"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable--if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise--dwell on these things."
-Philippians 4:8
As a defensive player in soccer, I often hear the phrase: "When in doubt, kick it out." In soccer, if you mess around with the ball in the back, it can result in a point for the opposing team. And that is bad! So, when a ball comes to those of us on defense and we are unsure whether or not we have time to pass it, we kick it out.
In life, we sometimes have things that we think might be impure, but we are not really sure, so we keep them in our lives. Keeping impure things in our lives, however, separates us from God and hurts our witness.
What if you had a bomb in your hand and its fuse was lit? Would you hold it in your hand and say, "You know, I think this MIGHT blow up, but I'm not sure; so I think I'll hold onto it"? No! You would throw the bomb as far away as you could! So, why play around with impure things in life, just because there's no proof that they will blow up immediately?
From now on, try adding this standard to your life: "When in doubt, kick it out!" When those things come into your life (i.e. friendships, bad habits) and you are not sure whether or not they are impure, don't take chances! Kick them out!
1. Is there something in your life that you've been holding onto that you need to kick out?
2. Do you have the strength and desire to kick it out?
3. Do you have something pure to replace it?
4. Where should God fit into your strategy?
Psalm 51:10
Psalm 119:9
Proverbs 20:9
Matthew 5:8