How do we keep our soul pure and uncontaminated when there are worldly activities and events we have to attend to as commitments to those we love? I have discovered years ago I like my quiet house, anointed house. I like to live in a place the Holy Spirit dwells and I can be protected by His presence. A place where I can choose what I put into my soul and spirit, what I put into my temple.
Does your spirit ever feel contaminated and dirty? Do you ever feel like you need a spiritual shower after you have been around secular music or people who use vulgar language? I know there are many times my husband and I have felt like we needed a spiritual shower. Often before we go into those kinds of atmospheres we pray in the spirit all the way there, we try to pray in our minds while we are there, but even that is not always effective to keep us “clean.” We spend time afterwards praying in the spirit again and then taking sometime to either get in the word or soak in the presence of the Lord. Its more than a 2 or 4 hour event, it’s all the prep time that goes in it before and after that is time consuming and wearing to get your spirit man and soul back into that place of peace and existence.
I am not trying to be a stuffy Christian who can’t go outside her walls. I protect what is mine and my spirit is for me to protect and guard. Our body is a temple of the Lord, isn’t it my responsibility to make sure my spirit and His spirit doesn’t have to hear garbage? I want to honor the Lord Jesus with what I put in my temple and my spirit.
I once heard a story by a Christian evangelist. He said, “You wouldn’t allow someone to come up and cuss your earthly Father face to face.” So he said, “Why would you watch a TV show or movie where they are using the Lord’s name in vain?” I don’t personally. It’s about honoring God. Our Creator. The One who loves us so much He came to be our Savior?
I want to guard and protect my heart after all the Bible says, Prov. 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Am I only living biblically? Are there any out there that feel the same way I do?
My friend said to me one time, “You are a home body.” I never thought I was. I travel every other week for ministry so I have to be out in the world, but she was right. When I am in my home region, where I live, I am home. I like being home in my safe, quiet, anointed, guarded environment.
My question that can’t be answered is, “When are the people in the world going to wake up and see what they are exposing others to?” Worldly people don’t understand that some of the things they do can cause weak or warm Christians to fall back in their faith. People can influence the progression Christians are trying to make. As Christians we try and be sensitive to the world’s needs, but what if they were sensitive to ours. Thank God I am a strong Christian and don’t have the temptation to be lured backwards. But I do know a great Christian with a prophetic calling that likes profane words. Her mouth is a potty mouth bad! She was trying to stop cussing and she posted that on Facebook. The support she got??? Go ahead and cuss was the reaction of her friends. They actually encouraged her!!! I was appalled. I guess I shouldn’t have been, but I was.
I know I have a lot of thoughts going through my mind. Perhaps this should have been a book instead of a blog. LOL!!! With the way God is with me I’m sure it will be….oh great! Here comes the revelation of the title….Living Christian in a Secular World. Yep that’s usually the way He works. I never wanted to be a writer but now I have written 8 books. To learn more about writing and how you can write or to learn about my ministry and spiritual growth visit my website www.degrawministries.org follow me on twitter at DeGrawMinistry or facebook at Kathy DeGraw – K Publishing public author page.
Back to my story after that rabbit trail. My question and these thoughts are pondering after I just had to attend a wedding reception last night. The tasteless dancing and grinding on the dance floor by 60 year old adults, the smell of beer and wine all over the place, and 60 year olds drinking like they were 21 again. However, one of the main problems for me is the secular music. It simply irritates my spirit man. I just can’t stand it. I can’t handle it!!! I had to sit there for hours to honor this person and by the time I was done I needed that spiritual shower. The effects of those things can linger on. Yes, Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. But why should we have to put up with what is in the world? When do we have to stop adapting to secular society for a moment and when do they have to start adapting to our way of live called CHRISTIANITY!!! Because Christianity is a lifestyle and why should I have moments of time I have to compromise that if it is a lifestyle? A full time devotion to my Lord and Savior?
Some of you might fault me, say its part of the world we live in and we are to be light in the darkness. I am light in the darkness as I travel the U.S. doing God’s Love tours, which are going out into the world for a week at a time to a final destination he gives me. I get in my van with my team and drive allowing the Holy Spirit to tell me east or west, what restaurant to eat at, which hotel to spend the night. We don’t preach at a pulpit during these trips, we preach with our lives. When we are home we go into the malls and stores and do prophetic evangelism. So we are out in the world ministering to store clerks, customers, employees, waitresses, hotel staff, and people having breakfast at hotels. We are always looking to share God’s love and a prophetic word.
My question is…can I stop attending wedding receptions? How can I love family and friends without exposing myself to something I will now call highly uncomfortable and irritating. Perhaps I should be better than this, and no I don’t need deliverance from something, and yes I would know, because I am a prophetic deliverance minister. But after last night the only thing I can think about is I have a couple of close people left I may have to endure it for, but besides that, wedding receptions are off limits, out of my spirit, not in my life. I want to honor my God more than that. Does he understand? I’m sure he does when we are honoring people. However, His word also says, He should be more important than family. And in my life He is.
Protect and guard your temple. Guard your mind. Guard your heart. You only have one chance in this life to live correctly for Christ. Do it right the first time.
Breath of the Spirit 