When we think about and meditate on God (His Holiness), then listen too or watch something that is unclean or glorifies sin, allowing it into our eye or ear gates, then we cause ourselves to be lukewarm and double minded.
Our thoughts, by human nature, tend to replay in our mind and we tend to accept as normal what we see and hear on a regular basis.
Rev 3:15-19
15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
I am not saying that your salvation, anointing, or calling rely on how you live your life, what you watch or hear.
I am saying that:
what you partake of in the world will directly affect the proximity of you to your creator.
See it is neither you or me that move or cause God to move, we are the ones that move. For example, God is like the tree that is planted, sturdy and strong. We are as the one that is seeking the fruit that is on this tree. If we want the fruit we must draw ourselves near to the tree, because the tree in itself does not move. If we are not tall enough to reach the fruit we must either bring a ladder or climb the tree itself. Either way it takes work. You must be the one to make the change and the effort.
God will draw near to anyone that calls on His name. Yet as you see here the bottom line is we must first take action.
Psalm 145:18 New King James Version (NKJV)
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
See all we have to do is ask.
Zechariah 1:3 New King James Version (NKJV)
3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.
If we turn from our ways, looking to God and not our own desires, then we make an effort to gain traction in the things of God. Like Queen Esther, before becoming queen, she had to go through a time of preparation. Like her, we must make ourselves ready. She could not just show up and expect to be picked as the next queen. She had to undergo that time of preparation and then hope that the King would take pleasure in her.
Even after she gained the status as Queen,
she did not dare to approach the King without being requested,
even with the request of Mordecai she did not go into the King unprepared.
Esther 4:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
See she went in only after a time of preparation, making herself ready both with God and appealing to Him.
In the same way, we need to draw ourselves near to God. Making ourselves ready, in doing so we draw the heart of our King to us.
Let me leave you with this thought, with our children who gets the most attention?
The child that seeks you out and does things for you, or the one that you have to correct and consistently push to do everything. Naturally, we as humans tend to gravitate toward those that invest into us. Likewise God is a good investment manager, He wants to invest His efforts into things that bring a good return.
So what things do we need to clean out of our lives that are not sin? Are they a distraction, is there something we need to do to setting ourselves apart, making our time available, and drawing our God and savior nearer to us?
My challenge to you is this, examination yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life you can change that will set you up for success in Him.