If you were to get a glass of clean water and add a drop of blood, it would contaminate the water. In fact, if someone who was not around before looked at the water after you added the blood, they would still know you added some red ingredient.  Because the blood is red, the water would turn red and not blue, green or another color and you probably wouldn’t drink that water.  Like this contaminated water, you can display only what is in you. Your mind is your control tower and what you put in it determines what you exhibit.

Think of your mind as that glass of water.  When you allow it to be contaminated with things like greed, pornography, unforgiveness, anger, jealousy, the pollution will be revealed in your behavior and decisions.  Inadvertently, you will do things that you regret leading to feelings of guilt and shame, which are surely hard to swallow.

In the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” the emperor was naked but mistakenly believed he was clothed.  Others saw his lack of clothes but he chose to ignore it until he got a rude awakening when someone else pointed it out, in the open.  He dressed himself privately but his control tower was contaminated and instructed him to a bad decision.  This was seen publicly and caused him shame.

The thoughts you cultivate are critical.  True, life has many distractions so it is extremely important to nourish and renew your mind daily (Romans 12:2).  If you were to add Kool-Aid or a protein mix to the clean water, it would still change color.  But this time the drink will be refreshing or nutritious and good enough to drink.

With a mind that is refreshed and nourished with the seed of God’s word and edified in a positive way, the fruit will be “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).  These are not easy to cultivate, hence it is just as critical to pray for God’s strength to guard your mind against contamination (Philippians 4:6-7).

And if you your mind become contaminated, God can cleanse it (1 John 1:9).

 

Daily we must renew our minds

With the nutrition to function free of poisonous binds

For contaminating habits we feed in secret

Spill publicly to shame us and cause us regret

Feed on the bible and daily prayer

To nourish, edify and strengthen you anywhere

For amidst that frequent diversion

You can have a clean, even cleansed, vision