Beware Of The World’s Attractions

by Jesse Duplantis | Articles, Christian Living

When I was little, I used to be a big fan of The Untouchables. It was one of my favorite shows; I kind of liked the way Al Capone looked. He had a better-looking suit than Elliot Ness did. The gangsters had big, nice, shiny cars. They always had pretty ladies around them and wore nice suits.

When I was little, I used to be a big fan of The Untouchables. It was one of my favorite shows; I kind of liked the way Al Capone looked. He had a better-looking suit than Elliot Ness did. The gangsters had big, nice, shiny cars. They always had pretty ladies around them and wore nice suits.

One morning I went to Sunday School and my teacher told me, “You know, the Bible says you should bless your enemies. Don’t you want to do that, Jesse?”

“No! I’ll put a contract out on ’em! Let ’em mess with me!”

“Contract? What contract?”

“Oh, nothing, Mrs. Hutchinson, nothing.”

Now, I’m not knocking the show. It was written, directed and produced really well. But the underlying current of worldly attractions was becoming a danger to me. It was weaning me from God, holiness and heaven. I was absorbing what they were showing, as demonstrated by my response to my Sunday School teacher.

It is important to watch what you put before your eyes. The world has many attractions, but those attractions can become dangerous if we become fully absorbed in them. Instead of being purged into purity by the Spirit of God, we may end up being weaned, ever so slowly, away from the Lord.

After a while, you become conditioned to hearing cursing. You become conditioned to watching adultery on television. Things that used to bother you as a believer become more common, less threatening and easier to digest.

Ever so slowly, you become conditioned to the way the world thinks. And that isn’t good for your soul, which is your mind, your will and your emotions.

It is usually done through the great god of “entertainment.” Remember that there is nothing wrong with having fun or being entertained. I’m all for that.

But watch out what you allow yourself to digest. You can be laughing and not even notice the underlying current that is in direct opposition to what you believe. You can hear a point of view so much that it seems kind of okay. Watch that.

And I’m not saying you shouldn’t watch this or that. All I’m saying is to be aware and keep your heart pure. Some people really take in what they see, while others just don’t.

Only you and God can judge what you can see and what you can’t. Only you and God can judge what you can hear and what you can’t. That is between you and God. I encourage you to just step back a bit and recognize what you’re taking into your heart.

Remember that most of the people in the entertainment world don’t know God. They’re coming from a lost and confused point of view. Many do things to deliberately shock you—to go against the grain just to grab your attention. Attention in their world means money. Understand that, and then seek to keep your own heart pure. You don’t have to allow any of their impurity to find a home in your heart.

Whatever you see or hear doesn’t have to influence you, because the greater power is in you! You can recognize any impurity and choose to avoid it.

Source: Breaking The Power Of Natural Law by Jesse Duplantis.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Jesse Duplantis, minister of the Gospel, motivational speaker, television personality, and best-selling author, has been in full-time ministry since 1976 and is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, located in the Greater New Orleans area of south Louisiana in the United States of America. With over four decades of sharing his unique blend of humor and faith around the world, generations of believers have been inspired by his messages and countless numbers have come to know Jesus Christ as Savior through his ministry.

Known for his unflinching, status-quo-breaking messages and humorous take on experiences in the life of the believer, Jesse continues to draw large audiences of believers through social media, television, and meetings held around the world. With speaking engagements booked years in advance, Jesse Duplantis continues to keep an intense traveling schedule, flying throughout the United States and the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With no booking agents pursuing meetings for him and no set fees imposed upon churches for speaking engagements, Jesse chooses his outreach meetings based on the same two criteria he always has: invitations that come in and prayer over each one. This uncommon way of scheduling in today’s world means Jesse’s many followers may find him speaking in some of the largest churches and venues in America and the world, as well as a great many small and growing congregations, too. No church is too big or small for the Holy Spirit, as he says.

Side by side with his wife Cathy Duplantis, the co-founder and chief of staff of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, Jesse continues to fulfill his life’s calling by daily taking up the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Through social media, television broadcasts, books, and other ministry products, as well as through many evangelistic meetings, the JDM website, the JDM app, and Voice of the Covenant magazine, Jesse Duplantis continues to see growth in his ministry and expand each year while maintaining his roots. Jesus is the center of his life. The salvation of lost people and the growth of believers is the purpose of his ministry. And for both he and his wife, every day is another day to “Reach People and Change Lives, One Soul at a Time.”