Don’t ever forget this principle: Garbage In, Garbage Out. It should come as no surprise that when you put garbage into a person, that same garbage, and usually more, comes back.

A dear lady had just begun to attend our church when she said to me after one of my sermons against gambling, “Pastor, before your message on gambling, I bought a lottery ticket. Now every time you mention the lottery, my daughter reminds me of what I did.”

This woman was being encouraged to live a pure life from a source close to her heart, her own daughter. Are you being caught up in the world’s snares and amusements? Is your heart pure toward the Lord? God’s way is exactly opposite the world—in every respect. The world says that when you achieve success, you will be happy, while God says that when you learn contentment, you will discover true joy. The world says to embrace its amusements while God says to follow Him and shun entertainment that dishonors Him.

Take a moment today to confess your sin to God so that you will continue to follow after peace and love with a pure heart.