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As I grew from a stocky child to a stocky adult, I tried every diet imaginable. Each helped me drop a few pounds--until I would try to sneak a chocolate chip cookie. One led to two, then three. A few minutes later, when I checked the scale, I hadn't gained any weight. Maybe these were non-calorie cookies! If I didn't see an immediate response, I told myself it didn't affect me. You know the rest.
Over the years, this scenario took place dozens of times. Little by little, as my waist grew, I told myself it was okay to go from my college waist size of 32 to 33 to 34 to a tight 34.
I could adjust my ideal size upward, but when I started approaching size 36, I realized I had to do something fast before I outgrew my "fat pants". I also realized that quick diets don't work for me. I couldn't just drop a few pounds and then go back to my old eating habits. I had to change my attitude about food. After I made this lifestyle change a couple of months ago, I began to lose weight and keep it off. Not only do I feel better, but for the first time in years I'm beginning to fit into sizes I haven't fit into since college.
What's the point? Christians need to see entertainment in the same way I now see fattening food. One compromise leads to another, and another, and another. Colossians 2:8 commands us not to "let others spoil our faith and joy with their philosophies, wrong shallow answers built on men's thoughts and ideas, rather than what Christ has taught". God's Word warns that if we continue to "feed" ourselves with the empty, anti-biblical philosophies of this world, we will struggle with our faith and joy.
The most obvious advocate of empty philosophies in our home is the entertainment media. As Christians, we won't watch "real gross" stuff, but an R-rated movie every so often doesn't seem to have any effect. But pretty soon it's two, then three. Then it's, "I just don't let it bother me." We don't see any immediate response in our Christian walk, so it couldn't be so bad, right? If one R~-rated movie didn't affect us, a second one won't hurt either. Pretty soon trash television programs no longer offend us--besides, they're funny!
Little by little, our Christian walk starts to weaken, and we don't know why. What we have begun to do is widen our "seams of entertainment acceptability", just as I used to set new waist standards by getting a larger pair of pants. We feel we are doing well spiritually because we are staying within our new standard. But after a while of adjusting our standards, God's presence seems like a distant memory--like my size 32 pants.
May I suggest a new type of diet? A Christian music diet. For the next 30 days, eliminate all television, videos and motion pictures that are against biblical values, and listen only to Christian alternatives. It will be like washing your brain with God's truth. When you do, you will have a clearer understanding of what kind of entertainment is healthy for your spiritual life.
Don't be satisfied with fitting into your "fat pants" when God wants you to get to your ideal spiritual weight. Don't widen your entertainment acceptability; change your entertainment lifestyle.
Reprinted, with permission, from Al Menconi Ministries, Box 5008, San Marcos, CA 92069, phone 1-800-78MUSIC.
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