When I was a kid, there was a song we used to sing in Sunday school: “Oh be careful little eyes what you see. Oh be careful little ears what you hear.”
Basically, it was a simple song about being careful about what we let into our hearts and minds.
Why is that so important? Because as I mentioned in my last blog, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
And so God told Ezekiel to command the people,
Give attention to the entrance of the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.
Say to the rebellious house of Israel, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, O house of Israel!
In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.” (Ezekiel 44:5–7)
Apparently, the people had allowed ungodly foreigners into the sanctuary where only the priests were allowed. As a result, they ended up worshiping idols in the temple itself, desecrating it before God.
Because of this, those Levites whose ancestors had worshiped idols in the temple were prohibited from becoming priests. Only those who had been faithful to God were able to be priests before God.
What about you? What do you allow to come into your temple gates, through your eyes and ears? And what do you allow to dwell within your heart?
What do you watch on TV? What kinds of messages and music are you listening to? And what do you let reign in your heart?
When we allow what is ungodly into our hearts, it pollutes the temple that God dwells in.
When we let the idols of money, possessions, sex, or whatever else it may be reign in our hearts, it desecrates the temple God dwells in.
Let us never do that. May we shut our doors to that which would pollute our hearts.
Instead, let us open our hearts wide to God, giving him the throne of our hearts that he might dwell there.
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 