What are some pitfalls of being passive in our spiritual life?

Dr. Joel Beeke explains in this video that it is important to be selective and be intentional about who and what you allow into your life. We only have a limited time on earth -- we cannot afford to waste the life that God has given to us. 

We must be mindful about what we listen or view. To maintain a healthy body, for instance, one must eat healthy foods and exercise, among other things. The same principle applies to maintaining a healthy spiritual life. We ought not to neglect to do things that will spiritually strengthen us or indulge in sin. 

Colossians 3:17 (NKJV) - "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

So the question is often asked today, how do you end up glorifying God when you go on the internet and you come across all kinds of communications, some God-honoring, some God-dishonoring? How do you glorify God as you listen to sermons, podcasts, and so on? Well I guess number one would be be selective and know who you're listening to. Investigate. The Puritans used to say, what you take in with your eyes, and what you take in with your ears, you are responsible for.

So, don't think you can just be a passive participant. For example, if something comes along in that podcast where somebody is swearing or there's some sexual lust of the flesh commended or whatever commandment is broken, Turn it off just like that. This is not for me. I don't want to be a passive approving participant by continuing to listen to this, this junk. Treat it like you would junk food, if you care about your body at all, you avoid junk food.

If you care about your soul at all, you avoid spiritual junk food. That's why Daniel wouldn't allow himself to eat with a portion of the king's meat or the wine which they drank. He was jealous of his own soul, for purity in his own soul. And so should we. Now, I'm probably going to show my age here and I would like to suggest to you, I can't force you, but I would like to suggest to you that instead of going on the internet, get some of the old classics of the reformers and the puritans and read them.

Read in depth. That will do your soul so much more good than listening to every last little podcast. So many of these things stay at a rather shallow level or there's things in them that really aren't all that sound, go with the true and tried stuff and pick out a few really sound writers in church history. Say Jonathan Edwards or John Calvin or Robert Murray McShane and read them and marinate these grand and glorious Christ-centered truths. I find for one that my soul, my soul fares a whole lot better and even my mind fares better when I read the classics of ages past.

And so personally I'm not tempted to go on podcasts or I do listen to sermons from time to time and sermon audio Which are good for my soul, but I pick out I pick out those preachers That best feed my soul But reading reading the Bible reading materials that are based on the Bible and are solid and will build you up in the most holy faith so that you can glorify God without having to say, well that's bad, this I agree with, that I don't agree with. I mean there's a place for that but for the bulk of your time, your precious precious time that you can spend with the spiritual disciplines, read that stuff, that material that can do the most good for your soul.