Before you go any further, I want to preface this posting. If you get offended easily and can‘t take an honest view of yourself, then you might as well move on to another article that‘s more to your liking. Also, this is directed towards me as well. Yes, I am judging myself! I’m hitting myself where it hurts and making myself think about my choices. If you are still here, let’s get started.
“Bird Box,” what is all the sensation? Like I said, I have never watched it and honestly, I probably will not even though I subscribe to Vidangel (vidangel.com); with it, you can scrub movies of cursing, violence, and sexual content. I’m just not into thrillers or scary stuff. The question still stands, what is all the sensation and compels people to want to watch it. Like I said, I went to the reviews, and it shocked me by what I read. This is just one section of the review from Plugged In (pluggedin.com):
Crude or Profane Language We hear at least 42 f-words and about 17 s-words. Other profanities include “a--,” “b--ch,” “d--n” and “pr--k.” They misuse God’s name about 15 times, about a third of those with the word “d--n.” Jesus’ name is abused once. |
This in of itself should tell anyone this is not a movie that‘s appropriate for any Christian to watch along with the sexual content and violence. I can hear it now, “Shawn, then what can we watch? All movies have cussing. I hear it all day at work! What‘s the big deal!” Yeah, tell me about it. The struggle is real. My wife and I deal with it constantly when making choices of what to watch. That is why we resorted to Vidangel. It has been a blessing to us, allowing us to watch movies where normally we wouldn‘t because of the inappropriate content. After setting all the filters available to you as a subscriber, you can make a movie clean to view. |
It really comes down to this, what is in our hearts as a Christian? What do we want in our walk with God? Are we wanting to dabble in the world all the while trying to be a Christian? When I see so many willing to watch this show unfiltered and willing to subject their spirits to the content, you have to ask, “What is the condition of their heart?” Have they pushed the Holy Spirit out so much so and seared their mind to the point there is no conviction? I remember recently being with some family members in their home, we all sat down to watch a movie. Not within 10 minutes there was cussing that would even make a sailor blush. Immediately, my spirit just cringed within me. I couldn‘t even take it any longer and went to another room in the house. Obviously, it‘s their home and desire to watch it. They knew I wasn‘t happy with the movie but kept viewing it.
Again, I say, I am ministering to myself as well. Have I watched content I shouldn’t have? Have I made mistakes by doing so? Yes, 100% I have. Here is the difference. King David cried out in Psalm 51:11b (KJV), “take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” This is after he has sinned before the Lord. It greatly grieved him of what he has done and knew what life would be like if he didn‘t have the Spirit of God in his life. That is the way I am, I know what it means to have the Holy Spirit continually operating in my life. Not only does he bring me the goose bumps, but he brings guidance, comfort, truth, discipline, and much more. I have grown so accustom to this, I don‘t want to lose it. Also, if you have a relationship with him, you will not want to offend him. As a friend once said, “Watch a movie and know that Jesus is right there with you.”
Just as I am writing this, I went to look at the definition of quenching. What an awakening and an incredible way to make this posting more alive and in your face:
to cause to lose heat or warmth
to put out the light or fire of
Again, it really comes down to what you want in your life. Do you want a victorious life in Christ or do you want to have the title as a Christian and not be bothered by the fine print? You have to weigh it out yourself. I myself want every benefit that is available to me. I don‘t want to miss out on anything that the Lord has to offer me. 1 Corinthians 2:10 (NLT2) 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. |
I don‘t want to dwell only on needing the Holy Spirit is to better our lives in the sense of victories and empowerment. There is so much more to consider as well. For example, Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT2)
Jesus said in Matthew 15:19-20 (NLT2) "For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” How does these evil thoughts come into our hearts? By the seeds that we plant in it through what we see, hear, and read. The Bible implores us to do the exact opposite in Philippians 4:8 (NLT2), “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” |
I certainly hope this gives you some food for thought. There is so much to this subject matter and we could go on and on. I am going to leave this with you. I have heard this saying for 28 years, “Garbage in, garbage out. Glory in, glory out!” You choose, do you want a life full of garbage or a life full of glory! Watch what you put inside of you and one way is by guarding what you are watching; TV, internet, or movie theaters.
If this has made an impact on your life. I want to encourage you to pray right now. Ask the Lord to renew a right heart inside of you. To help you be once again sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Dare to obey him when he speak. Allow him to deal with your heart when you are heading to rough waters. Then to have the strength to turn away from anything that would harm or quench the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for stopping by. Please check out our website: www.MorningStarMissions.org
Shawn Paul