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It Weakens Your Spiritual Thinking
These are just the beginning of the verses that are found in God’s Word that tell us the difference between the philosophy of the television and the righteousness of God taught in His Word.
Read I Peter 1:13 , “Wherefore (for this reason) gird (strengthen) up the loins (the loins possess real strength) of your mind (thinking, imagination)…”
Peter tells us that since we have been given the entire picture and we possess the complete Word of God (including all the prophesies and their fulfillment), we should strengthen our thinking in righteousness so that we think as God does. Brainwashing is always thought of as very bad, but the Bible commands us to allow God and His Word to wash our thinking. Ephesians 5:26, 27 says, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it (the church) with the washing of water by the word (Brainwashing!!), That he might present it (we the church) to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (not any contamination from the world); but that it (we, the church) should be holy and without blemish (as He is holy).”
Ephesians 6:14 goes right along with verse 13, “Stand therefore (know what you believe and don’t compromise), having your loins (the strength of your mind) girt (strengthened) about with truth (God’s Word), and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” Isaiah 11:5 is a prophecy of Jesus, the Branch, which speaks of His strength, “And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” This brainwashing is from the thinking and indoctrination of the world to the righteous and holy thinking of God’s Word. This is why those who have television sets have already lost the battle of pure minds. They think if they guard against nudity and cursing that they are alright, but the philosophy of the world (that has destroyed Christianity as it tries to “fit in” and “conform”) has redefined right and wrong in the pulpits of the world!!! It matters not what people’s opinion may be!!!! God is holy and He expects us to guard our minds from the filthy thinking of the world.
There was a day some years ago, when I thought that there might be some movies or cartoons that the world produces that I could have a little family “entertainment” night. I went to a video store and began to look at the various movies; and as I did, I just asked myself, “Will this cause me to think holy thoughts and glorify God?” Well, that rules out all the “cops and robbers” movies, all the children’s cartoons (full of violence, lying, sneaking, deceiving, and disrespect, etc.), all the movies about the “family” (no daddies, no family, and no Bible), all the “westerns” (full of saloons, violence, girls, no church attendance, no Bible study, and no prayer time), all the Andy Griffith Show reruns (with no discipline, no prayer, no Jesus, and no Bible – very bad philosophy regarding child rearing), and all the “religious Hollywood” movies such as The Ten Commandments (which is scripturally inaccurate; has dancing, immodestly dressed women, immodestly dressed and seductive Pharaoh’s wife, etc.). I left the store with a copy of The Ten Commandments, and man was I sorry afterwards. I asked the Lord to forgive me, after seeing what trash a Biblical story was turned into. Don’t let Hollywood influence your pure thinking and don’t let Disney dictate to your children how they should think either. All of those cartoons have philosophy that goes directly against the Bible. Where is the holiness of God in them??? Where is the righteous thinking of God in them? How do they help to further the gospel??? How do they draw you closer to God or make you want to pray more or read your Bible more??? Where is contentment and denial taught (commercials breed a lack of contentment)? How many children are ignored by fathers and mothers so consumed in their favorite “filthcom” or “sincom”???????
Read these verses and then watch your television and tell me that it helps you to “gird the loins of your mind” as commanded here.
Romans 12:2 tells us, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (in God’s Word), that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Jesus spoke of your thinking in Luke 12:34 , “For where your treasure is (which is conceived in the mind), there will your heart be also.” Verse 35 goes on to say, “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.”
Every sin that is committed begins and is weighed in the mind. This is why Paul tells us in Romans 16:19 , “…I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” The more filth, wrong philosophy, worldliness, nudity, carnality, filthy talk, and lack of contentment that is implanted in the minds of Christians, the easier job Satan has at getting that Christian to fall into sin and get sidetracked in the world, and the harder it is for the Christian to be holy. This brainwashing is because our thinking is not the thinking of God, as Isaiah 55:8 tells us that God does not think as we think; but we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16), which is found in His Word, and it is our job to study (II Timothy 2:15) to show ourselves approved unto God.
As we get into the Word of God, our thinking and perspective changes, as we read that we are pilgrims and strangers on this earth; that our life is as a vapor; that we are not to lay up treasures (worry about investments, etc.); that we are always to be abounding in the work of the Lord; that we are to be holy as God is holy (which is impossible, but we are to strive for perfection); that we will be rewarded for our labor in eternity; and that God is in control of all things which includes politics, jobs, families, and even our authorities’ hearts. Wrong thinking puts our dependency upon ourselves and our accomplishments and takes it away from complete dependency upon God!!!! Jesus taught this in Matthew 6:25 , “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
This is what Paul was speaking of in Philippians 4:6-8 “Be careful for nothing (don’t worry about anything); but in every thing (every aspect of your life) by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (contentment, thanking God for what He has done for you) let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God (mind at ease), which passeth all understanding (above what others could ever think or imagine), shall keep (preserve) your hearts (feelings) and minds (perception of things and intellect) through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are
These eight things are really questions by which you can ask yourself before deciding to waste your time thinking on a subject.
Complete faith and trust in the Lord is taught in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Your works are what you are feeding your mind with, such as the people with which you associate, the places you go, the things to which you listen, and the images or pictures of which your brain takes a lasting “photocopy” to either help or haunt you the rest of your life. Close your eyes and almost anything that you have seen with your eyes can be displayed in the “movie screen” of the mind. Mind control is taught in Exodus 20:17, for coveting is done in the mind! “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Looking upon half-dressed women with low-cut blouses; see-through blouses; tight form-fitting pants, skirts, or dresses; or painted and flashy attired women will only cause a man to commit adultery with them in his heart. In order to control these thoughts, do not allow the pictures to be placed in your head!! For those who already have these pictures in their heads, II Corinthians 10:5 is a must! “Casting down imaginations (images and pictures), and every high thing (proud, self-willed) that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God (holiness, purity, righteousness of God), and bringing into captivity (capturing and refusing) every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
We must replace these wrong thoughts with good thoughts. I have boys and have encouraged them to control their thinking regarding the opposite sex so that they will be happy and contented with the woman that God gives them. Your wife should be the only naked or half-dressed body that you see. There is no way that you will not be content with her, if you do not have anyone else by which to compare her. Why do you think there is so much divorce among “Christians” of today? Because no one is warning of improper thinking habits that begin with what you have already put in front of your eyes!!!
Paul has a lot to say about the thinking pattern of the mind of Christians, as Philippians 2:5 tells us to think as Christ did, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Can you really picture Jesus sitting in front of the television watching what you watch?? If you said yes, you are a liar!!!!! He goes on to say in Ephesians 4:23 ,24, “And be renewed in the spirit (mental disposition) of your mind; And that ye put on the new man (new thinking, goals, moral values), which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” This verse is almost mirrored in Colossians 3:10 , “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him (the holiness and righteousness of God) that created him.” We are to think as the new man, who is created by God in righteousness and true holiness; and this is God’s holiness, not what we think is holy!!! If you do not see the importance of not looking upon anything that does not pass the eight-question test of Philippians 4:8, then you have hardened your heart to the things of God!
One more verse on this subject is found in Psalms 101:3, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.” This is a statement made by a godly man who understood that it would lead to wrong thinking!!!!