We live in an entertainment culture. We are hooked to something be it sports, movies, music and now the rise of some rather good, addictive and time wasting series. The highest paid people in our time are by at large the entertainers, sports people or movie stars. They are the heroes of the day and they sadly have a lot of influence on our society. Entertainment has its place in our lives even though we overestimate its value in many ways, but there is great pleasure from watching a brilliant movie or series and there is nothing that beats a thrilling 90 minutes of football (or any other sport, I have an obvious bias) with Peter Drury doing the commentary. However entertainment can easily become an idol in our lives because we become more committed and dedicated to it than we are to God, His word and His church. Entertainment is also the source of temptation and plunges many in horrific sins that they struggle to recover from, especially the movie industry.
Hollywood clearly has an anti-God campaign and has for years been promoting wickedness and numbing people to its horror. That has become more prevalent in the recent years from the movies they have been producing, which are designed to attack what the bible teaches about God, marriage, family, gender roles, sexuality, parenting, church and morality. It has become common practice to have homosexual couples presented as normal or even celebrated, children are often presented to be cleverer and right than their not so sharp parents, its literally parents obey your children. Divorce is portrayed as freedom from captivity and the reversal of gender roles as the civilized thing. The release of fifty shades of grey two years ago and the fact that they have already released a sequel this year and from the attention it is getting on social media suggests it has found a ready and willing audience and Christians are not exempt from indulging in movies that corrupt your mind with sex scenes, profanity and unbiblical overtones. A few thoughts to remember as you ponder exposing yourself to movies like fifty shades of grey.
Your heart is exceedingly wicked and deceitful. The corruption lies in our hearts and not just outside. So just because you do not watch movies with obscene sex sins does not mean you will have a clean mind and your thoughts will be pure. Even if you and I were dumped on an island all by ourselves filthy thoughts would still flow through our corrupt minds. What the movies do is simply pour fuel to an already burning fire. So heed the exhortation of scripture in James
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. (James 4:4-8)
Develop clear guidelines to guard your heart. Proverbs urges us to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life. This at least means that we must be intentional and deliberate in guarding what we see and hear so that we protect our hearts. Practically that means as a Christian you should clearly know and state the principals you will apply when it comes to the choice of movies before you even come to the watching. Do not believe the lie that you will decide when you find bad scenes. For those who are leaders of the home that means clearly communicating what the principals will be in your home and abiding by them yourself. A good biblical principle to apply is Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Dear Christian exposing yourself to morally corrupt movies will cause decay in your heart and in turn your thoughts and speech will be filthy and rotten. Furthermore it will cause you to have a wrong view of the opposite sex and of sex. The opposite sex become objects to be used for your own pleasure as and when you desire and not people to relate with. And rather alarmingly such movies have a way of robbing you of your spiritual vitality. As you are daily exposed to wickedness you become numb to sin and distant from God and his word. Watch wisely:)
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