Do You Want to Stand Out, or Blend In?

Inside: What I put into my mind can affect the way I think, feel and what can spill out of my mouth. How does spending time with God make me stand out, or blend in?
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Would you agree that there’s a lot of junk in this world?

I’m referring to the things that aren’t God-pleasing.

Does anyone else cringe when they are watching a show on prime-time T.V. and they use swear words so profusely that the remote is at the ready to shut it off?

Or the songs that are playing on the radio which reference body parts, drinking, drugs etc?

When your husband naively thinks that “All about that Bass” is referencing a choir voice and you have to correct him that it’s actually about a tush.

Lots of junk.  We see it and hear it multiple times a day.

Protect What You’re Putting into Your Body

There’s an old Welsh saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

If we eat healthily we can potentially ward off visits to the doctor. The reverse is also true, junk in can equal junk out. A lousy- feeling body, multiple doctor visits, and premature death all are the consequences of putting junk into our bodies.

Do you know this applies to spiritual health also?

What I put into my mind can affect the way I think, feel and what can spill out of my mouth.

Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!  (Matthew 6:22-23, NLT).

When I was thinking about this blog post and current media, my inner thoughts weren’t godly.

I can’t get away from all of it, especially in our culture. 

Then I shouldn’t even have a T.V. or radio because it’s probably all junk.

People will think I’m a goody-two-shoes if I don’t partake in any of it.

God wants me to be different. He doesn’t want me to be like the culture I live in. I’m supposed to let my light shine. We are to be “salty” according to God’s Word.

Are living to stand out, or blend in?

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:13-16, NLT).

If I’m taking all that junk in, my light becomes dim, not bright.

What do I do moving forward (and keeping my T.V. and radio intact and in the house?)

I become conscious of what I am spending my time doing.

When I spend time watching unacceptable things, it does make it more commonplace in my mind.

I’m making my morals muddy.

The first school shooting that happened in our nation affected us a lot more than the most recent one. We know murder is wrong but is it becoming more acceptable?

Our society is collapsing. We are moving further from God and the morals listed in the Bible.

So.far.away.

Philippians 4:8, NLT tells us:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

When I spend more time in His presence, my faith and light is stronger. Share on X

This doesn’t mean we need to kick our televisions, radios, and computers to the curb. But I do think we need to consciously interact with the media. If we watch or hear something that bothers us, that might be a good indication to turn that bother into a prayer. And find respite in His Word.

If we know God’s Word provides us with living water for health, and it results in a firmer, stronger faith, this is the best preventative medicine we could take.

God’s Word each day keeps the junk at bay.

What are your thoughts?