Do you know that there are five gates to your soul?
These five gates are your five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling.
In order to cultivate peace and joy in your life it is of utmost importance that you protect these five gates. You do this by not letting any impure, improper or shameful content enter these gates.
It is so popular in our culture to watch movies that portray violence, death and immoral filth, that it is not even considered improper.
The fact is, that these are not only improper they are downright deadly.
There is so much negativity in the news. How can we ever cultivate peace if our minds are filled with violent thoughts and images?
We must willingly liberate our minds and hearts from this negativity and instead be filled with wonder at the beauty of the Creation that God has provided for us and continues to provide for us every day.
We must take the time to notice the beauty of the fields, mountains, grass, trees, flowers, deer, puppies, kittens… there is so much beauty we can rejoice in!
We should listen to music with lyrics that are constructive and helpful.
We should shun listening or participating in perverse talk or gossip.
We should look at beautiful things and watch movies or videos that inspire us to be better human beings today than we were yesterday.
In general, we should conduct our bodies as temples of the Most High God.
It is written in the Bible:
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
For you were bought at a price; therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (Corinthians 6:19-20)
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Brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Phil 4:8)
Guarding these five gates is the only way to finding true peace and lasting joy.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!