The Locked Secret Room Inside our Head (4)

When a thought comes to our conscious mind, we have to ask ourselves, “Is this good, neutral or evil?” If it’s evil then dismiss it right away! When a lustful thought, for example, comes to us, we don’t entertain it even for a second.

When a feeling surfaces, we have to ask ourselves, “Is this good, neutral or evil?” If it’s evil, we have to fight it and ask God to heal us. When you feel envy, prejudice or hatred towards someone, acknowledge that that feeling exist and that it’s not right. But more importantly, offer it to God and ask Him to heal you.

A change in us doesn’t normally happen overnight, but over time. It’s called erosion. The enemy is cunning enough to know that erosion is very subtle and difficult to detect; therefore, his victim won’t defend himself or herself until it’s too late. This is why the Bible calls us to guard our heart with diligence. The guarding of our heart and mind is an every second, every hour, everyday activity for us followers of Christ. That’s an awful lot of work. Who can do that? Not many I guess, if there is anyone at all. That’s why we need Christ in our life to protect us, to guide us, to cleanse us, and to renew us. Spiritual renewal should be done everyday in the same way that the cells in our body are replaced everyday.

TV and movies are a few of Satan’s favorite weapons of eroding our values and morals in life. True, not all TV shows and movies are bad. But the sad truth is that most of these, albeit unintentionally, deliver the wrong message to its viewers.

When I was in college, I watched the movie, “Ang Anak ni Baby Ama”, starring Robin Padilla, and Amy Perez. As a teenager, the scene that struck me the most was the rape of Honey, the girlfriend of Angel, the main protagonist. It struck me because I was depressed since I sympathized with the protagonist, Angel, and also I was boiling with lust. I watched that movie around 1990, but until now I can still see the obscene images clearly, should I choose to – but I know better. That is how powerful TV and movies are in shaping our thoughts and feelings. Their effect can be long lasting.

Does this mean that we should not watch movies, TV series and programs anymore? Not entirely. I think the message is clearly stated in Proverbs 4: 23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This means that we have to be very choosy in what we will watch and what we will allow our children to watch. In my case, since July, 2004, I have no TV at home. I used my computer for the entire family to watch chosen movies. This way I have a measure of control on what unspoken messages are delivered to my family. As much as possible, I don’t allow my children to browse the internet alone while their values and judgment are not yet strong.

The passage also means that we have to filter our thoughts and feelings, and that we teach our children to do the same. As the saying goes, “We cannot prevent the birds from flying over our head, but we can prevent it from building a nest on it.”

And finally, we have to rely on God for guidance by reading our Bible everyday, and talking to Him as often as we can; we must feed our mind and heart with good and godly ideas everyday. We cannot prevent Satan from dumping garbage into our unconsciousness, in the same way that he cannot also prevent us from seeking God’s help to clean his garbage. After all, we can only do so much. But our Creator can do a lot!

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