Be Careful Little Eyes Terissa Mendum

It’s a slow fade, when you give yourself away. It’s a slow fade, when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade; choices are made; a price will be paid, when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day. It’s a slow fade. Be careful if you think you stand. You just might be sinking.

These words come from the Casting Crowns song “Slow Fade”, used in the movie Fireproof. The words speak a distinct message about living pure lives. We hear much about living pure and distinctly different lives from the pulpit. Most of what we are taught relates to purity as it pertains to sexual purity, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and pornography. I’d like to take this idea of holy living a step further. Let’s take a look at how we can go all the way for Jesus in the area of movies and music.

Movies, music, our dress, our conduct; how do these relate to home schooling? Why do we even need to talk about them? We don’t want to give ourselves away to the culture. But how do we keep from doing that?

Oh be careful little eyes what you see Be careful little eyes what you see For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little eyes what you see!

For the past several years, my heart has been burdened. My husband and I have been in a spiritual battle with the enemy over our oldest son and his media choices.* With the media driven culture in which we live, many of you may be experiencing the same battles. I hope that this article will be of some benefit to you as you make many difficult decisions as your children grow up. This article is not just for families of teenagers, because you will see as your babies begin to grow up, they are more and more influenced by the culture. It can start as young as infancy when you might choose to use the television as a baby sitter.

What does God’s word tell us about media? I don’t see the word “media” written anywhere in the Bible. But I do see plenty of verses that tell us, how we are to live our lives. Below are a few:

I will set no wicked thing before my eye. (Ps. 101:3) Clear and plain, this passage says exactly what it means. When families, teenagers, and children sit before the set or go to the movies and watch violence, sex (innuendo included), and hear God’s name spewed in vain multiple times (or once for that matter), what are we doing? Are we setting wicked things before our eyes?

Stay away from the very appearance of evil. (1Thes. 5:22) What is on the screen? Is it the very appearance of evil? Is it real? It appears real. I’ve heard it said “that’s the way it is in real life” or “it simply portrays what really goes on in the world”. Does that mean we have to watch it? Is it the appearance of evil? The answer is obvious. Not only is it the appearance of evil, it is the very reenactment of evil, right before our eyes.

The eye is the lamp of the body. (Luke 11:33-35) If you read this passage in its entirety, there is no mistake that what we watch has the potential to darken the body. We need to be watching that which draws us into the light and keeps our bodies full of light.

My concern is that we are about to lose a complete generation to media. Home schoolers are not exempt. It is a constant battle, the enemy is too strong, but we must fight and we must stand, and after having done all to stand. (Eph. 6:13) Keeping in mind that greater is He that it is you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

How do we go about making these important decisions of what to watch and what to allow our children to watch? Here are a few simple steps that we have adopted to help us make these decisions.

1. Does the movie or show glorify God? Find out what glorifying God means and then ask yourself if what you have planned to watch brings the glory to God or to man. 2. Does it have any redeeming values? Is there anything godly in it that can be used as a character lesson for your children? Do you watch the movie just for the sake of watching it or is there some lesson you hope to teach or value you can discuss through the watching of the show? 3. Does watching this satisfy the lust of the flesh? Does it feed a desire to see the latest movie or some other fleshly desire? 4. Would Jesus sit down and watch this with me? Is He pleased with its content? 5. Ask yourself, has my conscience been so seared that watching violence, sex (and innuendo), hearing God’s name in vain and vulgar language does not bother me anymore? If these are the things that Jesus died to save men from, shouldn’t it bother me? 6. Is it dark or is it light? Does the movie dwell on the dark side of life? If the movie is set in the dark, that is a clue. 7. What about false teaching? What is the hidden agenda of the movie? More than anything, do you want false teaching poured into your mind or the minds of your children and teens? Do you think Hollywood cares about your spiritual condition? What is their goal? 8. Does it satisfy? Will it satisfy that deep longing in your soul? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied. (Matt. 5:6) Is watching this movie or show causing me to hunger for righteousness? 9. How does this affect others? Have you considered that there may be someone who cannot watch this movie? Those weaker in the faith, not able to say so, may be adversely affected by you watching this movie. There may be an area where they are weak and by watching it, they are harmed emotionally. Scripture says that we shouldn’t do anything that causes our brother to stumble. (1 Corinthians 8)

We need to make our decisions based on what God’s Word says, not what our peers say, do, or think, including home schooling peers. The key is being sure that we have consulted God on the issue and prayed about it. Be honest in your evaluation of what God’s Word has to say and then make your decision. Don’t be afraid to stand alone on the issue. After all, that’s what Jesus did. It will be hard. You may feel alone and as Dr. Brunson said just a few weeks ago, you may seem “weird”.

Below are more verses for you to look up on your own and seek God’s wisdom in determining how they apply to your media choices. I urge you, fellow home schoolers and brothers and sisters in Christ, to read these and search out what God would have you to do.

Matthew 5:6 Hunger for righteousness. Romans 7:18-25 spiritual warfare Romans 8:1-14 the flesh vs. the Spirit 2 Cor. 10:3-5 anything that exalts itself against Christ Eph. 4:17-24, 29 Watch what edifies. Eph. 4:30 grieving the Holy Spirit Eph. 5:3-4 filthy language and course joking Eph. 5:7-17 Have no fellowship with darkness. Understand God’s will. 1 Thes. 5:19-22 Examine everything carefully. Abstain from evil. 2 Timothy 2:22 Flee from youthful lusts; pursue righteousness. 1 Peter. 1:14-16 Be Holy for I am Holy. 1 John 2:15-17 the lust of the flesh; loving the world 1 John 4:1-6 false teaching

At a home school convention years ago one lecturer said “Some can, but we can’t”. You don’t have to explain the reason you can’t; you just can’t. Hopefully the reason is because you want to attain holy living. Holy living is not legalism. It is desiring to be more like Christ and keeping ourselves pure in every way; body, mind, and spirit.

Be careful, if we think we stand. We just might be sinking.

Helpful Resources: Pluggedinonline.com (by Focus on the Family) focusonthefamily.com/entertainment/mediawise.aspx blueletterbible.com

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." John Adams

May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore thy blessing, and in which I cannot invite thy inspection. (Taken from “Morning Needs” a class handout on Puritan Prayers – The Practice of Godward Prayer.)

“We should therefore abstain from evil, and all appearances of evil, from sin, and that which looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasions of sin, and who avoids not the temptations and approaches to sin, will not long abstain from the actual commission of sin.” Matthew Henry’s commentary on blueletterbible.com.

*Permission was given by the oldest son to mention him in this article.