Purify Your Mind Series (Part 2) by Joe KirbySample

Guess Who My Favorite Bible Character Is

Sometimes when I preach at a church I ask the congregation, “Who do you think my favorite Bible character is, outside of Jesus Christ?” I hear them throw out names like Paul, Samson, Daniel, or David. But do you know who I like more than them? The sea captain in the story of Jonah. Here in the story, we have Jonah asleep on the bottom deck of the ship, while the storm rages and the sailors on the top deck are fighting for their lives. The sea captain, who was not a believer, rebukes the believer Jonah, and tells him to call on his God. So in other words, an unbeliever was telling the man of God what he should be doing. The reason it resonates so strongly with me is I remember times in my life when an unbelieving work colleague or family member told me a story and I laughed inappropriately. Often they would say the same thing: “Why are you acting like that—you’re supposed to be a Christian.”

If you struggle with lust, you must also get rid of crude jokes and laughing at inappropriate things with your friends or coworkers, because a scary sign we’ve backslidden is when unbelievers start telling us what we should be doing. You see, the world, as blind and immoral as it is, still holds up a standard to the Christian and when we don’t meet that standard they will soon let you know. So remember, wherever you go you are an ambassador for Christ.