G.I.G.O.

Over the past few days, I have been considering the “Garbage In, Garbage Out” philosophy, as a few recent, spontaneous decisions have resulted in garbage going out. The idea is that if you put garbage into a process, garbage is bound to come back out.

Jesus said, “18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:18-19). I’m left to wonder, where do the things that come from the heart originate. Do they have their birth in the heart – do they originate in original sin, or the laziness and lusts of the flesh? But for the Christian (in the charismatic since) is not the heart cleaned and inhabited by the Holy Spirit? Surely, these evils do not originate with God, Himself!

So I’m left with the problem – how does the garbage get back into a soul that has been cleansed and freed by the Blood of Christ? As a gut reaction, I feel it goes back to the “input.” Do I contemplate the things of the world that are true, noble, right, pure, and lovely, the things that are admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)? Have I, like Job, made a covenant with my eyes (31:1)? If not, then are the things I’ve been looking at inspiring my “unclean” actions?