“He must look on his heart as a magazine of gunpowder, and be cautious not to handle one spark of temptation more than he can help.” - J. C. Ryle. Thoughts for Young Men
Ryle warns us to have a healthy dose of fear regarding the power of sin. Sin is always ready to explode in our lives. Yet, it’s so easy for our hearts to entertain sin and to dwell on it. As we’re cooped up more than ever before and have more idle time, our thoughts can easily wander from God. Our minds can easily fill up with fear, greed, lust, discontentment, and anger.
Ask yourself: Where does my mind go when I don’t have to think about anything? What fills my imagination? What thoughts fill in the empty spaces? The answer to these questions reveals what we really worship.
Maybe our current global emergency reveals a worship of control, security, freedom, comfort, or pleasure…maybe it reveals that I love the world more than I do the Father…that I put my hope and trust in this world and in this life…that I believe that something here will satisfy my soul.
And to the degree that I love the world, I will lash out in anger, shrivel up with fear, seek after selfish pleasures, or crumble under the weight of unbearable boredom when things don’t go my way. In short, I will walk in sin.
Thankfully, the Bible sheds light in our darkness. Psalm 119:11 tells us that as we treasure God’s word in our heart, we will not sin against Him. In Col 3:16, Paul calls us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. As we do so, praise and gratitude to God will flow out of us in loving others.
The gospel received has power to melt our hearts with love for Christ and thus, uproot sinful affections. Putting on Christ in the word keeps us from giving into the lusts of the flesh which wage war against our souls (Rom 13:14). How can I let my mind dwell on the very sin that my Savior lovingly paid for with His precious life?
So, it’s important to be proactive in fighting temptation and sin. And there’s no better way to do that than to consider Christ in all the glories of His lovely person and gracious work for us.
Don’t let your mind just wander. Don’t give fuel to your sinful lusts. Instead, take ahold of yourself and preach to yourself the heart-protecting, joy-fueling word of Jesus Christ.
