Be Selective In Entertainment

It is one thing to force someone to commit a bad act, but it is another thing to get him to want to commit such an act. This is the goal of "the ruler of the world," Satan. To imprint his debased thinking on the minds and hearts of the foolish or unsuspecting- especially the most vunerable, the young- he uses such avenues as questionable literature, movies, music, computer games, and pornography sites on the internet.- John 14:30; Ephesians 2:2.

"Young people [in the United States] view an estimated 10,000 acts of violence each year," said a report in the journal Pediatrics, "with children's programming being the most violent." The report also revealed that "each year, teenagers view nearly 15,000 sexual references, innuendoes and jokes." Even prime-time television, it stated, "contains more than 8 sexual incidents per hour, more than four times as much as in 1976."

Not surprisingly, the study also found that "vulgar language is increasing dramatically as well." Yet, both studies warn that a diet of such material changes people for the worse. So, if you truly want to please God and benefit yourself, heed Proverbs 4:23, which says: "Safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life." -Isaiah 48:17.

Much popular music also corrupts the conscience. A singer whose songs have shot to the top of the charts in a number of Western lands makes "a special effort to shock,"warns a report in the Australian newspaper The Sunday Mail. The article states that "his songs glorify drugs, incest and rape" and that he "sings about killing his wife and throwing her body in a lake." Other lyrics mentioned are too vile to be repeated here. Yet, his music earned him a prestigious reward. Would you like to sow in your mind and heart such noxious thoughts as those mentioned above, even if they are sugarcoated with music? Hopefully not, for those who act in such a way defiled their conscience and ultimately create withing themselves "a wicked heart," turning them into enemies of God.- Hebrews 3:12; Matthew 12:33-35.

So be wise in your choice of entertainment. The Bible urges us: "Whatever things are true, whatever things of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well spoken of , whatever virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy thing there is, continue considering these things."- Philippians 4:8.

(Note: These things in the last paragraph will serve you well with God if you follow them always. After all, it is God who we have to please, and it is God who sees everything we do, hears everything we say and knows everything in our hearts and our minds, and It is God who will be judging us, not man. It is God - not man that matters in our lives first. Serve God first, Love God the Most, for if you love other things more, you have no place in heaven. Yes, there is alot more we need to do for God to please him and make him proud of us. Doing what bad does not make him proud. It disappoints him.)

Next time: Associations Affect Your Conscience.