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Day 2
Are You Getting Used to Sin?
By Al Menconi
What
would you think of a man who spends his
evenings prowling through neighborhoods
peeking into bedroom windows, watching
couples having sex? What if he shares
his voyeuristic exploits with his friends,
and claims that his "habit" is
simply normal entertainment? Would you
consider this perverted?
Think about it. Isn't that what much
of today's entertainment does? Doesn’t
it often put our mind's eye into somebody's
bedroom so we can watch their sexual
activity? Now I've never seen a porno
movie, but from what I’ve heard,
it's nothing more than a series of sex-scenes
strung together for about an hour-and-a-half.
Is it less of a porno movie if they show
sex-scenes for only a half-hour? Is it
less pornographic if it's cut to fifteen
minutes? How about if they just have
a couple of sex scenes?
Do you see what I'm getting at? Many
of today's TV shows and movies contain
immoral sexual behavior as part of the
story line. It may have a legitimate
story to tell, but do they include sex
scenes to excite the viewer? Are you
allowing your mind to "peek into
someone's bedroom?" Are you acting
like the pervert we just described?
How does this affect us? Romans
12:1-2 commands us not to
be conformed to this world's morals
and values, but to be transformed by
the renewing of our minds. How do we
know if we are conforming to the values
of this world? One way is to examine
our entertainment. Are we entertained
by immorality, violence, and profanity?
Are we just excusing it away, rationalizing
that it’s normal because everyone
else watches it too? If so, we are
learning to conform to the world's
values.
I've noticed that I have learned to
accept more and more immorality in my
entertainment. I remember years ago reviewing
the movie Superman II and
being offended by all the violence and
mayhem. I was especially disturbed that
Superman had sex with Lois Lane . I was
sitting next to a little boy who was
laughing and cheering at all the destruction
and lusting at the sex scene. At the
time, I was wondering what was wrong
with his mother to let him watch this.
But when I saw the same movie again recently
on television, it didn't bother me. It
seemed normal. Like that little boy's
mother, I'd gotten used to it, which
is another way of saying that I am learning
to conform to the world's values.
We can use the acronym CAN to explain
this phenomenon. Whatever is Common in
the entertainment media is considered Acceptable.
And if it is acceptable in society, it
must be Normal . Common, Acceptable, N ormal
. But it is often not acceptable
or normal in God's eyes! I am ashamed
to say that it was becoming more acceptable
and normal in my life. Has this acceptance
of immorality invaded your life, as well?
Reflection: What CAN we
do?
- Remember, we
are in a spiritual war with unseen
powers for control of our mind. The
battle is for our mind! "The
sinful mind is hostile to God" Romans
8:7
- Resolve, not
to entertain yourself with the godless
values of this world. "Don't
let others spoil your faith and joy
with their philosophies…" Colossians
2:8
- Replace, the
empty philosophies of this world with
Christian values through Christian
music. "Set your mind on things
above instead of on things below." Colossians
3:1, 2
Response: Survey
your weekly TV guide and m ake a list
of programs that you would normally watch
if you weren’t on The Full
Tilt Media Challenge for 30 days.
Put a check next to the programs you
believe may be “teaching” worldly
values; put a dash next to the programs
you believe have no values one way or
the other. Put a plus next to the programs
that help you focus on life from a Godly
perspective. Which category is the largest?
The smallest? Is this an indicator of
your spiritual walk before you started The
Full TiltMedia Challenge?
Verse of the Day: Colossians 3:2
COLOSSIANS 3:2 (KJV) "Set
your affection on things above, not
on the things on the earth."
Commercials are very effective means
for selling products and ideas. Much
of our free enterprise system is founded
on the belief that commercials do sell
products. Advertisers know that for every
dollar spent in commercial advertising,
more will return in product sold. So,
what’s the point?
Even the best commercials can't guarantee
that you will run right out and buy the
product, but they are effective at persuading
viewers to desire what advertisers are
selling. Advertisers consider their commercial
a success if they can just get the viewer
to think about their product
for awhile. If you think about it long
enough, eventually you may focus your
thoughts – “affections” – on
what they are trying to sell you.
In the same way, much of our entertainment
can be thought of as a commercial selling
a philosophy. Music videos, television
shows, movies, and video games are all "advertising" a
way to see life – from God’s
view or man’s view. In many cases,
it's their brand of immorality. And just
like commercials, they probably won't
make you run right out and become immoral
immediately, but it could make you see
immorality in an attractive light.
This verse says that for God’s
people, there are two basic responses
to the world and its entertainment: 1)
We are able to control our affections
(what we desire) and 2) that we should control
them.
How about your entertainment? Does
it get you to think about life from man’s
point of view? If you keep thinking that
you can live life without God, you will
eventually believe that you can. Are
you being sold on an idea that will ultimately
undermine your faith in Jesus and Jo
y of your salvation? That’s why
God commands us to set our affections
on things above, so we won’t buy
into the lie.
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