Thursday, June 19, 2014

Daytime Disaster

The inspiration for this blog happened a couple of weeks ago. I have been neglecting the issue, but now after several promptings from the Holy Spirit, I must write. 

Although, I hate to admit this, I am a TV junkie. I don't know if it's because I can't live in the quiet, but I usually keep the TV on to provide background noise. Actually I really enjoy the creativity and it serves as a mindless activity that relaxes me. But that's the danger isn't it. It's mindless. I don't have to think, reason, or surmise.  I just let it all soak in while being entertained. It's a time sucking machine and it literally takes an active choice to turn it off.  As I am trying to limit the amount of TV I expose myself too, I'm also monitoring the content. Right now my TV watching consists of mostly the Bubble Guppies, but every now and again I get to watch my own shows. That being said, I usually don't watch daytime television. Kendell is home and I do monitor what she watches pretty heavily. Of course Kendell's favorite toy in the house is the remote control for the television. It has been lost on several occasions and she gets a kick out of turning the channels. I think she feels powerful! 

I say all this to say, that one day, Kendell turned the channel to a daytime talk show. At that moment the host was talking about celebrity gossip. The topic quickly turned to marriage, or should I say, lack there of. The host was so proud to boldly state that living together is the right thing to do and that there are no consequences for this behavior. She was adamant that traditional marriage was a way of the past and irrelevant in today's culture. If you have read my Bio, you would know that this burned within me a righteous anger! Marriage, as God designed it, is a beautiful picture of how Christ loves us. What I was hearing on the TV was confirming the reason why I have given up on daytime television. It's filled with the cultural vomit of this world and if we're not careful; the Truth can become distorted in our own minds. I no longer view watching television as a mindless activity. 

Ladies, we are the target of highly liberal, unbiblical daytime television programming. It isn't just mindless. There are battles going on all around us that fight for our attention. The world speaks loud and proud, so we have to know the Truth inside and out and refresh it daily by spending time with the Holy Spirit. As we do this, he will permeate our hearts, helping us discern the Truth from the lies causing us to make better decisions. Ephesians 6 illustrates how the armor of God is to be worn and the Word used as a weapon. Take care not to let the world influence you, but that we are influencing the world! Live life in such a way as to make heads turn because you are so different. Stand on the values and principles that God has established because on these you will never fall! He has ordained your footsteps, now walk! No, run the race that he has set out for you! 


But be vigilant, lest you be seduced away and end up serving and worshiping other gods...
Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night.  (Deuteronomy 11:16-21 The Message) 

Oh my dear friends, we need to filter! Subtleness, the enemy's weapon of choice, can seduce us away from God's call on our lives. It's the little decisions that define who we are and who we will become. We can choose to have victory in those decisions when we allow ourselves to be influenced by the Holy Spirit and walk in obedience. When the Truth is deep inside you, you can't help but get righteously angry at our culture! Good! Use that anger to change the world by instilling the Truth in your children. 

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

We need to know what God's Word says, so we can identify what contradicts it and let me tell you, you're not going to find that on television! So, for all you fellow TV junkies, let's support each other and set up our filters. After all, daytime television is in the business of spreading gossip, but we are in the business of spreading the gospel! 

Which will last...?

Until the whole world hears,
Emily

1 comment:

  1. such a powerful post Emily! I really do feel in today's New Age culture, our Christian values are being attacked on every side! My addiction isn't the TV,I'm more of a facebook junkie! I really hate to admit that.I think we as sisters in Christ need to band together now more than ever! if we are going to be effective in reaching our communities for Christ, we need time with the Holy Spirit! Thank you for this valuable reminder! We should all hold each other accountable for how we spend our time, and for a time in the word.

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