When I was a kid, I imagined that the day I turned 13, my parents would rush me off to a PG-13 movie. And four years later, on my 17th birthday, I’d go out and watch all the R-rated movies I could afford. It was as if there were something magical about the ratings and the dates, as though the day I hit 21, I would be magically transformed from a college student into a completely mature and perfect man. But that’s not the way life works, right? Some mature faster than others. Some never mature at all.
More importantly, there is no magic to the ratings systems for TV, movies, games, etc. Someone makes a judgment call. Sometimes they get it wrong. Some R-rated movies are much cleaner or “milder” than some PG-rated movies. Like I said, it’s a judgment call.
But more important than any ratings system, God expects you to use your judgment—to use GOOD judgment. Don’t watch things just because the rating looks okay. The rating is a guide, not a guarantee. And a misapplied rating may be a Trojan Horse—you trust the rating without questioning it, and two hours later, your mind is full of darkness or evil or fear. It is not worth it. You can turn it off halfway. If there’s trouble, stop and take a break. Get away and ask yourself if you really want to see this (or read it or listen to it). There are better things to do with your time.
In Acts 19, God worked amazing miracles through Paul. Demons were cast out of people and everyone in Ephesus was amazed.
“And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone: and they counted up the price of them and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the Word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing” Acts 19:19.
Remember how much Jesus was sold for? Thirty pieces of silver. These burned books were worth 50 THOUSAND pieces of silver. That’s almost 2,000 times more than they paid Judas to betray Jesus. They say this was 50,000 day’s wages. In other words, all the money three people could earn in fifty years! It’s an incredible sum. But no one said, “let’s sell the books and donate the money…” The occult books could have commanded a high price–they were financially valuable. But the books were so filled with evil that burning them was the only thing the new believers could do.
Could you ever destroy your possessions? Could you burn a favorite book or movie if God put that on your heart?
Think about that—not everything is worth watching or reading. Some things need to be destroyed. I bet you can think of some things you have watched or put in your mind that you regret. Are you willing to burn them? Why not? (*I’m not encouraging you to start a fire. I’m interested in your heart.) Are you willing to admit that they are wrong?
Sometimes I hear kids say, “It’s okay. It’s fine. I’m fine. It won’t affect me.”
But it will affect you and you are not “fine.” All of us are vulnerable. If we put bad things in our heads, we will suffer. We are called to “guard our hearts,” (Proverbs 4:23) and to “hate evil, you who love the Lord” Psalm 97:10. Do hate evil? Do you hate it enough to burn it? If you do not hate evil, then do you really love the Lord? You know God hates evil. Why don’t you?
Pray: Dear Jesus, help me to hate evil. Help me to use good judgment and not to simply rely on ratings. Help me to guard my heart. Show me when I’m watching or reading or listening to something bad. Help me change. Help me turn it off and use good judgment. Fill me with a hate for evil. Help me to hate evil so much that I can burn it. Help me to see the ways the enemy uses bad things to draw me away from you. I want to love you and serve you with my whole heart. Thank you.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 