Filters. I went live last week on facebook and shared the following thoughts on filters. If you missed it and just want a quick read, below is a rundown of what I shared.

We use filters in so many ways. Air filters in the heater, the car, the vacuum. Water filters in our fridge and sink. Apps on our phones, computers, and TV. Shucks, even cigarettes have filters.

The first definition of “filter” on dictionary.com is “any substance, as cloth, paper, porous porcelain, or a layer of charcoal or sand, through which liquid or gas is passed to remove suspended impurities or to recover solids.”

Obviously, an electronic filter works differently to separate digital information according to set parameters. But the result is the same – eliminate impurities and/or unwanted elements to give you pure content.

What is the greatest filter we have for our lives? Well, as a follower of Christ, I use the Bible. I weigh my wants, desires, questions, fears, plans, etc. against scripture. I’m yet to run across a problem with which scripture hasn’t been able to help or encourage me. But I have to use the filter of scripture. I have to be in the word and in prayer and fellowship with God for the filter to work.

So, why am I all excited about filters tonight? Well, I think about the verse in James 1 quite a bit. I always have. It’s a very well-known verse, actively quoted amongst missionaries, and serves as a mission statement for many in their giving and overall mission work. But it’s also got to be one of THE most underutilized and under recognized verses as a whole. Why? Because most people either stop reading at a certain word, or recite the rest in almost an undertone of irrelevance. What’s the verse? James 1:27. Here’s the NIV version:

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Do you need to hear it again? Cause most people stop listening at “orphans.” But, there’s still half the verse left. Now don’t tune out, I’m not hopped up on a soapbox about the distress of widows tonight. At least not tonight. We can talk about that part another time. No, it’s the last part I’m focusing on. The part about keeping oneself from being polluted by the world.

Part of the pure and faultless religion that God is looking for is about keeping yourself from being polluted by the world. How do we do that? We need to filter out the pollutants. What filter do we use? You guessed it. The Bible. But we have to use it. We have to engage with the Father. We have to read His word. And we have to live accordingly. If we want the filter to work, we have to use it. Only then can we experience the purity in our walk the Him. And we can fulfill His plan for us to the best of our ability.

So my question for you tonight is this: How’s your filter? Are you letting the world pollute your filter? What do you let in through the various forms of media, conversation, people in general? Are you being vigilant to keep your God filter clean? The world throws a lot of junk our way. Be as vigilant about keeping your God filter as clean as your air filters, water filters, and digital filters. Just like those other filters, some periodic cleaning, or even replacement, is prudent. You know the value of all those other filters. How much more valuable is that God-filter for our hearts and our lives?

#Discover the best filter you have in your life. God’s word. It will help you #LoveOnPurpose and even give you a boost to #LiveYourFaithBoldly. Thank you for joining me in this little evaluation about filters. Leave me a comment and let me know some of your thoughts, and feel free to share. If you want to see the facebook live video of this, click here. Until next time.

Title photo compiled from photos by Daniel Mena, WikimediaImages, and Petitgiovanni from Pixabay.