You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7)
I blame television. No, seriously I do. They say that television reflects society but I believe that it is television that shapes society. Day after day we sit in front of this thing for hours, being bombarded by non-reality, with images, ideas and philosophies. Are we writing the shows? No, they are a few people who write from their perspective of life and it influences how we begin to see things. They are interfering in your relationship with God. Some of it is intentional and some is accidental. One of the shows that had the biggest influence on our society was called "Will and Grace". It was a clever show, well written, funny, influential and a society changer. With time, it changed people's attitude and homosexuality started to become an acceptable thing in our society.
Parents are very concerned about what their children watch when it comes to sex and violence but most people don't take into consideration the ideas and philosophies that are being presented. These are even more powerful than the violence and they are playing on the minds of not only our children but on us as well. It's not just television; movies and the internet are just as influential. We are being bombarded daily with messages that are contrary to God's Word but we accept it as normal, letting down our defenses and mixing the philosophies of the world with God's truth.
That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” (Galatians 5:8-9)
Let that sit on your spiritual palate for a minute. If God is not influencing you who is and what is their motivation? Ideas stick with us. Presented enough times it becomes a truth for us. The Church is suppose to stand for God's truth, for the God News; we are suppose to reflect the light of Jesus Christ in a dark world, but it is getting harder to see the different between the believer and non-believer.
I don't believe for a moment that we can cut ourselves off from the world. We can't stop the noise and bombardment of these ideas and philosophies but we can be more aware of them and more alert to their dangers. We can actually start thinking for ourselves and dispute these philosophies with the Word of God. We can equip our children with a good grounding in the Word. After watching a show or movie sit down with your children and discuss the ideas and philosophies in the show and then present God's teaching on the matter. Start noticing for yourself, write down notes, think about what you are watching and then search God's Word for the truth concerning what you just let into your head and heart.
I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. (Galatians 5:10)
Yes, these people who sin and convince others to participate in that sin will pay the penalty. We are in this world for one reason, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. That is our entire purpose. We have been told to run this race with perseverance, to go the distance with Jesus. We have work to do, but what good are we if the "salt has lost it's saltiness"? We are not here to be entertained. We are here to serve Jesus Christ. Let's start thinking like servants and start doing the things that please our Master. Get your eyes fixed on Jesus and fix your heart and mind on things above, not on the decaying flesh of this world. Do not let these influences to cut in on you and stop you from obeying the truth.
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