William Bridge (1600s) wrote in his book, A Lifting Up for the Downcast:

“Be sure you understand your comforts rightly. Be not mistaken in them. Labor to distill and refine your comforts. As there was a mixed company came out of Egypt, which set the Israelites a murmuring, so there is a mixed company thqat comes with your comforts. Everfy creature is born into the world with some filth. When you have comfort. Labor to find out and separate the dross and filth; put away that mixed company.”

Eph 5:10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

The context of Eph. 5 addresses the concerns of brother Bridge. We are not to have anything to do with the darkness. But it is so easy – isn’t it?

What comforts you? What pleases, entertains, inspires or gives you rest? Who comforts you? Who gives you pleasure and a sense of worth?
One way to discover this is to ask, “What, when it or they are unavailable distresses me?” “What potential loss or disappointment disturbs me comfort?”

Or, more importantly, “Does what comforts me honor God and reflect my gratitude for His grace?”
This is a tough thing to do. The old Puritans were tough people – tough for the Lord. They encouraged what they called, the mortification of the flesh. That is the commitment to kill the old nature by intention, examination and an active surrender to the will of God.
Paul alludes to this when he writes:

1Co 3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
1Co 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
What makes you laugh? Lots of things – right? But do you examine it closely to see if the casue of your laughter honors God?

Now before you get all flustered and upset keep in mind that what Paul says:

Rom 6:12-13 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. (13) Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

“Let not . . . .” “Do not present . . . .”

We need very little help in identifying gross sin. It’s the subtle culturally acceptable sin that we have to hunt down and wring out. Especially those subtle sins which bring us comfort.

My favorite illustration is, of course, TV. Patti and I used to watch the show, The Gilmore Girls. It was cute and funny and, well a comfort just to sit and watch after a long day.
But we began to notice that the subtle messages of the show were about as sinful as they could get. Sin, encouraged in a nice, cute, “clean,” manner. The show had no moral base and the character’s moral positions were utterly subjective.

But the show was “innocent.” Innocent? Hardly. It offered a picture of sin with acceptable consequences. Sin that had no need of redemption.

If you watch an X rated movie you know it’s wrong. The G Girls however had no nudity or explicit sex – it just assumed it and assumed it was OK. Oh, it was “real life” in all its degeneracy and hopelessness but it was cute and funny and entertaining.

I’m not NOT encouraging you to go on some witch hunt. Remember:

Jas 3:2a For we all stumble in many ways.
Rom 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
Rom 7:11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

Sin is a reality in our lives but we are not slaves to it. Sin has power but it has no power over us. We can yield to it but it cannot conquer us.

But, not being engaged by gross sin, we tend to take our ease. All the while the dross mixed into our comforts stunts our growth in Him.
What do we have to lose in examining our comforts and refining them, removing the subtle sinfulness to be found there? We have nothing to lose that is of any value and much of great value to gain.
Pray that the Spirit will begin this work in your heart and mind, leading you to question and examine your comforts for that which is false. Pray the Spirit will enable you to sense and see all that is no in accord with God’s desire for you.
Php 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (9) What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.