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Good News For Youth (GNFY) published under the oversight of
the Alkire Rd Church of Christ elders and posted by permission of the editor.
Garbage is a major problem in this country! There is so much of it the
major cities scarcely know how to get rid of it. And what is the case nationwide
is true on a much smaller scale in every household. It just seems to accumulate
so rapidly. While we’d rather not have any of it in our houses at all, yet
facing reality, it’s there. Thus, almost every husband has heard his wife say
many times, "Honey, will you take the garbage out?". So he takes the
garbage out to the curb and lets someone else deal with it.
What is a far greater problem in our country today, though, is "mental
garbage!" And facing reality, there is such an avalanche of it that it is
becoming almost impossible to keep it all out of our minds. This present world
is so filled with spiritual contaminates and pollutants that it is unbelievable.
In that regard, we indeed live in dangerous times! There is so much evil extant,
and Satan is such a master of deception (Revelation
12:9), that he manages to get some
of his garbage into our minds without our even realizing it. He can, with all
his devices (II
Corinthians 2:11), dupe us, and seduce us from God, if we are not
extremely careful! He can entice people to feast on spiritual garbage,
instead of casting it out.
Mental Garbage
In particular, I make reference to what people
See, Hear, and Read.
- First, let us note what people see. So many of the movies (and television
programs also!) are saturated with lascivious content. Lasciviousness is
"that which tends to produce lewd emotions." And certainly the same is
true in the matter of sexually oriented/ pornographic magazines. Such
"junk" is nothing but mental garbage. Read what the apostle Paul said
about it in Galatians 5:19-20.
And yet, many Christians falter in this matter
of carelessness in what is viewed.
- Second, many teenagers and young adults listen to more "garbage"
masquerading under the guise of music. So much "noise" is highly
suggestive and often specific... a verbal exercise in degeneracy! Add to this the
constant barrage of vulgarities, obscenities, and curse words used so openly in
our society, and you can readily see that large doses of "mental
garbage" are tossed into people’s minds every day.
- Third, the sale of trashy, sex dominated novels is a billion dollar industry
in our country. Add to that what can be read in most any of the magazines that
are displayed in grocery stories, drug stores, etc. Folks who should know better
purchase this garbage for mental consumption.
Every Christian family and every individual Christian needs to
sit
down and make a determination
"to take the garbage out!".
The Bible
tells us: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the
issues of life" (Proverbs
4:23). It also tells us: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things"
(Philippians
4:8).
Will you take the garbage out?
This is something each of us must deal
with personally. We can’t shift the responsibility personally.
Let’s clean
up our minds and hearts and get rid of the garbage as best we possibly can, and
keep it out!
-– M. B. Boren, September 2001 --
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