"Deceptive World - Desensitized Christian"

"I made a covenant with mine eyes...." Job 31:1

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
I John 2:15, 16

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you"
II Corinthians 6:17

Lately, the LORD has been helping me to see more and more all the deception in the world around us. I like comedy and action movies and television programs; but lately, it has been more and more clear that they are proclaiming subtle but deceptive messages.

Lately, most of the modern comedy sitcoms have either homosexuality or immorality in them, often proclaiming homosexuality and other immorality as "acceptable" and "normal". The same is true with movies. They usually have this theme, as well as OTHER UNGODLY THEMES. Does that mean that I don't watch comedies or movies? No, but I am trying to be alert to what I allow into my mind. I'm learning that the remote can be a good thing when trash is on TV - just change the channel, or sometimes the OFF button is the best thing to do. Also, if you do go to a movie theater and the movie turns out to be TRASH (not too hard today), then walk out. Yes, you can walk out!

Have I "arrived" in this area? No, but I Praise God that I am convicted more and more by the message that is before me on TV or in a movie. Do I believe we should stop watching most TV programs and movies? It sure wouldn't hurt. Have I done that? NO, although I did do that in 1975 as a 16-year-old. As a new Christian I was told by the LORD to stop watching TV except for a little sports, or if it meant time with my parents (meaning if they were watching TV and I wanted to be with them, it was okay in most cases). This was my conviction from the Holy Spirit, not from a church, as I was a new Christian and had not yet been exposed to all the "do's and don't" that are often preached in some churches. I did NOT push this on my family. I'm not even sure they knew I was doing it. So for approximately one to two years as a teenager, I was practically TV-free with no regrets. If God would say cut back or turn off the TV in the mid 1970's, I wonder what God thinks of TV and movies today!

Be careful what you allow your heart to accept through a very subtle and deceptive world. Believe me, the more TRASH you allow, the more DESENSITIZED you become to those UNGODLY things. Ask the LORD to help you be sensitive to what you are watching and hearing (the same applies to music). As you watch TV and movies, or listen to music, ask God to show you the message or messages that they are trying to proclaim. There is ALWAYS a message. If the message is of such a nature as to be one that is UNGODLY, consider seriously saying NO to watching or listening.

Give this devotion some thought and be careful what you watch and listen to (TV, movies, and music).

I'm praying for a church (Body of Christ) to become alert and sensitive to the deceptive but subtle messages of the world.