It has now been almost 2 weeks since I decided to cut facebook out of my life as a desire to more diligently seek the Lord. I have logged on two times since that decision and I must admit, I don't miss it at all.
I have turned that "facebook" time into seeking time and the Lord is faithful, when you seek, you find. I've found Him MORE! Praise God!!!
I now have a new burden, a new challenge, and I want to share it with you, my friends.
I will be giving up all forms of tv, movies, secular music, and entertainment for the next 2 wks.
A friend of mine that I have known for years is now in her older twenties and more on fire for God than I have ever seen her. As she spoke to our youth she talked about how she had done a 1 year entertainment fast. She gave up tv, movies, secular music, all of it for an entire year.
When the year ended and she plugged the tv back in she said she was sickened by the things she used to watch. The drunkeness, adultery, fornication, cursing, at one point all of that was just normal, but here after a year of diligently seeking the Lord, fasting, sacrificing, obeying, the things that used to be "normal" were now what they had always been... sin.
She made a comment that hit me in the gut and has challenged me to the core, she said the enemy has so desesitised us to sin that we find it as entertainment.
We laugh at the lewd jokes, the promiscuity, the cursing and we even set a standard that has become lower than calling sin what it is.
Let me give an example: A friend of mine called me the other day and said hey there's this movie out let's go see it, and she said okay I already checked the pluggedin (plugged in online is a great tool it's james dobson based movie reviews letting you know exactly what you're going to go see and if it is appropriate) and she said well it's got some of this that's nto good, and some of this, but overall it seems like it's okay. I responded with great let's go see it!
As my friend spoke this conversation came to mind and I realized how desensitized I have become. I was willing to watch some sin, because at least it wasn't as bad as it could be.
GOD HATES SIN.
I want to know God more. I've been asking for almost 2 wks for God to show me ways that I can more diligently seek Him, asking Him to show me how to find Him and fellowship, to know Him as much as possible and then this message came forth.
She never asked us to do an entertainment fast, to be honest her message wasn't even on it, but the Holy Spirit spoke so loudly to me as I became broken of how I have enjoyed being entertained my sin.
We watch these things so desensitized that we don't even ask ourselves would the Holy Spirit watch this! We don't even ask until someone is completely nude, or the 5th F word, or maybe if they slip a GD in there we may cringe, but Lord knows we don't turn it off or walk out of the theatre.
We've become okay with watching sin as long as we don't act it out, but I ask if God hates sin, do we honestly think He can stand His bride being entertained by it?
I'm convicted to my core, I'm broken hearted, I have wept in repentance and change is taking place.
I refuse to find sin entertainment when I know very well that if any of the people I cared about acted the way the characters do in some of the things I watch, I'd weep for them. I'd minister to them, I'd confront their sin, I'd be praying for them, but yet I've come and I've watched it as entertainment not once thinking about what I was doing to Daddy God.
Ask yourself if there needs to be change, we need to call the devil what He is a liar who has sneakily convinced us that watching sin is appropriate and allowed.
Will someone else stand up with me? If we truly want to be engulfed in the presence of God we must seek to be like Him, HATING SIN and loving righteousness.
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
PS: I encourage you to really test what you watch and what "entertains" you, check it with scripture as I have been doing so it has really opened up my eyes. Thank God for His forgiveness and mercy!
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4)
"the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." (Romans 8:7)
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20)
"Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isa. 59:2)
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)
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