I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.... I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.
Devotional Text
What we look at shapes our lives. David said he would not set before his eyes any vile thing. In this world we live in, our minds are bombarded daily with vile and vulgar images. From television, magazines, movies, and even the daily lives of others comes the constant portrayal of the perverse, proud, deceptive, profane, and slanderous. What can we do about it? We can do as David did and be totally intolerant of filth. Whenever something from the enemy came before David’s eyes, he immediately cast it from his mind. We cannot afford to meditate passively on unclean and worthless things that our minds conceive. Rather, we must follow Paul’s instructions to “take captive every thought” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV) and David’s admonishment to “stay away from every evil” (Psalm 101:4). Analyze your environment. Conduct spiritual housecleaning, if necessary, and do not let evil enter your presence (Psalm 101:7). Your mind will clear, temptation will lift, and you will dwell in safety.