As we are told in 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is like a lion, walking about seeking whom he may devour. A lion does not announce his presence until it is too late. With a roar he pounces on his unsuspecting subject. The devil does the lion one better, he doesn’t announce his presence at all–ever–except in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. And in that most people do not know what is written in God’s Statement of Divine Truth (Jn. 17:17), they are low hanging fruit for the Serpent of Eden. Back to my temporary escape from reality.

Having “come to myself” I found that I had inadvertently and unintentionally been caught up in Satan’s entertainment web where, after reflection, I realized that while I was in that world one man had been killed, one had been deceived, one ex-wife had pulled a screaming child away from his frantic father, one item had been stolen and several people had their hearts broken–ALL IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES. I had spent that time in a world in which sin and degradation were the order of the day. A friend recently stated that he feels a strong pull to the television when the Dallas Cowboys are playing. I understand that perfectly. SATAN WILL STOP TEMPTING US ONLY WHEN OUR HEARTS STOP BEATING. This is why we are repeatedly warned by the Lord to “beware” and “watch.” Jesus had to. Are we any better?

Let us be clear, what goes into the heart, stays in the heart, which is why we can recall events many years after they happen. And when we consider that everything we see, hear, smell, etc. finds lodging in the heart (mind), we can understand why the Lord, through the Apostle Paul said: “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, whatsoever has virtue and brings praise to God, THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS” (Phil. 4:8).

When I see people of all ages walking around with their faces glued to the idiot boxes in their hands I am reminded of a frightening fact: MAN IS IN LOVE WITH AND ADDICTED TO ENTERTAINMENT. Man, including churchman, prefers the world found in his box, t.v., etc., to the world found in God’s Book. This can easily be proven by comparing the amount of time he spends in each. We make time to do what we want to do, and find excuses to avoid doing what we do not want to do (yard work is my weakness). This is why God commands that we redeem time from Satan who wants us to spend our time engrossed in his offerings–the internet, t.v., novels, radio, etc. And he is winning. People have lost their jobs because of their addition to “the box.”

Churchman is no different. Ask any cross-wearer on the street and he/she can tell you such things as who is doing what to whom on t.v., or what is “trending” on YouTube, or who won this week’s talent contest, etc. but cannot tell you what God said in His Word on a subject–any subject–with the exception of John 3:16. An age-old joke that speaks to this phenomenon is that church people are so Biblically ignorant they believe the epistles were the wives of the apostles.

This statement isn’t meant to reflect the truth. However, it is far too close to the truth. Why? Because, with extremely rare exception, church people do not redeem time for the Lord. Man reveals his priorities by how he spends his free time. Dear reader, please consider the amount of free time you have and how you use it. What is the difference between watching t.v. for three hours while with the family and studying the Bible for three hours while with the family? We are “alone” either with God or with Satan. To be continued. L.J.