Tainted

Recognizing, Understanding, and Repairing the Filters of Life

Chris MacKinnon

Tainted: Recognizing, understanding, and repairing the filters of life Copyright 2011 Chris MacKinnon, touchtheskye.org

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Cover photo istockphoto.com/Albilda

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation. Scripture quotations noted NCV are from The Holy Bible, The New Century Version. Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991. Used by permission of Word Publishing Scripture quotations noted NLT are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

table of contents

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Living on Autopilot Filters How it Works Life Happens Been There, Done That Choices that Last Tainted Ground Rules Taking Action

5 9 14 18 22 27 34 39 44 51 56

10. Ananias Conclusion

one

Living on Autopilot
What made you decide to purchase or borrow this book? Was it the title? Maybe the cover is flashy and got your attention. Did you read the back of the cover, or maybe these first few pages? For whatever reason, you decided this book was worth the time to read it. Hopefully you havent changed your mind. The simple task of choosing a book in a bookstore or library belies a process that revolutionizes our lives. It occurs each time we face a decision, think a thought, move in action, and experience daily life. Youre likely thinking that there cannot possibly be any process that your mind or heart goes through each time life happens. It would take too much time. And how could it happen without you taking notice? The first part of the answer would be that it is, for

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the most part, subconscious. It happens when you arent aware of it. Secondly, it only takes the blink of an eye from start to finish. And that might be stretching its length.

Daily Routines
We already know that our minds work faster than we can sometimes think. For instance, Im typing at about 50 words per minute. My brain processes each word as I think it, sends signals through several feet of nerves and moves muscles and tendons to type on the keyboard what I am thinking in my head, and I have to keep on eye on the screen to make sure it is coming out correctly. Sure, I had to train myself where to find the keys that are needed to complete each word, but it all happens faster than I can think it. The word is usually half on the screen before I finish thinking it in my head. When you pulled yourself out of bed and dressed this morning, did you sit down with a checklist to put on your socks, button your shirt or zip your pants or skirt? (Maybe if we did, there would be fewer chances for leaving our zippers undone.) No, you followed your routine. You may have even watched the morning news, spoken with your spouse or ran to the other side of the

Living on Autopilot

house for a belt as you got dressed. These are some of the normal processes we follow each day: eating meals, dressing, washing in the shower or tub, brushing your teeth. We dont have the time to sit down and think deeply about these daily tasks of life. Instead we let our routines guide us on autopilot. Rarely does it come back to cause trouble later on (except in the case of those zippers). We are content to allow these automatic processes to continue day after day.

Not Paying Attention

Of course, there are those times when we engage our autopilot without even noticing. In those situations, if left to our absent-mindedness, the results could be deadly. I like driving. When Im alone in the car, I turn on my radio, pray, think, and enjoy the ride. At least one of those in flight activities has a tendency to put me on autopilot. Thinking. Yes, I can chew gum and walk at the same time. I can talk on the phone and continue my work on something around house. Well, most of the time. But I like to think. On those occasions when my

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brain gets in gear, I dont see the road, I dont hear the radio, and hopefully my wife isnt in the car trying to keep a conversation going. When Im on autopilot in the car, I drive several miles with no recollection of what happened in the meantime. I dont wake with a start, having fallen asleep at the wheel. Thats a completely different feeling. I just suddenly become aware that the last landmark or turn I remember had to be ten or fifteen minutes ago, based on what is in front of me when I come to. If I were to fall asleep at the wheel, or fail to come out of my deep-thought-induced coma, I could easily cause bodily harm to myself or, God forbid, someone else. It is at those times that I understand why we pray for traveling mercies when we start off on longer trips.

Even this pales in comparison to the dangers that await us when we allow this phantom process to continue unchecked in our lives. It doesnt always hurt us immediately, but it sets the stage for what will or will not occur in our lives. Have I got your attention? Are you interested in what could possibly have so much control in your life, when you dont even know it is there? Lets take a look.

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Filters
What have the last twenty-four hours brought you? You woke up, maybe after working a night shift or just before heading out to your work day. Did you get a chance to eat breakfast before you went out the door this morning? If you joined the majority at work this morning, what was your commute like? Did you take the bus or train? Public transportation can be easier on the wallet, but when we are told about its positive points, the unique smells and wait times are often overlooked. Maybe you braved the roads to work today. How was rush hour this morning? Did you lose your temper at all? What about that maroon sedan driving ten miles per hour under the speed limit. Did she get to you this morning?

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Do you like to start your day in silence, or with the radio or television going? Did you catch up on politics? How about sports or entertainment news? I wonder if your spouse remembered to put the coffee creamer back in the fridge this morning. Sounds like youve already had a full day, and were just getting started.

Ignorance is Bliss
How many times did you stop and consider all of the ins and outs, all of the implications for your present and future, of each experience that life dropped in your lap this morning? You didnt? Not once? Why do you think that is? Sure, you may have chosen which pants went with what tie, or which blouse would bring out your eyes, but did you really think very hard about it? Or think back to that little sedan that cut you off this morning. Did you consider what her situation might be today, or just that she dared to get in your way when you had your own place to be this morning? If we stopped and analyzed every possible outcome or reason for each circumstance of life, we would be locked in inactivity. There just wouldnt be enough time in the day. By the time youre supposed to be finished with a

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Filters

stack of paperwork for the project due at the end of the week, youd still be stuck processing the third story on the early news show. What we need, what we have, is a system to help us determine what requires our attention and our action. We dont have to turn it on, it is always there. It works every time some stimulus enters our life. There is a subconscious filter system through which every moment of your day is processed. Each thought, action, word and experience is pushed through, analyzed, sifted, and sorted before it is deposited in your heart and mind.

You Already Use Them

Filters are nothing new to us. They are all around us, and we use them in various parts of our physical lives. Odds are fairly high that you benefited from the use of one in the first fifteen minutes of your day today. Every cup of coffee is made by pushing water past little granules of ground up coffee beans, kept out of your mug by a filter. Houses are built with filters in the heating and cooling systems. They keep allergens, bacteria, mold and dust particles from circulating throughout your house. In an age of pet allergies, food allergies, asthma and

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other health concerns, we are glad for the filtration systems in our homes. If you drove a vehicle this morning, you should be a fan of filters. Your fuel passed through a filter. Oil to keep your engine running smoothly made use of a filter. Our vehicles, like us, need air to breathe. A clogged air filter will cause problems in your cars engine. Maybe you picked up a bottle of your favorite brand of spring water instead of coffee this morning. Did you take a look at how many times the manufacturer filters that water? It rarely comes straight from the source to the bottle. Who knows what kind of extra minerals and nutrients might be in the bottle otherwise?

Disposable or Irreplaceable
Filters are all around us, but their value is often understated. My work experience includes time in the hotel service. Coffee filters are thrown away throughout the day as the front desk keeps fresh java available for guests. In our cars we throw away and replace our oil and air filters with each oil change. As you read the first pages of this book there is a good chance that you may understand the concept of a filter in your life, but because of your previous experience with filters, you consider it unnecessary

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Filters

information. Just like the filters in your vehicle, they are small and seemingly insignificant. Sure, they help; but do you really pay attention to them? Isnt that the job of your local service station? But you cannot switch out the processes of your mind like you can a number four cone filter in your twelve-cup coffee pot. Due to its important place in our lives and the fact that it cannot really be replaced, it becomes extremely important for us to take note of the filter that is working in our lives.

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How it Works
What does it mean to process our thoughts, actions and life experiences through a filter? As you go through life, this filter helps you decide the potential of each action and event. It determines whether something is good or bad. It serves as a quickread lie detector telling you what is true or false. Space is reserved in your brain for memorable experiences while forgettable ones are pushed out. Consider the use of filters in the various arenas of your life. Some are used to help us flavor or color elements of our lives. Coffee wouldnt be so tasty if it came with a cup full of grounds. On the other hand, to run water over coffee beans doesnt result in very savory stuff, either. We need that filter to help get the parts that we want while holding off the stuff we dont.

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How it Works

An air filter in our home heating and cooling system works the same way. Air is pushed through the filter, while allergens, dust, bacteria, and a host of other impurities are caught by little fibers, keeping them out of our lungs. Other filters are used to sort and organize various items into manageable bites and piles. A coin sorter is a filter that works in this way. Some of us separate our recyclables, collecting paper, glass, cans, and plastic, each in their own container. We dont usually even notice the results of our filtering process. We are too busy living life to take in the analysis of it. But what we also fail to notice is how each filtered event or action piles up in the various collecting points of our hearts and minds.

Take a Tour
We just mentioned the coin sorter as an example of a filter. Have you ever stopped to think of how a coin sorter works? It pushes coins through a system of holes, sized from smaller to larger, each one made just a little larger than each coin it wants to sort. Each time a coin passes over a hole made for a smaller coin, it is sped along to the next size. Lets use a nickel as an example and follow its route through the sorter.

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Our shiny little Thomas Jefferson easily passes over the holes made to catch dimes and pennies. Its not even close. So it runs smoothly along, but the margin gets smaller each time. By this point if a handful of mixed coins were dropped into the sorter, only the nickels and quarters would remain. As the next hole approaches, our nickel is speeding along without a care, but that hole was made just for him. It falls through the hole and drops into a receptacle where he finds a stack of other Jeffersonian friends. As the nickel drops, the quarters continue past overhead, on to the final leg of the sorting machines track.

Size Matters
We mentioned bottled water in an earlier chapter. Companies like to inform the public how many times their water is filtered before bottling and distribution. In these cases it is safe to assume that they use a series of filters that become finer and harder to pass through with each step of filtration. What are the chances that the water would be more purified from step to step if the company only used identical filters each time it was filtered? Would it contain fewer particles after five runs than it did with

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How it Works

the first one? It isnt likely that anything new would be caught as the process continued. What if the filters were finer in each round of filtration, making allowance for smaller particles with each passing of the water? Now the water will contain fewer contaminants as it completes each part of the process.

Danger Ahead
That all seems basic enough, doesnt it? You might be thinking, Youre talking about coins and water. But how does that apply to me? The experiences, actions and thoughts of life run through our own internal filters just like the coins and the water. Are you curious enough to find out what that looks like? Before we look at an example, I want to offer a quick note of warning. So far this has been really basic, but now were going to start getting personal. Take a moment to prepare yourself. The next few chapters may get messy.

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Life Happens
One of the ways filters work is to sort the input that comes into our lives. It starts off broad and basic, then it analyzes in greater detail at each step of the process. Here is a very personal example that parents with school-aged children will understand. Im not saying it has worked just like this in my house, but I wont lie to you and say it hasnt, either. Heres a glance at the practical side of what this discussion is about. The alarm goes off and you drag yourself out of bed. You dont have anywhere to go, but your kids do. Today is a school day, and the next thing to do is drag them off to bed. The next twenty minutes is filled with piles of clothes to put on, breakfast, teeth brushing, hair

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Life Happens

brushing, and maybe you were able to put on a pot of coffee for yourself. Did you ask your kids what they wanted for breakfast? If you did, you may have realized that they each wanted something different. Some of us might have made that move yesterday, so today we decide to give them each a bowl of cereal instead of opening that can of worms. Your filter is already showing signs of waking up. As your eldest child is getting her shoes and coat on, she informs you that you didnt fill out the permission slip needed for the field trip her class is taking today. Its the first time you have heard about this trip, not to mention the required permission slip. Did I mention that shes had it in her book bag for a week? And, oh yeah, it costs fifteen dollars. How do you think this revelation is filtered when it hits your system? Lets take another imaginary trip through this filter we have talked so much about. The first step is the Conscious-Unconscious Filter. Here your brain determines whether this stimulus requires immediate action, or if it is something you can chew on and come back to later. It heard need and today and partnered them with the shrill panic in your childs voice. This is something to deal with right away.
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If you are like me, your filter might malfunction here first thing in the morning, but youll quickly catch up. Next your daughters request is on the fast track to the Family Filter. She has a speed pass through the toll booth that decides between family, work, church, and personal items. There doesnt seem to be any detour or pile up here today. As we come up to the Details and Options Filter, several gates line up one after another. Each one asks a question to help you along. Can I just keep her home today? Where is this trip to? Do we have to pay the full fifteen dollars? Can we afford fifteen dollars? Do I even have fifteen dollars in the house? Does she really want to go? Will she benefit personally or academically from this trip? Is this something that we as parents want her exposed to? Cant I just keep her home? The Reaction Filter determines how you will respond to the request. Are you going to be rational or impulsive? Will you be calm and cool, or is your cool headed out the window? Finally, the Action Filter provides what your next step is. It helps determine what you are going to do to resolve the issue . . . before the school bus arrives.

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Reality Check
What do you think? Does that sound far-fetched? Which sections does your system tend to work overtime on, or to skip entirely? And just how long do you think it took a loaded request from an eight-year-old to work its way through your series of filters? A blink of an eye? A half-second maybe? How much do you think filters impact your life now? Hopefully you are coming to see that they are quite vital to our daily lives. They process in a flash what I took twenty minutes to think about and write out by hand. We cannot live without our filter systems. Neither can we trust them all of the time. Unfortunately, like all of the other filters discussed this far, the filter in our heart and mind can run into trouble, causing problems in precious areas of our lives.

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Been There, Done That

Before we take a look at what it means to be tainted we should find out why our filters are in the shape they are in. Why do we process life the way we do? Where did that programming come from? If you are reading this book in a public setting, take a look around you. How many of those standing in the same coffee shop, riding the same bus, who are sharing what seems to be the same experience as you at this moment, have shared every moment of your life? The answer should be obvious: none of them. Only you have enjoyed (or not) each of the moments of your life. Every thought and action, vacation to work day, learned behavior or skill, has piled on top of the other to build the man or woman that you are today. For better or worse, only you are you.

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Been There, Done That

Logically, then, your filter is shaped specifically for you, by you. Chances are you have not shaped it deliberately, taking stock of each notch and thread, each level of filtration. Still, it is true that your life has shaped your individual filter. There are five primary influencers when it comes to the shaping of our filters. In this chapter we will discuss the first two. These involve what happens to and around us on a basic level. The other three relate to our personal choices and habits, and are covered in the next chapter.

Personal Experience
Maybe it sounds a bit too elementary, but our filters are influenced by our personal experience. Each situation you face in life will be duplicated. Some of these will reappear infrequently, others on a daily basis. How each experience affects you and how you respond to it will be part of the filtering process each time that situation returns. What does it mean that each situation will reappear? The details are not always the same, but the daily ins and outs of life are repeated time and again. Every day that you go to work, you have to decide whether or not you will do what is asked of you. Will you strive for excellence today, or will you take a short cut?

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With each decision, you set a precedent for the next occurrence of the question. Eventually your responses will be programmed by the actions of your past. As you choose to cut corners, youll spend less time debating the issue when faced with the same situation. Think about some of the experiences in your life that you face on a regular basis. On weeknights you have to choose between staying late to finish a project at work or spending a couple of hours with your children before they have to be in bed. You could be saving for a family vacation this summer, but instead you purchase a high definition, widescreen LCD television with a Dolby surround sound system and a Blu-Ray player. What? Youre not worried about that vacation? Oh, youre going to put it on the other credit card. Play now, pay later, right? What about some of the more churchy applications? Like how on Sunday mornings you have to decide if you really want to get up and go to church. Are you going to listen to what the pastor says this time, or are you just going to doodle on the back of an offering envelope? The last time you told that altar worker what was going on in your life she managed to have it spread all around town before the evening service. Should you
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Been There, Done That

really go and ask her to pray for you again? Our personal experience colors our filter before anything else. It sets precedents and prepares our system for the routine of life.

Experiences of Others
Because God designed the heart of man for community and connection, we are affected by the happenings in the lives of others. Each life in your sphere of influence serves to shape your personal filter. If you think you are immune to the lives of others, I would ask you to consider how often we ask for input. When was the last time you asked a friend what book or movie they recently enjoyed? Have you ever looked to a friend for a restaurant recommendation? Maybe you recently enjoyed a night out for dinner and asked the person across the table, What are you having? We also tend to offer our experiences to others. We tell our friends good times we had at the movies, or at an amusement park. Were also quick to share when we run across a bad experience, such as poor service at the fast food place or the auto mechanic. It is said that our culture has lost the ability to blush. Some of my friends find out how quickly they can bring up a subject that makes me uncomfortable. You

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have probably heard the acronym TMI, which stands for Too Much Information. Sometimes we really dont need to know the details of what is going on in the lives around us. When we are with each other we talk, we share, and we disperse the details of our lives. As we do so we are depositing into each others hearts. We should be careful what we receive from others, and what we are willing to share.

Isnt it interesting that for all of the recurring situations of life that come our way, we often fall into the same traps and fail to learn from our mistakes? If weve really been there, done that, why dont our lives show an impact from the experience? Maybe the answer lies in a few other programming issues we have to wrestle with.

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Choices that Last

In the Garden of Eden, Adam was told not to eat the fruit from a certain tree or he would die. When it came to decide whether or not he would obey that command, he relied on information other than the word of God. Eve had tasted of the fruit, yet she stood alive before him. He processed the directive of God through a filter formed around someone elses experience. Our filters are colored by our own experiences, as well as those of the people we allow to speak into our lives. These are not the only influencers we have, though. There are three others that are based on the direction we choose for our lives. The power of each of these influencers is a result of some other choice made in our lives. We have chosen a path for ourselves through each of these choices,

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therefore the landscape of life we travel through is based on that path. When you live in Minnesota but have to travel to somewhere in New England like Boston, you quickly find yourself in the middle of the debate of whether it is faster to drive a route that goes under the Great Lakes or over them via Canada. If you choose to take the southern route, you drive through Chicago, but quickly realize that a lot of your trip will be across the flat lands of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. If you go north, youll mostly travel through woodland, with the opportunity to see some of the larger cities of Canada, and the beauty of Niagara Falls. At some point youll probably think, Why not fly instead? Since the time difference is often considered a minimal factor, the choice really depends on your preference. What are your goals? Do you want to avoid customs and the possible difficulty of traveling through the French province of Quebec? Are you afraid of the potential to fall asleep and drift off somewhere in the middle of Ohio? It isnt that one is necessarily better than the other, but that once you have made up your mind, you are stuck with what each road will bring you. It is the same with these three influencers. You have chosen a path. In some cases your choice
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should be obvious if you are choosing to live a life based on Scripture and in the footsteps of Christ. Those situations have definitive wrongs and rights. In others it will be a matter of preference, dream and desire. There may not be a right option, but whichever you choose will shape your life and mind.

Beliefs
What we choose to believe will have enormous impact on how we view the world around us. These beliefs are both religious and social. Sometimes they work together, other times they are opposed. Those who believe in God live differently from those who do not. You also have beliefs about how God reacts to the actions of your life. Is He present in your life or absent? Does He act in love or wrath, or a combination of the two? If you believe in one true God, that Jesus is His Son, and that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12), you will interpret and react differently to the happenings of this world than many adherents of other religions. When you believe that this is your only life for which you will be rewarded or judged, that you will not be reincarnated or absorbed into a universal power or

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simply cease to exist, you will live differently from those who believe in the other. If you believe you should love your neighbor, you will not respond in kind when he backs over your mailbox. When you understand that you are the light of the world, you will discuss issues from an angle that may be contrary to those in your workplace. You will give to the poor and volunteer for housing projects. You may even participate in missionary work. You choose your beliefs. Once you have done so, they guide you through the decisions of your life.

Knowledge and Training

Our interpretation of life is influenced by what we know and understand. That knowledge does not have to be formal training, such as college or university. It could just be the books, magazines and newspapers you read. It is the input we receive from news media and peers. We also rely on our formal training. Those who are trained as electricians will make different decisions than those who are guessing about how to rewire a socket or add a light switch to a room. A professional carpenter will build a kitchen island in a way unlike a guy with my skills who has an idea and tries to make it work with screws, MDF, and a table saw.

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There are some professionals that have a difficult time separating how they work from how they live at home. Is it because they do not know the difference? No, the problem arises from believing (there it is again) that training can be so easily turned off. Your mind works as it is trained to work. You do not change minds when you change out of your work clothes into your comfortable ones. Your knowledge and training will continue to influence your filter, even with everything that occurs in your home.

Entertainment
Have you ever considered that the entertainment that you view, hear, read or participate in as training for your mind? The United States government has. There was concern whether watching the hit television series 24 was causing military personnel to take risks or use unnecessary force because they might be trying to act like the main character, Jack Bauer. When you watch television and see real people in real life situations, you program your mind to respond in kind. As a husband, when you are working late with a female coworker and the situation takes a dangerous turn, your mind will search for programming on how to

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deal with that situation. Wives, when you are at the gym and a young, fit man walks by, you will consider all of the options that are pre-recorded in your brain. So, heres the big question for you: What training has the entertainment in your life given your mind for lifes situations? Ask your spouse to sit with you through your favorite television show. Let them borrow your mp3 player for the day. Will they approve of your daily programming? Do you want their brain to write those responses into the pages of their subconscious manual?

Consider one more analogy. Imagine you live in one of the southern states, and you just bought a nice car. You have a garage to protect your vehicle from hail storms, windblown branches and the fading rays of the sun. Living in one of the larger cities, you save gas and mileage by making use of mass transit. One day your company calls and says they are transferring you to Maine. While you were hoping for a closer opportunity, you know that this move will launch your career to the next level. Youll be on the fast track to senior leadership in your company. You take the transfer to Maine with high hopes.

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Choices that Last

Your work and family lives are catapulted by the move. You have fewer business trips across the country, youre making more money while getting home earlier, and every project you put your hands to comes out far above all expectations. However, your car has not fared so well. Youre adding mileage with every day since there is no mass transit in this town. In the winter you have to buy studded winter tires to survive the snow covered roads. Of course, the salt helps, but now its eating at the body of the car. Potholes and frost heaves mean you have to replace shocks and struts, maybe a tie-rod end. And then you find yourself wondering, What is a tie-rod end? Ive never heard of that before. You must be making that up. We make choices every day that effect our present and our future. Will I believe in God and the Bible? What will I do with my life? How far do I want to go in this company? How much time will I spend with my family? What will I watch or listen to? Our choices are not split-second occurrences that self-destruct and have no shelf life. They live on, long after the moment. They affect our tomorrows and color the lens through which we see our lives and the world around us.

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seven

Tainted
Your filter is always at work. As we said early on, we need them to work, because we couldnt possibly process everything in our lives without them. In many of these situations, our daily experiences, work and training, or our entertainment, we rely on our filters to hold back evil and harmful elements while letting the good through. We must be careful to note that when our filters are constantly bombarded with darkness and are not given a chance to be repaired or cleansed, they will break, leak, and allow those things in that we hoped would be kept out. Why is this discussion about filters so important? It is because our systems are tainted. We have allowed the filters of our minds to fall into disrepair. As a result they run amuck. We no longer hear or experience life as it

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truly is. Our clogged and tainted filters bend and twist every word, every deed, and every circumstance that comes our way.

Emotional Apocalypse
With a tainted filter, our existence goes from being joyous, abundant, and life-giving, to stressed-out, destructive, solitary, and filled with confusion. Our trusted friends sound like they are attacking us. The pastor always preaches against us. Scripture is irrelevant, mostly because we dont agree with what it sounds like it is saying to us. God seems distant because all of the avenues He is using to reach us are covered in a fog that leaves the obvious hidden from us. As our minds play tricks on us, hearing incorrectly and interpreting wrongly, we lash out. We can no longer be rational, for we live too far beyond the logical. Everyday life falls into emotional apocalypse. Our guns are locked and loaded. They stand by with a hair trigger, and God help the one that sets them off. Relationships lie in ruin. Fellowships are shattered to pieces. Family members duck and hide. Close friends pull back and wonder what is going on. Not only does life not make sense to us, but those used to our company, familiar with who we really are,

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fail to recognize us. Were not the same person anymore, and it is plain to everyone, everyone but ourselves.

Renovations Needed
Our filters are tainted simply by use. If they were never used, they would always be crisp and clean. But they are used, every moment of every day. They cannot help but be stained, clogged or even torn in places. Like a used coffee filter, if they are not replaced they are susceptible to grime, festering rottenness, and failure to filter anything properly. Unlike a coffee filter, though, the filter of our minds cannot be replaced. There is no slot in the top of our heads that might allow us to pull out a used filter and put in a new one. So how do we change our filter? How do we start living free with something new and fresh instead of in bondage to the stained and mired? Scripture tells us to renew our minds.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

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The Greek word translated here as renewal actually means to renovate. My wife and I are fans of a few home improvement television programs. As a result of watching these shows, I have learned to appreciate the distinction between renewal and renovation. When you renew something, you give it a facelift. You repurpose it. You take the same structure and form, and you make it look like new. We put a new paint color in our living rooms. Add some paint and new hardware to kitchen cabinets. Maybe spray paint your old lamp stands and put a new, more modern shade on them. Put new sealant on your blacktop driveway. But when you renovate something you start by tearing out the old, maybe move some stuff around, and then rebuild with new materials. You start fresh and clean. Your goal may be to totally restructure the living spaces of your home. Tear off that 3 foot by 8 foot deck and add a two-tiered outdoor living room with a fire pit and outdoor kitchen. Rip out this wall so our living room, dining room and kitchen become one large space for entertaining. Our internal filters dont just need a washing with a power-hose. They require something more foundational. They need to be rebuilt with new material.
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If your plumbing pops a leak, you cant just cover it over with duct tape and hope it will go away. I know from personal experience. Tape does not stick when it gets wet. When you have holes in your window screens, you dont just cover them up with duct tape. Eventually that tape is going to get wet and peel off, and youll still have a hole there. Mosquitoes and other insects have a way of finding those little holes, making you wish you had fixed it right the first time. You need to repair your window or your sliding door with all new screen material. For a leaky pipe you need to get a pipe cutter, a small torch and some solder, and refit the area with new pipe. The filters in our minds need more than a steam clean or a fresh coat of paint. They need to be renovated. They need to go through a deeper, more intense process to come fresh and clean.

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eight

Ground Rules
So, here we are. We are blessed by God with a system that keeps us running through our day, free from having to consciously filter all of the situations and actions of life. But we cannot trust it, cannot fail to check it or leave it poorly maintained, because if we do we will run around with a tainted and faulty system that leads us into trouble. Now what do we do? Its time to get our hands dirty. We have to make a plan and prepare ourselves for a journey that never ends. Lets begin by looking at a few ground rules that Ive taken note of while watching do-it-yourself television, that affect the most basic projects to full size flips.

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Be There
Renovating our filter is not automatic. It does not have a set-it-and-forget-it feature. Getting it done right will involve your conscious, concentrated effort. You cannot take a vacation from your efforts. While time and strategic choices will allow you to ease back once in awhile, you cannot check out for any length of time. You have to be there.

Take Charge
Our hearts and minds are both selfish and lazy. Selfishness leads us to feel or understand in a way that seems deserved, appropriate or beneficial. We have wish lists for our homes, vehicles, careers, bank accounts, and relationships. We dont usually evaluate those lists to see if they are truly right or not. Instead we take the stance of, Thats how I feel about it, thats what I want and its good for me, so it is going to be that way. Be careful not to let your heart and mind run away on their own agendas. We must evaluate all of our feelings, emotions and thoughts in light of Scripture and Gods working in our lives. Paul gave us a guideline to help us take charge of ourselves.

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You say, Im allowed to do anything but not everything is good for you. You say, I am allowed to do anything but not everything is beneficial. 1 Corinthians 10:23 NLT

Let me teach you a word I learned in my teenage years: fickle. When I got to know a pretty girl, I had a tendency to like her. What teenage boy doesnt have that problem? My buddies told me I was fickle, fickle as a pickle actually, which means that in my heart I constantly bounced back and forth from one girl to another. Our hearts and minds are fickle. We need to take charge and make them obey as God has directed us.

Take Advice from the Pros

I am a very novice renovator. My wife still cringes when I want or need to get near electricity. Ive never hurt myself, but I think she has more faith in the clumsy side of me than the thinking side of me. Growing up, when I used to help my Dad with new projects, I learned a valuable lesson. When I dont know how to do something, grab someone who knows what theyre doing to help out. I am friends with a bunch of great people, but there are only a few I would call to help and guide me,

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whether with home repairs or car repairs. One television show we watch has a host who checks in about halfway through the project to see how the group in charge of renovations is faring. She is a pro, an expert, who made a living successfully doing what they are trying to do, usually for the first time. Now, if it were you and she came in and gave some suggestions, how likely would you dismiss her thoughts? How often do you think these first-timers follow her suggestions? Unfortunately for them, they are usually so determined on their own path that they ignore her.

What pros have you added to your life? Have you given them a voice to speak into you, or do you really just hope that they will approve of your own ideas? It is sometimes difficult to be objective about ourselves when someone from the outside looks in. It is easier to throw up our defenses, justify our actions and decisions, and continue down the path we have made for ourselves. Part of this is a failure to recognize that we are one member of many that make up the Body of Christ. The rest of the Body is there for us, just as much as we are there for them.

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Who are the professionals that we have to allow to influence our lives? The writers of Scripture are always a great starting point. There are also many believers that have gone before us, who walked similar roads and faced the same struggles of life. No, they didnt have cell phones and the internet; but they still had to learn to ignore distraction, set priorities and safeguard their hearts from traps of sin in their own time. We also have pastors, leaders, mentors, authors, musicians, and many others who speak into our lives all of the time. In many cases it is just a matter of tuning ourselves to the right frequency to hear what they are saying, and then to take action. I often tell people that I read and listen to key persons, not because I dont want to figure out some lessons for myself, but in order to get a head start. Why waste time reinventing the wheel when I can begin with something all ready to go? Then I can focus my energies on taking it to the next level. Christianity is not meant to be an individual activity. We are given to each other, parts of the whole. Learn from the pros, and save yourself some heartache and trouble.

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Taking Action
Do you feel like you have a handle on this filters thing? Do you believe that there is something in your heart and mind, a filter that processes every input and activity of your daily life? Is it plain how that filter gets tainted and that there are some serious dangers from walking around with a stained and broken down system? Have you have committed to be there as a conscious part of what is going on? Are you are dedicated to taking charge over your own heart and mind, and are you open to the advice of the pros? Its time to unveil the hard part. Taking action is always the difficult part. It is where we prove, time and again, the words of Jesus: The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

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There are three key steps that will help us renew and renovate our minds.

Discipline
No, I dont mean to flog yourself with a long, twisted whip; nor am I asking you to ground yourself to your room or from the television. The first step to restoring our filter to its clean and clear state is to take part in the spiritual disciplines. Discipline is always the first step, because if we are not actively pursuing discipleship in Christ, we are allowing the world to be the primary influence of our lives, and we forget the voice of God. John wrote to Christians when he said:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:15-16

What are some spiritual disciplines? Some of them would be prayer, worship, service, reading or studying or memorizing the Scriptures, meditation, celebration, confession, and submission. There are many resources

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that will help you understand and learn how to utilize the various disciplines. Here is a truth that should relieve your heart a bit: You are not meant to master all of the spiritual disciplines. You may only make use of a few on a regular basis, and they may not be the same as your spouse, best friend, spiritual mentor, or your pastor. Spiritual disciplines are not a checklist to spiritual greatness or maturity. They are markers on a map that leads to Christ. Your map may look different than mine. You may take regular circles around the discipline of celebration while I fall back on the discipline of solitude. The path can be different as long as we are following genuine markers that lead us to Christ. There are seasons in our lives when we will need a different discipline than we did last season. Not having to make use of the various disciplines every day doesnt mean that we can shelve the rest of them and never go back to them. Chances are that we will need each one at least once in our lives. Besides, how will you know which ones are most effective for you personally if you havent tried them all? Like a new recruit is prepared and trained in boot camp with daily disciplines, our minds are trained and programmed through spiritual discipline. Discipline is
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always the first step. It leads us to the next.

Diligence
Do you know what it means to be diligent? Websters Dictionary defines being diligent as characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort. The Christian life does not happen by accident. It cannot. We live for Christ on purpose, or not at all. We have to consciously choose to think differently, to follow the model of Christ and the prescription of Scripture. What are some examples of areas of our life that require diligence? They are elements of the Christian life that are not always easy or desirable. These elements are things like forgiveness, trust, loving kindness, following relational guidelines, maintaining our personal boundaries and convictions. Listen to how Paul directed Timothy to live:
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godli-ness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentle-ness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12

Paul also gave us direction when he gave us a list of

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things to spend our time thinking about:

Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. Philippians 4:8 NCV

In another place he said to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5, KJV). We are called to an active, diligent Christianity, not one that is passive, waiting to see what happens.

Watchfulness
The idea of keeping watch sounds a lot like diligence, or at least a slice of it. However the necessity of being watchful pulls it to a higher priority. One of the reasons our filters are tainted is because we often open ourselves to input that we shouldnt. We have come to rely on our filters to keep out the bad and let through the good. While this is the basic purpose of our filters, we cannot expect them to do all of the work for us. Doing so overworks our filters, causing them to breakdown sooner. Sometimes we ask them to filter things that they
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shouldnt have to worry about. For example, when we are called in Scripture to excellence, holiness and to follow the example of Jesus Christ, we should understand that some things arent worth the trouble of being around, which would save our filters a lot of work. We have come to think of ourselves as kings and queens. We live in a spiritual fortress. All around us our enemy lurks and wishes he could get in at us, but we are safe behind gated walls and deep trenches. We pray for Gods angels to encamp around us and provide us with His supernatural protection. Do you know what happens to kings and queens locked behind stone and steel gates? They get slow and lazy. They stop hunting, readying themselves for battle or going out to war, protecting the people around them, or even enjoying the countryside despite the dangerous animals and bandits around. We should instead think of ourselves as watching guardsmen at the gates of our hearts. In the New Testament we are told to watch against temptation, evil, and even over our own souls. Jesus and Paul encourage us to guard ourselves. And we are told hold on or hold fast to our faith, the Word of God, good things, and hope. Beyond our diligence, always active and pursuing, we must be watchful. When we have our eyes and ears
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open to what the Spirit is saying and doing, we become accustomed to His voice and moving in our lives. Like Jesus said, we will come to recognize the Shepherds voice. Then we can also be aware of those things that are not the Spirit that call to us, those things that lurk in the shadows. Peter, speaking as one who had fallen into a trap himself, wrote:
that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 1 Peter 5:8 AMP

When we are watchful, we can help our filters stay pure and clean. Instead of expecting our filters to keep us save from harm, we can be aware of danger, turn away from it and start walking down a better path. Take action. Be watchful, aware of all that is going on around and within you. Be diligent, not lazy or passive. Live a life of discipline, training your filter, heart and mind.

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ten

Ananias
Are you looking for a biblical example of a filter at work? Lets take a look at a New Testament believer, full of the Holy Spirit, who heard the voice of God, and almost missed out on an important task because of a crack in his filter system. Ananias story is found in Acts 9. Before reading about Ananias, we find the amazing story of when the glorified, risen Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a man who was jailing and signing off on the execution of Jews who came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ. He was on his way to Damascus, with documents giving him the authority to jail more followers of Christ. On the road, he was knocked off his donkey by a bright light and a voice from Heaven. Saul encountered the living Jesus whose people he

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was jailing and having executed. At the sight and sound of the second person of the Trinity, Sauls only questions were Who are You, Lord? and Lord, what do You want me to do? Sauls life was turned upside down. Not only was his mission changed by his encounter with Jesus, but Saul faced another problem when he got up off the ground. He couldnt see. So those with him led him into the city of Damascus. What must have been shortly after His appearance to Saul, Jesus appeared to Ananias in a vision. Ananias, get up and head down to Straight Street. When you get to Judas house, there is a man in there I need you to go see. You may have heard of him? His name is Saul. Hes seen a vision, too, and that vision was of you praying for him to see again. Then Ananias had a little discussion with the risen Lord. He had, in fact, heard about this Saul guy, and what hed heard wasnt too good. Yet the Lord convinced Ananias to go, and in doing so, Saul received his sight.

About Ananias
We start reading about Ananias, and we can see that he was a pretty good guy. The text tells us that he was a disciple, so we can assume that he was a believer who followed and served Jesus Christ. Based on his fear of

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Saul, he was likely a converted Jew who believed Jesus was the Messiah. We can also assume he was a spiritual man. When Jesus appeared to him in a vision, he doesnt suffer from any first encounter issues of fear or amazement. It seemed completely normal for him to have a vision of the glorified Son of God. Either he had enjoyed such visions in the past, or he really knew the voice of God. Sounds like he was a great believer who has his head on straight, doesnt he? Tainted filters can appear anywhere, though. Even someone who hears from God and sounds super-spiritual can have one.

What Spills Out

Have you heard about the concept that our hearts are usually secret, like a darkened cup containing an unknown liquid? When that cup gets bumped around, what is inside of it spills out. In the same way, what is in our heart spills out when our lives get tossed around a bit. Ananias heart was bumped by the direction of the Lord to go and pray for this man Saul, a known hater of believing Jews. We can see Ananias heart by the difference in his two responses to the word of Jesus. When the Lord first spoke to Ananias, he said, Here

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I am, Lord. It sounds like the story of Samuel, who heard God calling him in the night. He knew the voice of the Lord, and was willing to do something for Gods glory. After all, Ananias was in spiritual mode. He was at prayer, speaking and listening to God. Who wouldnt be eager to hear the voice of God in such a setting? Then Ananias received his bump. When Jesus gave him direction to minister to Saul, he hesitated. Its as if he said, Wait a minute, Lord. Something caused Ananias to change his response from Im ready to I dont think so. All previous input regarding Saul had tainted his filter to the point that, even when the risen Lord appeared to him, to consider meeting and helping Saul was out of the question. This spiritual, dedicated and discipled man of God struggled with following obvious direction from Gods own mouth.

Holding Us Back
Imagine if Saul had not received his sight. In that time it would be quite difficult to travel the world, speak to people and know their culture, plant churches, or to write and sign letters such as Paul did. He might have found himself locked away in a home with no Kingdom

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impact at all. Our broken filters have the ability to hold us back in such a way that the world misses out on our contributions. Ananias filter didnt just affect his own life, it could have had tremendous affect on Sauls life, and all who have known God or known God better through his lifes work. Over the course of almost two thousand years, that is a lot of people. What are our filters holding us back from? What relationships lie broken that should be strong and thriving? What work lies undone because we didnt understand its importance or the significance of our part in it? Like Ananias, we need to allow the words of God to penetrate our filter and lead us into truth. Regardless of how it sounds or feels or seems like it will ruin our lives, we must obey Gods direction. Ananias is an example to us that our minds, our filters, can be renewed. He took the words of Christ and allowed his filter to be cleansed. We must believe that if we are obedient, our Lord will take care of the rest.

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Conclusion
All of the groundwork is now set and ready. It is time to get our hands dirty. It is time to take action. There is a lot at stake here. The influence of your filter reaches far beyond how I will respond to my daughters field trip revelation at 7:30 in the morning. Every connection, every interaction I have in this life will be colored by my filter. I am convinced that if we can understand how important this concept is, it will revolutionize our lives. So many questions and difficult situations can be answered by taking the time to renovate and maintain our filters. Relationships will become more open and intimate because we will not be hiding behind walls of protection or holding hair-trigger weapons of defense. God will be

Conclusion

able to speak to us because we will recognize the genuineness of His word in our lives. We will no longer be suspicious of friends, family members, pastors and leaders, but we will invite them to become vital elements of our lives.

You may be wondering, Is it worth it? It looks like so much effort, so much trouble. Why would you ask such a silly question? It is always worth it. It is not always easy or pleasant, but it is worth every ounce of trouble and energy. Dont give up now. You stand at the edge of a new life, free and clear. You will be able to see, understand, hear, know and be known as everything was originally intended. No more guessing. No more confusion. Start your journey. Take that tainted filter of yours, renovate it and keeping it clear and primed for use.

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Other Resources Available From

Touch The Skye

Worship Theory
Laying a foundation for corporate and individual worship

Take a step in making this vital element of the spiritual life thrive in your own. Learn what God desires from us in worship, how it affects us personally, and what it really means to live a life of worship. Available in paperback and Amazon Kindle format.

The Story of Christmas Most of us are familiar with the Christmas story, but the birth of Jesus is just one slice of larger story. Delve into the setup for the greatest story on Earth, from before the birth of Christ to His work for us on the Cross. Available in paperback.

Available at www.TouchTheSkye.org and