Daily we’re influenced to either draw closer to God or be pulled farther away. And generally we can see and rightly reject the clear depravity of this world. But often this corrupting influence is like a little yeast that slowly penetrates before perverting the whole of our life and relationships. Without giving into paranoia and fear, we must still watch out for the yeast of this world.
Yeast is used in baking as a leavening agent. And it doesn’t take a lot before it grows in the dough and allows the whole loaf of bread to rise.
In a similar way, seemingly small influences can eventually establish a stronghold in our hearts. While we naturally consume the products of the world around us, we can easily start adopting a worldview without God at the center when we’re not discerning.
For instance, our education, entertainment, and social choices are not neutral. Each comes with underlying assumptions about who we are and how we’re to understand the world. And what looks pretty on the surface might just be evil masquerading as light.
This doesn’t mean we should avoid everything in the world because we could no longer serve as ambassadors of light. But it does call for an increased level of discernment so that we’re not passively absorbing the yeast that eventually takes our hearts away from God.
To be sure, yeast is subtle because it works from the inside out – slowly turning our hearts to become more accepting and affirming of those things not aligned with God’s best. And when the yeast has done its work, we too see evil as good and good as evil.
Be careful of what you allow to influence your heart. The yeast of this world might look good on the surface, but it’s poison in the end. Stay alert.
Photo by Duncan Kidd on Unsplash
