the importance of walking in purity and taking steps to prevent the pervasive nature of sin from staining his life. He states:
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

Not long ago, Scott Cleland of the Restore Us Institute was a guest on the Meeting House program on Faith Radio. He discussed negative implications of technology on the Church and shared what his organization is attempting to accomplish in advocating for rules to be applied online that are in effect offline regarding objectionable material.

Its website touts the Institute's plan - it would:

1. Promote good over evil by systemically differentiating good and evil online conduct by commending Internet good (legal conduct) and restraining Internet evil (illegal conduct.)

2. Support and defend the United States Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic, and

3. Protect America, Americans, and minors from harm and crime online.

I thought of our conversation when I read news recently of a bill that was passed by lawmakers in the state of Louisiana. A FoxNews.com story reported on the law "that requires ID and age verification within the state to access online porn."  It went into effect on January 1, and "states that websites containing 33.3% or more of pornographic material will now be held liable for ensuring their viewers are 18 or older or risk legal ramifications."

Rep. Laurie Schlegel, who promoted the bill, stated, "Online pornography is extreme and graphic and only one click away from our children," adding, "if pornography companies refuse to be responsible, then we must hold them accountable. This law is a first step..." The article states: "In a statement to Fox News Digital, Schlegel said the law now treats the internet the same as brick and mortar businesses that provide pornographic material."  

The article also reports that similar legislation has been proposed on the Federal level.

While many are lauding the seemingly newfound free speech on Twitter, there is also a call for the social media platform to put limits into place that would curb the flow of pornographic material; The Daily Wire reported in December:

Twitter watchdogs are calling on Elon Musk to ban pornography on the platform until it can implement an age and consent verification system for those depicted in the images and videos amid alarming concerns over the internet’s child sexual exploitation epidemic.

Officials from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) told The Daily Wire that since Musk laid off most of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Team and further disbanded its Advisory Council, the alleged skeleton staff could lead the platform to even more dangerous grounds to confront its child sexual abuse material (CSAM) problem.

Lina Nealon of NCOSE stated: “Twitter allows pornography, one of the few social media platforms to do so, which enables child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, image-based sexual abuse to thrive..."

The pervasive nature of pornography and its availability to children in quite concerning, and each of us as Christian believers have to be careful to guard our hearts - and the portals through which these images may enter.  It can be as simple as a tantalizing e-mail or even something that is encountered by scrolling through a cable TV menu or social media feed.  

The enemy is intent on bringing vulnerable minds into bondage and wreck their lives.  Considering the Biblical role of government and its responsibility to maintain order, there is certainly a part it can play.  The lawmakers in Louisiana have taken a critical first step.  Deviant ideas on sexuality can lead to damaging actions.

We have to resist temptation - in every area.  There are some areas in which we are especially vulnerable, and it's important to build a firewall, based on the Word of God and the power of the Spirit, with a healthy sense of responsibility for one's actions.  Secret sins or sinful thoughts are certainly capable of very public damage.