David Yarbrough
Ephesians 5:8 (CSB)
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
A few years ago, I went fishing at a local reservoir. It was summertime and hot, so I arrived before the sun came up. The smell of dead fish hit me as soon as I stepped out of my truck. At first, I thought somebody was cleaning fish at the boat dock. But as I backed my boat down towards the water, I saw a dead fish floating on the water. To my surprise, it wasn't alone. Throughout the rest of my morning fishing, I saw dead fish floating everywhere around the lake.
Later that day, when I arrived at home and told Melissa about all the dead fish, she was highly concerned. It was concerning because the water we drink at home comes from this very lake. So, if the lake was so polluted that the fish were dying, we were left to wonder how good of a job our water system was doing at purifying this lake's water of all the contaminants before it got to our house.
Before this incident, we had been discussing the possibility of getting a whole house water filtration system. This provided us with the motivation to pull the trigger and install the system. Today, our water runs through three big filters, and then it goes through this long tube that exposes the filtered water to ultraviolet light. The purpose of the three large filters is to remove non-living contaminants like heavy metals, salts, chlorine, and man-made substances like pharmaceuticals. Then, when the filtered water is exposed to UV light, it can eliminate up to 99.99% of harmful organisms in the water, like bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
The UV light never actually touches the water but emits a strong UV-C ray that is lethal to microorganisms. This light penetrates the cells of harmful bacteria and viruses in the water, disrupts their DNA, and leaves the microorganisms unable to function or reproduce. If microorganisms can no longer reproduce, they're considered dead because they can't multiply and cause illness.
Have you set up spiritual filters for your heart, soul, and mind?
Spiritual filters are very similar to the filtration system I described above. You need to filter out the harmful toxins from the world you live in. And you also need to expose your mind to the purifying light of God's word. We all know that we need to filter out the bad, but what we don't stop and consider sometimes is that spiritual filters are not only about subtraction but also about addition.
Consider what 1 John 1:7 (CSB) says: “If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Take note that ‘if we walk in the light’ is conditional. This is your choice. You chose each day to either walk in the darkness of this world or walk in the light of Jesus. If you choose to walk in the light of Jesus, the “ultra-violet” blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all the spiritual contaminants of sin in your heart, soul, and mind.
My encouragement to you today is not only to focus on filtering out negativity and sin but also to invite the purifying light of Jesus and His Word into your life. Your spiritual growth and well-being are contingent on these two actions: you need to say no to the darkness and yes to the light. When you step into the light of Jesus, His purifying blood works like the most effective UV filter, washing away all traces of sin and spiritual contaminants from your life. Remember, this is your choice. You choose each day whether to walk in the darkness of this world or in the light of Jesus. So right here, right now, in this moment, choose the light, and the transformational, redemptive love of Jesus can burn out all the bitterness of the residue from this world that is left on your heart.
1 John 1:9 (CSB)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.