Silence Media

Before you read this, go watch this video:

You are Special by Max Lucado

Social media is great for sharing pictures and keeping in touch with friends. It can help you become more aware of world news, other cultures, and opinions that may differ than yours. Sadly it’s also great for making you feel bad about your life. You see friends hanging out and wonder why you weren’t invited. Your selfie only gets half the likes that your friend’s selfie got. People troll you and bully you by the comments they make. The world of social media is very much like the world of the Wemmicks in the video you should have just watched. We allow the opinions of others to determine our value rather than looking to our Creator to determine our value.

Silence media by remembering the truth. God loves you (Romans 5:8). You don’t have to earn His love (1 John 4:9-10). You are forgiven (1 John 1:9). You are redeemed (Ephesians 1:7). Your sin does not define you (Isaiah 43:18). God has unique things planned for your life (Ephesians 2:10). You do not have to be afraid (2 Timothy 1:7). You are a conqueror (Romans 8:37). God cares about the details of your life (Matthew 10:29-31). God wants you to have joy in life (Psalm 16:11).

When the enemy tries to use social media against you, reject him with these truths. Don’t let internet trolls and cyberbullies get you to believe otherwise.

Just because you don’t have a phone doesn’t mean this message isn’t for you! Media isn’t just Instagram, facebook, snapchat, sarahah, music.ly or whatever other social media. It’s also tv shows, movies, magazines, even books. According to google, the definition of media is any sort of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing and the internet). All of us, multiple times throughout the day encounter various forms of media!

Media is a great tool for the enemy because he can use it to distort the truth and tempt multiple people at the same time.

Again, not all media is bad. There are tons of movies, tv shows, music, magazines, and books that are informative, they spark social change, they teach lessons and they encourage/inspire us. Star Wars & Lord of the Rings teach about the battle of good versus evil. The Chronicles of Narnia teach us allegorically about God. The Jungle, Uncle Tom’s Cabin & Animal Farm are all books that sparked social change in American History. Movies like Unbroken and Hidden Figures, biographies & history books can teach us historical facts so we learn and don’t repeat their same mistakes. They also encourage us as we see how people triumph through adversity.

Like most things though, media can have a negative impact on us. When we see things portrayed as normal, we think there is something wrong with us if we aren’t doing it. We know that God created sex for married couples, yet media tells (and shows) us that we can do what we want with whoever we want, that age, marital status and gender make no difference, if it feels good, do it. We see underage drinking and the kids who don’t drink are mocked, we then give into the pressure when put into similar situations, even though we know it’s wrong. We watch shows full of foul language and then wonder why we struggle with controlling our tongues.

Media can give both girls and guys body image issues. To be pretty, we think we need to be blonde and skinny. To be manly, we must have facial hair and muscles. We forget the images we see have been Photoshopped and are unattainable standards.

Silence media by shutting it off. Jesus is speaking to a crowd of people when he tells them. “if your hand—even your stronger hand —causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Matthew 5:30 If you know that certain music or tv shows are going to cause you to sin,  shut them off! Replace music full of cursing or messages about sex, drugs and violence with worship music. When there is a sex scene, skip it. Don’t let the enemy use media against you.

You have the freedom to watch and read whatever you like. If parents have made restrictions, honor them by obeying what they’ve said. Don’t find ways around the rules. They are trying to protect you. Let them “shut it off” for you.

If it’s something your parents have given you the freedom to watch or read, ask yourself some questions.

• Is it beneficial? “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 Does this help me be a better person in some way or does it make me a worse person? If the answer is no it’s not beneficial, shut it off. What’s the point?
• Is this promoting sinful behavior? If we constantly watch shows where sin is portrayed as normal or fun and exciting, we are eventually going to be tempted to do it. There’s an old adage, “Garbage in, Garbage out.” We are impacted by the things we read, watch and listen to.

Media will influence you. Walt Disney said “Movies can and do have tremendous power in shaping young lives.” Everything we watch and read and listen to has some influence on us. Disney movies, which seem so harmless, give us false idea that once we find our prince, we’ll live happily ever after. You’ve lived long enough to know that’s not always the case.

Does this mean we should cancel Netflix, burn all books and never go to the movies again? No - we just need to use wisdom and discernment as we make choices about what we take in. Remember, media can be used for good or bad, use it wisely.

Think about what area(s) of media cause you to believe lies or to be tempted to sin. Consider doing a media fast. That means go without for some amount of time and replace it with reading your Bible, praying and/or serving God.

Make intentional habits. Maybe you should stop watching R rated movies or only watch parent approved shows. Maybe you spend too much time on social media and need to limit the hours you are on there. Maybe you delete certain apps from your phone or just deactivate certain accounts. Pray for wisdom as to what steps you should take to silence the negative influence of media in your life.

GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How much time do you spend on various forms of media in a normal week?
2. In what ways do you see media having an influence on your mind?
3. What are you going to do to silence media?

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This is the third of four messages in the Silence! Series I wrote for my church in Hawaii, New Hope Leeward.

Silence Others

Last week we discussed silencing the enemy. We talked about how the enemy “prowls like a lion seeking whom he may devour.”

In the war that is waged against us, he uses whatever tools he can. The three biggest things he uses are others, media and ourselves. Over the next three weeks we will look at each of these areas. Just to clarify, none of these things are bad in and of themselves. It is the negativity and lies of these things we need to silence.

There is an enormous amount of pressure put on teenagers today. You are told that to have a good career, you need to get into a good college. In order to afford a good college, you need to be involved in sports and clubs to get scholarships and have good grades. Teachers give homework which you have to get done after school and you have practice and chores. By the time you do everything that’s expected of you, you have no time for yourself.

In addition to all of the pressure put on you by adults, there is also great pressure on you from your peers. Besides dealing with the gossiping, rumors and bullying that previous generations have dealt with, you guys also deal with cyberbullying. At times it feels like you can’t get away from it because our phones are with us 24/7. Kids and teenagers can be extremely mean to each other. Even when with friends, there is so much sarcasm and teasing that goes on!

Because of these pressures, there has been a dramatic rise in teen suicide over the last number of years. 

So how do you deal with all of this? You obviously can't silence everyone around you. Even if you could, that wouldn't be healthy. We need people.

Silence the Enemy

Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Recognize the Enemy. Satan is real. Demons are real. There are spiritual battles all around us. These verses talk about the “schemes” of the devil. He isn’t just waiting around, hoping that we mess up. Satan and his demons are out to get us. In the book of Revelation, we are told of Satan’s ultimate defeat, but right now, God has given Satan dominion over the earth. “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan’s goal is to stop people from believing in the gospel. He uses demons to toy with our emotions, tempt us to sin and keep us from living the life Christ has for us.

If you have never given your life to Christ, Satan is winning the battle for your soul and you will end up in Hell.