In with the Good and Out with the Bad

Lately my relationship with God has blossomed in ways that I have never experienced.  We don’t get any TV channels, this is by choice.  We could have an antenna and pick up the local channels or have satellite but choose not to have these things.  At one time we had SkyAngel and really liked it but chose to cancel it so that we could put that money toward buying Christian movies that were of interest to us.  We rent movies or watch what we have bought instead of regular TV channels.  We chose to do this because so much of the stuff on TV today is immoral and vulgar and even sacrilegious.  Now don’t think I’m judging those that watch TV, that is your own personal business, I am sharing our conviction.  Now renting movies you can get into the same types of thing if you aren’t careful, and believe me we did.  Sometimes it was by accident and sometimes because we would justify it.  A couple of months ago we decided that we would not rent any movies that are rated R and to be extremely cautious of PG-13.  It’s not that all movies that are rated R are bad, The Passion of the Christ is rated R (this is one of the only ones I can think of that we would make an exception).  Let me tell you, it has changed our lives!  I know if seems like such a small harmless thing, but I can’t even begin to explain the difference it has made.  I honestly believe that things like that carry a spirit, and if the movie is not wholesome, neither is the spirit that comes with it.  I believe that Satan has used things like this to penetrate our mind so that the things of God are not as desirable to us.    I have had a hunger for God’s Word like I haven’t had since I first got saved 15 years ago.  I feel like what I have is an actual relationship with God for probably the first time in my life.  I am learning to trust Him with things that before I would say I was trying to trust Him with, but nothing was moving forward towards experiencing the peace of that trust.  No, I wasn’t lying, but is was only verbal, nothing more.  I say all of this not to say, look at me, but to challenge anyone reading this.  I’m not saying you must do what I did, but look at your life and see if there is anything that you have been hanging onto that you need to purge.  My relationship with God is not perfect now, but I feel now that I am moving forward instead of in reverse.