Media and Entertainment

This post is a continuation of an earlier post I wrote titled: The deception of Sin.

In an earlier post, I talked about the stages of sin.  

In this post I want to practically apply the deception of sin to our daily life by talking about how the stages of sin can be set into motion by continuous exposure to Media and Entertainment.

Media and Entertainment

The songs you listen to, the movies you watch and all other media that you are exposed to, greatly contribute to how you live. (Proverbs 23:7)

Sin always presents itself as sweet and harmless but its end is always as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a two-edged sword. (Proverbs 5:4). It is like Satan told Eve: if you eat the fruit you will surely not die. (Genesis 3:4). We know that was a complete lie. Death entered into the life of Man as soon as he ate the fruit. (Romans 5:12).

Songs, Movies and TV Shows present the good, bad and the ugly to you and make it so Entertaining that you do not even realize what kind of junk goes into your mind.

Songs, Movies, TV shows and even Billboards leave lusts in you that may eventually become enticing if you give place to them in your thoughts.

Temptation is not a sin

Media and Entertainment has the capacity to tempt you but to be a tempted is not a Sin. It is when you act on your temptations that sin is completed. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are and yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15).

When we are tempted we shouldn't try to face it with our own strength but run to God. Paul clearly understood the weakness of his flesh. (1 Corinthians 9:27). He therefore said that we should mortify the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit. It is only through the Spirit that we can have victory over temptations. (Romans 8:13).

There have been many moments in my life when I have just closed my eyes and said: God this temptation is beyond my strength (human ability) to overcome, help me. And God has supernaturally given me grace and mercy and seen me through. (Hebrews 4:16). The true Christian Life is not about you living for God but God living through you. That is what Romans Chapter 8 is all about: A victorious life in the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-39).

Stay far from Temptation

Another approach to have victory over sin is to simply stay far from temptation. David instructed his son Solomon to stay far from the street of an adulterous woman. (Proverbs 5:8). If you have a drinking problem it is good advice to stay far from the street that leads to the bar.

The same is true for Media and Entertainment. It will do you much good to stay far from many of the channels, movies, music and entertainment out there. I am not telling you to stop watching TV but it is like one preacher says: Every TV comes with a child lock and that lock is not only for children. There are some good Channels like God TV but you got to lock all the junk that the TV can throw at you if you want to stay far from temptation.  

Apart from child lock, God has also put within every man a Lock. That Lock is called the will. The will is a tremendous capacity. A man can decide what he will do and what he will not do. You have the capacity in Christ to decide what you will let your eyes see and what you will let into your mind.