What are you devouring? Are you so full on God that there's no room left in you for anything else? Or are you devouring so many things of the world, that there's no room left for God?
On the radio the other day, I heard an interview I found rather interesting. They were talking about the importance of separating yourself from an influence that would hurt your growth. The man was sharing a story about how as an early Christian working at a church he had decided he wanted to be a country music artist. He saw himself writing music and singing. He went to his pastor and mentor and asked for his blessing but his pastor thought about it for a moment and then said, "Son I just don't see how that honors God, but you pray on it and see what the Lord shows you." Within days the Holy Spirit began to speak to him and he realized what he had been listening to and the lyrics began to stand out more than ever before. He realized that his pastor was right. Within days of this he began throwing out all of his albums that were not honoring God.
Now I'm not telling you to go and purge all of your music but I would ask you if what you're exposing yourself to "dishonors" God. If you're listening to music about drinking and getting drunk that probably doesn't honor Him since the Bible says, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5:18). The things we surround ourselves with and listen to should enhance the truth of God's word and build us up and edify us.
I'm not just talking about music, but TV, people, foul conversations in general; all of these things can have a negative affect on you if it doesn't honor God. Again, what are you exposing yourself to?
1 Corinthians 15:33 even says, "Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
and 2 Corinthians 6:17 quotes Isaiah by saying, "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you."
We are called to be set apart from the things of this world (Rom 12:2) and therefor must stay away from the things that the world pursues (Gal 5:24). Our flesh naturally craves these things and the world will tell you to do whatever makes you happy. If you were/are a parent, would you let your child play in the street where they could get run over or would you let them eat as much sweets as their bodies could consume? No! No parent who loves their child would allow that. Then why do we get mad at God and even turn away from Him because He tells us no we can't have something that may seem harmless through our eyes. We must remember that we have a heavenly father who loves us and wants the best for our lives (Mat 7:11) and though we don't understand everything, His ways are above ours (Isa 55:8-9).
It's time for us to grow up and let go of the things we used to consume in our lives. One of my favorite verses as a born again Christian is 1 Peter 4:3. This is what it says,
"You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy--their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols."
Now I don't want you to feel condemnation or judgment by reading this because that's so far from the truth. The man on the radio felt conviction. The difference between that and condemnation is that conviction drew him to the Lord. Condemnation would have told him that he was sinning and separated him from God's presence. I hope that you read this and begin to have your eyes opened to things that may be causing division between you and God. I hope that as you do and you begin to remove some of those things from your lives that you begin to draw closer to the Lord and have new revelations and freedom in your worship.
I leave you with this last verse
"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Luke 6:45).
What are you so full of?