"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness." (Matt. 6:22-23a)

First I must explain that the verse above isn't talking about advice from an Optometrist (Eye-doctor). It is talking about advise from a spiritual perspective. When God created our bodies he knew the capacity and potential of our eyes for either good or bad. The book of Psalms reveals the struggle, "Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word." (Psalm 119:37)

You may have heard it said that the eyes are a window into the soul. Well, in a way the eyes are a window into the heart. What you see is directly transferred into your mind, and that can strengthen or damage your heart. Science helps us to back up what we already know, that everything you see makes a permanent mark on your brain. Whether you remember it tomorrow or years from now, everything you see goes into your mind. Veterans of wars not only become haunted by the grotesque visual images they saw but the images become experiences lived out again and again.

I know that often in life the negatives tend to overpower the positives. It is the same with the images we see. We could see one thousand beautiful sunsets and one horrific image. We would be more affected by the horrific image every time. We must understand and admit that the things we see truly do affect us. We must take seriously the affect on our heart that happens when we are not wise with our eyes.

If we are going to be wise with our eyes there are a few things we must immediately avoid; pornography and horror in any media form. We must eliminate all that is against the morals and ethics of scripture. We must eliminate all that deals with falsehood, deceit and evil. Don't try and justify watching a movie or looking at a website that you know has no regard for goodness and purity.

Scripture speaks over and over again that if something isn't pure, right, true, and godly then we must have nothing to do with it. It isn't obedience when we still watch and look at things that are not pure, right, true, and godly. Obedience is when every part of our body is in submission and surrender to God.

What do you need to stop looking at or watching? What does God want you to guard your eyes from in the future?

As Job did in the book of Job, can you make a covenant with your eyes before God? It's possible with the forgiveness and strength of God to keep your eyes pure. When you understand the need to protect your heart and your mind by what you see God will guide you away from sin and into his grace.

Protect your heart by protecting your eyes.

- Josh