I WILL SET NO WICKED THING BEFORE MINE EYES!

Psalms 101:3 says, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me."

David said this several thousand years ago, and yet only the Lord knew how badly we would need this truth in this day and age. When my children were young, I came across this verse and it changed my mind about many things that I allowed my children to view.

If parents would only try to raise their children with this passage continually in mind! Parents, while children are small, you must be their consciences and their guides. You must control where they are, what they see and what they hear. Children don't know what is bad for them, necessarily, and too often will choose the wrong thing.

I have a little granddaughter who is very picky in what she eats. I believe if she were allowed to, she would only eat white bread products and anything sweet. She only likes to eat what tastes good to her. Her parents have to continually be her conscience and coax her to eat more healthy foods. She does not understand how her body works and why she needs to eat the healthy things, nor does she know the pitfalls that would await her in the future if she were allowed to indulge this habit.

Children are like that in their appetite for the things of the world, such as television, movies, some magazines, and even with older children, the internet. They don't know why many of these shows and sites are not good for them. They cannot know how these things can harm them in the future and damage their minds. Neither do they know that these things can sear their consciences toward the Lord and His will for their lives. I Timothy 4:1-3 says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith...."having their conscience seared with a hot iron..."

What Goes In, Comes Out

Many of you probably recently saw, in the news, the story of the young boy who killed his little neighbor who was 8 years old at the time, and put her under his water bed. The parents, when interviewed, could not think of anything in this boy's life that may have caused him to do this. It has recently come out, however, that this young teenage boy had been viewing all kinds of sexual perversion on the internet, including pictures of women being hurt in gruesome ways. They found out all of this by reviewing his saved sites on his personal computer.

I don't mean to use sensationalism here nor be too graphic, but I think parents should take heed to some of what is going on in the world and take responsibility for their own children's minds.

What goes in does come out! You put evil and perversion in and out will come evil and perversion! We should be putting the Word of God into our children's minds, instead.

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." says Psalms 119:11.

Parents, it is up to you to see that your children's consciences are not seared! Moms, you are with your children, at least you should be, and the Lord has given you the job of being the "keeper" of these little ones, according to Titus 2:4-5. He did not give this job to anyone else, just you! For the verses say, "...teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home..."

To properly keep them, you must not allow your children to "eat" and "drink" whatever they want. You must work hard to see that they grow up to fear, honour, and serve the Lord. You must keep them as a shepherd keeps his sheep!

 Your job is to guard them and keep evil influences from them, to guard their habits and to see that only healthy influences go into their minds.

What the Scriptures Say

There are many more verses that instruct and support parents in this. Ephesians 4:30 admonishes us, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." When we allow our consciences to be seared by the evil that abounds in our society, we become calloused to the instructions of the Lord and thus we grieve the holy Spirit. Parents must see that this doesn't happen to their children.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."My son hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother..."Proverbs 1:7-8

"Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." Proverbs 29:17

"...a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." Proverbs 29:15

"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
"Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward....
"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalms 19:9-14

"Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in converstion, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." I Timothy 4:12

"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world". Titus 2:12.

Parents, it does matter how we live, and it does matter how our children live and what goes into their minds! If a child's conscience is seared at a young age, then who knows what far reaching implications may result. The verse quoted above, I Timothy 4:2, indicates that "departing from the faith" is one of them. God forbid that we would actually allow this to happen to our children!

  Put On the Whole Armour of God

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6:11-13

Mothers, this is your duty! It is so clear that you must be very diligent in these latter days to make sure that your children "set no wicked thing" before their eyes! Make sure that they do not watch or look at anything that the Lord would not want them to watch or see. The rest of us should all be praying for the young mothers that they would be strong and firm and stand against evil in this evil age!

Submitted with my prayers for all of you,
Mary Atwood