Installing a godly filter for our eyes
Jesus warned that the health of our whole body will be affected by what we fill our eyes with – whether with the light of God or darkness from Satan. What we look at repeatedly will influence what we will gravitate towards and come to value on a subconscoius level. This is why we need to filter what we lay our eyes on if we wish to keep our bodies healthy; spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.
(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 为眼睛安装一个敬虔的过滤器 | 繁體中文 > 為眼睛安裝一個敬虔的過濾器)
Matthew 6:22-23 NLT “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
In the book of Job, Job described how our hearts can also go after what we see and sin against God.
Job 31:6-7 NLT Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity. If I have strayed from his pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin,
We see an example of this when mankind first sinned against God. In the Garden of Eden, Eve looked at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which she was forbidden to eat from, and found it “a delight to the eyes.” Her eyes eventually led her to fall for Satan’s temptation and sin against God.
Genesis 3:6 ESV So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Our brains passively prioritise what we have seen before
It is important to note that our subconscious minds record every visual image and message without a filter for truth or falsehood, good or bad. When we passively look at something repeatedly, we will start to develop a bias towards it without even realising it. After all, studies indicate that our eyesight accounts for 80% of what we perceive.
For example, a child who grows up seeing its nurse more frequently than its own parents is likely to form a tighter bond with its caregiver than its own family members.
1. Repeated viewing deepens our subconscious bias
This is because the subconscious mind learns by repetition, not by logic – and the more we are exposed to something, the higher in priority it becomes in our brains.
It is the same for spiritual darkness. If our eyes keep looking at sinful things, for example, our brains will automatically move sinful things to become “top of mind.” Our brains subconsciously learn to prioritise sinful things over obeying God’s commandments.
2. Desensitised to sin
We can become desensitized and biased towards the things God calls evil.
For example, much of what we watch or read nowadays glorify “sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness,” where people boast about getting rich, getting drunk, getting laid, and getting high.
Mark 7:20-23 ESV And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
The Bible warns us that such things defile us spiritually. When our eyes are repeatedly exposed to them, however, we start to believe that all they are normal, good, and worth pursuing. We find it harder to distinguish between darkness and light.
Isaiah 5:20 NLT What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
Proverbs 4:19 ESV The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
3. We develop perception blindness
We all know what it is like to walk into a room and gravitate towards someone or something we have seen before, while the rest of the room “fades away”. Our eyes lead us to what is familiar. We can literally become blind to the things that God may want us to show us.
4. Fodder for our imagination
Finally, we can fuel our imaginations with what we see. If we are accustomed to watching pornography for example, the lewd images we have seen can interrupt our thoughts. We may see sexualized images when we pray or unintentionally “undress” someone we are speaking with. Our memory bank of past images can “hijack” our minds.
Matthew 5:28 ESV But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If we want to have fellowship with God, we should be careful to pay careful thought to our ways and no longer entertain our eyes with spiritual darkness.
1 John 1:5-6 ESV This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Haggai 1:7 NIV This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
Creating a godly filter
The apostle John warned that the “desires of the eyes” are not from God.
1 John 2:16 ESV For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Praise God that He created our minds to be able to be renewed and transformed, but this will take some self-discipline on our part.
Romans 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We need to start to choose what we expose our eyes to so that we fill our bodies with light, rather than darkness. Thankfully, the Bible provides some guidance in this area.
- Refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar, and stay away from every form of evil | Psalm 101:2-4 NLT I will be careful to live a blameless life— when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.
- Literally divert our gaze away from people we may be tempted to lust after | Job 31:1 ESV “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?
- Choose what we read carefully, give priority to studying God’s Word | Psalm 119:6 ESV Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
- Invite God to open our eyes to perceive what He wants us to see, rather than what our fleshly instincts may pivot towards | Psalm 119:18 ESV Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
- Observe and learn from godly examples of Christ-followers | Philippians 3:17-18 ESV Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
- Watch out for danger and avoid it | Proverbs 22:3 ESV The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.
Jesus went so far as to warn that if our eyes cause us to sin, then we are better off without them. We won’t have to go to such extremes, as long as we actively apply a godly filter for our eyes, according to God’s Word.
Matthew 5:29 ESV If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
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