How important are our entertainment choices? Does it really matter what we watch? What we listen to? What we read? After all, we won’t let the things we see or hear impact the way we act! Will we?
The Bible warns us about what we put in and how it will impact what comes out. Ever since my kids were little I’ve tried to remind them. “Good things in…good things out.” We should see the things we expose ourselves to throughout each day as seeds being sown into the fertile soil of our minds. These seeds will take root and the roots that grow from them will become our thoughts. Eventually these roots will break through and blossom into our words and our actions. If we are planting seeds of vulgarity, violence, and worldly views that are contrary to the Bible – we can be assured that the plants that grows from those seeds will be vulgar, violent and not very Christ-like. On the other hand, if we are planting seeds of truth, love, peace and other things that are pleasing to God – our words and actions will be more reflective of our Savior, Jesus.
How often do we ask ourselves – “Would Jesus watch what I’m watching? Listen to what I’m listening to? Read what I’m reading?” If we truly know God through his Word, this should not be hard to answer. As a redeemed follower of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living in us. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us and remind us of what we should do. (John 14:26). As a Christian, we can feel the prompting of the Spirit within us. We get that feeling in our gut that makes us wince when we see or hear something that is not pleasing to God. But if we continually choose to ignore that prompting of the Spirit, we will find ourselves recognizing it less and less until it is no longer familiar to us. That is a scary thought. I don’t ever want to be desensitized to the prompting of the Spirit. I don’t ever want God’s voice to be unfamiliar to me.
It is more important than ever for followers of Christ to make careful and deliberate choices about what we fill our minds with. Our enemy, Satan, has already taken a foothold in the entertainment industry and nothing would make him happier than for Christians to minimize the impact ungodly media will have on our testimony.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. – Philippians 4:8
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. – Colossians 3:1-2
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! – Isaiah 26:3