EXPOSURE ~ Precious Victor Akah

As children of God we are to be careful, extra careful of the things we expose ourselves to. Anything that will not edify our spirit, soul and body we must avoid and sometimes flee from. Because whatever will not edify you will either pollute you or destroy you - depending on what it is. For instance, if you consistently expose your eyes to sexual immoral images you'll be polluted, and if you go further to habitually indulge your eyes in sexual immoral videos (pornographic videos, erotic movies, erotic novels) and never stop, it'll ultimately destroy you (your spiritual life, your marital life, your academics and even your career will bear the brunt).

And one thing about this that we should all be cognizant of is that, we can expose ourselves to something unedifying or ungodly (deliberately or indeliberately) and ask God for forgiveness, God will forgive you, but then, that thing (that image, that video, that music) has been registered in your subconscious mind, and getting it out won't be easy, thus hindering your progress - making it hard for you to move on, even after receiving forgiveness from God.

For instance, when you expose yourself to ungodly, corrupt secular music, you'll notice that even though you're not enjoying the song or singing to it, just merely exposing your ears to it has empowered the song to download itself into your subconscious mind. So after some hours or even days, you'll see that song playing in your subconscious mind and you'll be wondering, how did this song come to my mind - and getting it out or shutting it up becomes a struggle.

Jesus said in the Scripture to take heed what you hear (Mark 4:24). So it's better not to listen at all. If you can't do anything about the music, walk away from the environment; if you can't walk away, you can use earphone to shut out the music from entering your ears (that's one of the benefits of earphones). And not only should you avoid ungodly music, but also avoid gossips and slanderous comments about people you know.

Maybe you're in a hair salon and people are discussing and lambasting some men of God you know or people in your neighborhood, don't only keep quiet and refuse to join them, shut your ears from hearing what they're saying, because what we hear is a seed that will bear fruits (positive or negative). Just mere listening to gossip can poison your mind against someone or shut your heart against them, even though they're innocent of the accusations against them. This is how some individuals start living in hate without cogent reason. 

Proverbs 18:8: "Rumors (gossips) are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart."

Proverbs 10:18: "Whoever conceals hatred has lying lips. Whoever spreads slander is a fool."

Proverbs 16:28: "Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends."

Just like Jesus said: take heed what you hear, child of God. Seive and censor what you let into your heart and mind through your 'ear gate' and through your 'eye gate'.

God bless you.

ALSO READ: 18 SEPTEMBER - FIXING YOUR THOUGHTS