MAIN TEXT: Dan.1:8-14

MEMORY:
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank:…(Dan.1:8)

In every family and for every member of the family, the potential source of defilement differs. That of Daniel and his friends was food and drinks. Today, however, the sources of defilement are much more diverse than in the days of Daniel. One major problem with sources of defilement is that they are often subtle. Consequently, it may not be clearly apparent to you that it can pollute except you are discerning; but you must be able to identify your own if you and your family must finish strong.

What is your own and your spouse’s potential source of defilement? It may be completely different from my own. For many, it is the friends they keep, for others it is the places they visit, while for many it is evil thoughts.
One major source of distraction and defilement today is the internet. Many of us have our Bibles on our tablets or android phones. There is nothing wrong with that but often, before you reach your Bible, you would have met Facebook, Twitter and Instagram etc. You will also receive diverse mails, the good, the bad and the ugly continuously rolling in. As you meet them, do you have the personal discipline to ignore them and go on to your Bible? If not, they become time wasters and potential sources of defilement for you. Many became pornography addicts through the internet, it has also become easy to become cult members through the same source. Consequently, though there is nothing wrong with using the Bible on your android phone or your iPad, if you are finding it difficult to discipline yourself, it may be better to carry on using your physical Bible so that you will not become defiled in the process of studying it online. Also, do you as a parent keep an eye on the programs that your children watch on digital television in your home? A lot of wrong and corrupt information with potential towards immorality, violence and other vices are passed on to young ones through them. In a lot of situations, you may not be with the children while in school as they are faced with a lot of influences which may defile them. However, strong foundation while they are at home, keen interest in what goes on with them at school as well as continuous prayers for them while they are absent from home will go a long way to help them in taking the right decisions when they are not at home.
Identify the potential sources of defilement in your family and discipline yourself to avoid them.

DISCUSSION POINTS WITH YOUR SPOUSE
• In what ways can we help each other in this family to avoid being defiled?

PRAYER
I receive the discerning spirit to identify every source of defilement in my family and run away from it in Jesus’ name.


QUOTABLE QUOTE
IT IS HIGH LEVEL OF WISDOM TO RUN AWAY FROM INIQUITY; GOD HATES SIN! – Dr. Mike Oluniyi

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