Today's Devotional

 

 December 18, 2008

                                                                                                                        

Subject:  They're Reprogramming Us 

James 1:27 - "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." 

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I always make fun of my wife because she thinks that everything is a conspiracy by the government to invade our lives.  We joke about our house being bugged and every technological advance, such as the Global Positioning System, is just so that they can track us.

I'm not as much a conspiracy theorist on this issue as my wife, but I do believe that "the world" is out to make us think like them.  Who is the world you may ask?  Well it is as Paul puts it in 1 John 4:3, those who don't believe in Jesus.  He goes on to say they speak "worldly" things and the world hears them and applauds because they are "of the world." 

A simple example of this is how at school the other day, we were talking about some activity to have before school let out for the holidays.  It became quite noticeable during the conversation with these high school students that they never used the word "Christmas."  I finally said, "hey what about a Christmas dance?"  Then I exploded on them when they said, "yea we could call it, "a Winter dance."  I said, "winter dance?"  It's not Winter, it's Christmas.  What's up with you people?"  They weren't astonished because they know me, but it made me realize how young people are being subtly programmed in our society. 

This is what "the world" wants to do to all of us.  They will do it so subtly as to deceive even some believers.  The reprogramming has started and the only defense you have is to have "your program" solidly planted in your mind.  That is the word of God.  Don't be tainted by the world.  Keep Christ first this season and always.               

Carlen