PINK ELEPHANTS

In my last post, IT’S OKAY TO BE NAÏVE (July 30), I made a brief reference to the power that exists in personal purity. One of the most profound effects of forgiveness is the immediate sense of freedom experienced by those who are sincere. It’s one of those things that defies description. I’ve heard this effect described as feeling clean all over or as if a huge weight had been lifted off one’s shoulders or feeling so great wanting to sing or shout. I’ve experienced all these effects and more.

This past Sunday the pastor shared a thought-provoking message (Pastor David Libby; http://www.morningstarchurch.com/2012-archive) and quoted 2 Peter 2:19 ESV: “For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” Re-read this verse several times, slowly, and allow the truth of it to sink deeply into your spirit. The word, ENSLAVED (douloo, Greek), literally means, “to make a slave of, reduce to bondage.” (Source: Strong’s Concordance) Are you overcome by fleshly desires (sin) or are you overcome by a desire for more of God in your life (Spirit)?

The more we know about what the “disobedient do in secret” (Eph 6:12), the greater the challenge to our desire to live in a way that pleases God. There’s a part of us that is drawn to explore and experience the world. None of us likes to be ignorant. When our friends or co-workers are talking about something, we don’t like to feel like we’re the only one in the room who doesn’t have a clue. It’s a bummer when we’re the only one who doesn’t understand the dirty joke.

We seek out knowledge of the world because we don’t want to miss out on something that might bring us happiness or pleasure. The pursuit of happiness and the pursuit of pleasure may be the primary forces driving most of our lives.

As I stated earlier, there is tremendous power in purity. When we walk free of enslaving sin, while motivated by a strong desire to live God pleasing lives, the direct effect in our lives includes:

Ø Freedom from guilt and shame. Even though the devil will attack and accuse he’s got nothing on us because we know we’ve been forgiven by the Father.

Ø Freedom from regrets and remorse. This is a simple thought, but worth considering: You don’t feel bad about what you don’t do. Most of our regrets and remorse come from having said “Yes” to temptation.

Ø Freedom to use our minds for righteous reflection (thinking righteously). The enslaving nature of sinful desire is the fact it’s all-consuming. Sin demands attention and satisfaction. The battle to resist sin is a battle of the mind. The greater our knowledge and experience with the world of darkness (sin), the more difficult the battle will be. The more we feed our fleshly desires, the more they dominate our thoughts.

Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation) offer this encouragement: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” No wiser and more important words have ever been written.

I have a friend who was beginning to teach his young son about the power of the mind. He would tell him, “Don’t think about a pink elephant.” The little guy would scowl and strain to not think about a pink elephant, but he always eventually failed, usually after only a few seconds. Try it some time, it’s really hard not to picture a pink elephant, no matter how hard you try. When we succeed in guarding our heart and protecting what we allow to be experienced by our senses, the effect is powerful. The world in which we live is constantly bombarding us with messages and images, many that are positive and helpful and others that can cause huge damage if allowed to influence our heart.

Recommended Reading: Galatians 5:1,16-26