What are you setting before your eyes?

What are you giving your eyes to? What are you feeding on? What is your spiritual diet? Whatever we watch, listen to, read is what we are feeding on. And based on what we are feeding on is what we become.

It is the same as in the natural world, if you eat good food, it becomes part of you and you feel good and do not get sick as easily. If you eat junk food, it also becomes part of you and the end result long term will be a sick body or even death.

The Word of God say:

Psa 101:3  I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.

The Strong Hebrew Dictionary gives the definition of the word wicked:

H1100
בּליּעל
belîya‛al
bel-e-yah'-al
without profit, worthlessness; by extension destruction, wickedness: – Belial, evil, naughty, ungodly (men), wicked.

My first thoughts turned to the television. There is so much that comes on television which promotes evil, is worthless, unprofitable, ungodly and wicked. And the truth is that even if you select some programs you prefer to watch, you cannot control what comes up on the screen before your eyes in the advertising breaks or even in the programs. Even good programs can have elements that are worldy and you do not know when they will be forced before your eyes. Is it wise to trust your eyes to something unpredictable, which has the potential to corrupt you?

God wants us to control what we think about, what we meditate upon, what we allow in our minds, according to Phillipians 4:8:

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

I think if we are brutally honest, television rarely promotes these values.

The next section of verse 3 in Psalm 101 says this: "I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. " As I was meditating on this verse, I wondered if there is a connection between what we put before our eyes and falling away from God. First we are told to watch what we put before our eyes, then it talks about the work of those who fall away should not cling to us. Could it be that exposing ourselves to unpredictable and ungodly, worthless or without profit, naughty TV programs we can fall away? I leave it up to you to consider if it says this.

But let's also consider the pros and cons about watching television. The pros are that you learn something new, you may find out something you did not know, you got some entertainment. But… at what risk or cost? At the potential to be exposed to half naked women, to ads enticing you to buy this expensive car so you feel proud, to love the things of this world and to spend a lot of time unprofitably which could have been used in prayer, study of the Word or ministering life to someone who needs help.

Yes, there are Christian TV channels which promote righteouness and God's values. I am not against watching programs that glorify God and speak the truth from the Word. I in fact am involved in using media for Christ, and such programs are worth watching.

But even here, a word of caution – keep your Bible next to you when you watch and if what you hear does not match up with the Word of God,  do not accept it just because it is said on TV by a famous preacher. This implies that you need to spend enough time studying the Bible so you know the Word of God well, so you can discern error when it comes before you. Also, just watching lots of Christian tv programs and not practising what you hear is not good for you. God says that we should be doers of the Word and not only hearers, deceving yourselves. We are accountable to God for what we hear and what we do with it after we heard it:

Mar 4:24-25: Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

In other words, be careful what you listen to and once you listen to something good, use it so you don't lose it!… and even loose what you already have… it's called backsliding… and fits with the verse from Psalm 101:3 where God tells us to not put worthless, unprofitable things before our eyes as it will result in backsliding. The same is true with hearing the right things and not applying them …

The Bible says: 1Co 8:1  Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

This means that too much knowledge can make you proud… pride comes before a fall… which means backsliding. But love edifies – apply what you have learnt to love God and love others with it and the Bible says that more knowledge shall be given unto you.

Again, in Gal 6:7 the Word says: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (What are you sowing into your ears and before your eyes?) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Gal 6:9  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

If you sow the right things in your mind it will produce eternal life in your heart – which is to know God and His Son whom He sent. Apostle Paul said he considered all things loss and rubbish (and those were good things he achieved and had in life) compared with the excellence of knowing Christ:

Php 3:8  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; THAT I MAY KNOW HIM and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

As you heard what the Word of God says, now you have an opportunity to listen and obey, to choose to disobey or to choose to listen more and not be a doer? What is your decision?…

God says… Choose life…Truly time spent in the presence of God can bring more tranquility to your soul and more true happiness than any TV program…David says: 'I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8

God bless you,

Marilena