Media

Day 1, Spiritual Warfare

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

              I was working in my son’s fifth grade wheel and one of the students asked me if my son had a phone.

              “Nope. And he won’t until high school.”

              “Mrs. Adams, you’re so mean.”

              “But am I? I know what is out there on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Roblox. Ten-year-olds have no business watching that stuff.”

              “Is he allowed to watch tv?”

              “Of course, and he watches things that you probably watch. But I don’t want him exposed to things that are evil and wrong.”

              The student paused a minute and thought. “You’re a good mom, Mrs. Adams.”

              This conversation showed me what kids are being exposed to. My son is one of the only ones in his class who does not have a phone or unrestricted access to internet content. Ten- and eleven-year-olds have social media accounts and are watching and learning things from people they should never be exposed to. Not only is there foul language, but there’s much more.

              Kids and adults are being desensitized to skin. The more skin that is shown, the better. They are watching people have intimate moments all over the internet and tv without batting an eye. Sex has been normalized. Pornography use is rampant, often beginning before kids even enter school. Foul language, abusive speech, harsh manipulations are praised. Agendas from every direction are being pushed at our kids, and at us. Movies mock God and praise evil. We are in a scary place as a nation.

              Think about the average series that you watch on a regular basis. Consider the reels that captivate your attention on social media. Even the songs or commercials that create background noise. And the hidden, guilty pleasures that you may indulge in after dark. The enemy has moved into all these areas and commandeered them without a fight and we have allowed it.

              And here’s the scary thing: parents are placing vessels of evil into the hands of their children to entertain and babysit them, many with complete freedom to explore any and all content. And why are we so readily allowing it? Because we’ve already been sucked in too. We have become addicted to social media, online gaming, shopping, pornography, romantic movies, secretive chat spaces, and mindless scrolling and reels. We have become the devil’s playthings and it’s happened completely unaware.

              Let’s start with ourselves and examine the priority of media in our lives. Then move to our children, and then to our classrooms. I’m not saying to not use the internet anymore or to cut tv and social media out; there are too many wonderful uses for it in our lives and classrooms. But what I am saying is to take a bird’s eye glance at it and realize how much of it has been taken over by evil and negative things. If it’s not building us up, it’s tearing us down, there is no neutral ground.

Do the Heart Work

1.      How much time do you spend each week mindlessly engulfed in media?

2.      If you have kids or grandkids in your home, do you monitor their access and promote Godly material?

3.      Are you addicted to any form of media?  Discuss.

Digging Deeper 

Read Psalm 106:34-46 (NIV)

They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance. He gave them into the hands of the nations, and their foes ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power. Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.

Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy.

              This is what happened to the Israelites when they intertwined themselves with the ways of the culture and world around them. They slowly turned their backs on Christ. We are being inundated with the world every day, worse than any other period in history, in my opinion, because we are no longer separated from it. Technology is used for everything. If I were the enemy, that’s where I’d target—the most unassuming, natural way possible.

              Have you fallen prey to the devil’s schemes?

If You Get Spare Time

              The enemy uses anything he can to control humans. Are you spending more time in the “devil’s playground” than you are with the one true God? There is a battle for your mind and soul, and media is a huge resource and avenue for the enemy. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and he loves to be sneaky about it. Are you letting him?

              Consider going on a media fast for a week.  Limit or completely cut out certain forms of media and see how much time they have been consuming or how influential they have become. During this fast, spend the time you would normally be consumed with media with God, through worship, prayer, or reading his Word. Note what you learn through this exercise and the strategies of warfare that you observe.