To think that what we regularly set our eyes upon has no effect upon us is the height of foolishness. Advertisers know full well the impact that words, images, shapes, and colors have upon people. Market research is done on products to determine the most enticing way to present them. Different colors affect us differently. It has been shown that when food is packaged in blue, sales lag. It is thought this happens because most food is not blue, but rather yellow, green, orange, or red. There are exceptions of course, such as blueberries, but in general blue is not a food color. Advertisers use this information to manipulate what we buy. Generic food that is packaged in black and white has nowhere near the impact upon us that color does.

Advertisers use the most beautiful women and the most handsome men, qualities that appeal to us sexually, to sell everything. We are more likely to purchase a product if someone whom we wish to emulate or find physically attractive is shown using it or singing its praises. People who are overweight are rarely used to sell products or become media stars. Women are referred to as “babes” and men as “hunks” if they measure up to the standard of attractiveness the world prizes. Both terms are offensive. They reduce the person to no more than a sex object, something women have rightly criticized for years. But with the rise of feminism women have shown themselves to be just as guilty as men when it comes to the sexual objectivation of others. Commercials now show women ogling men in the same way men have always ogled women.

Beauty can cause us to make unwise decisions. “Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. So he came back and told his father and mother, ‘I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.’ Then his father and his mother said to him, ‘Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she looks good to me'” (Judges 14:1-3). This woman was a Philistine, the enemy of Israel. Yet none of that mattered to Samson. His only concern was to have this woman as his wife. It was not a happy marriage and ended when she was given to another man after Samson left her for a time.

Job recognized the danger of looking upon a woman and thinking about her. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin” (Job 31:1). Job was wise enough to know that if he looked long enough at a woman his heart may begin to be pulled away from his wife and adultery could result.

David should have made the same covenant with his eyes. “Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance” (2 Samuel 11:2). This gazing led to adultery and the eventual murder of the woman’s husband.

What we set our eyes upon absolutely influences our actions. The purpose of God’s commandments, teachings, and disciplines are, “To keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids. For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Or can a man walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched” (Proverbs 6:24-28)? Satan knows that what we allow ourselves to look upon will govern our behavior.

The “precious life” spoken of here is the soul, which consists of our will, emotions, and intellect. This is what Satan wishes to control. And understanding the weaknesses of mankind he is a master at bringing us under his influence. This is why Jesus so emphatically told His followers, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mark 8:34-37)? We must deny our desires if they are contrary to the will of God. A woman or man may be sexually desirable to us, but we do not have the right to act upon that desire if it is sin. Much is made of homosexuality being a legitimate lifestyle because they claim they were born that way. Further, they claim their love can be as genuine as that between a man and woman. However, the Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is a sin; thus, to indulge this desire is wrong. The homosexual must deny himself, take up his cross (an instrument of death) and cause the sinful desire to go unfilled.

Lest women think they are immune from lusting after a man they should learn from Potiphar’s wife. “It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me'” (Genesis 39:7). When Joseph refused to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife she falsely accused him of rape. Joseph was sent to prison as a result, but was eventually made a ruler over Egypt because he maintained his integrity in the face of temptation.

When I was a child in Sunday School there was a song we used to sing that contained the line, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see.” It was not questioned whether what we looked at or read molded and shaped our thinking and our sense of right and wrong. We were taught that “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8). The soul (will, emotions, intellect) is comparable to the womb in that it brings forth from the seed deposited there by the spirit. (This again shows the correlation between the soul being the feminine part of man and the spirit the masculine part). If the spirit of the world is what is sown into our soul then we will bring forth thoughts and actions that are contrary to righteousness. “Because everything that is in the world, the passionate desire of the flesh [the totally depraved nature], and the passionate desire of the eyes, and the insolent and empty assurance which trusts in the things that serve the creature life, is not from the Father as a source, but is from the world as a source” (1 John 2:16 Wuest). However, if we let the Spirit of God sow His truth into our souls then we will think Godly thoughts and our actions will bring glory and praise to Him.

Over the last several months and years there have been a number of shootings at various schools by young kids. This has ignited the debate over gun control on one hand and the influence, if any, the media wields through movies, TV, videos, and computer games on the other. The entertainment industry argues that guns kill people, not the images the media produces. They point out that no one goes on a rampage with a movie in each hand. What they, and most of society it would seem willfully close their eyes to, is that while guns were used to kill the bodies of their fellow classmates, it is the media’s obsession with sex, brutality, and violence that first killed, or at the very least deadened, the spirits of the killers. What these kids have seen on TV, at the movies, satanic-laden rock concerts, and the games they have played at the arcades and on their on computers, have without question influenced the choices they have made. Repeated exposure to any kind of behavior desensitizes us to it. “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals'” (1 Corinthians 15:33). The King James Version reads, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” If the company we keep communicates sex, violence, and satanic activity, (even if that company is TV, movies, magazines, or games) corruption of holiness will result. What we see and set our minds upon does affect our actions.

Violence in movies or TV etc. does not in and of itself make one violent. Violence is part of the state of fallen mankind. Cain killed Abel, not because he watched violence, but because it was within him. “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:3-5). Abel’s sacrifice to the Lord was accepted, but Cain’s was rejected. Cain felt God was being unfair, intolerant by not approving of his offering. Since Cain could not hurt God, he hurt the one whom God approved of, Abel. Cain’s solution was to kill that which stood in his way, that which he perceived to be unjust.

Man becomes violent when he does not get his way, when he feels that his rights have been abused. Violence is the natural result of a spirit-dead, soulish creature. The soul is selfish, wanting only to satisfy its needs and wants. However, the spirit that has been raised to new life by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ is instilled with a self-sacrificing love; one that not only desires the best for those who love in return, but also for those who hate when good is given.

It was unchecked violence and evil that caused God to destroy the earth with the Flood. “The earth was depraved and putrid in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power). And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased and vicious it was; for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction” (Genesis 6:11-12 AMP). These words exactly describe our world today. They should be a warning that Christ is coming soon. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37-39). When the consciences of children have become so deadened that they kill other children it is a witness against parents, adults, and society.

Parents are not there for their children as in generations past. The lust for power and careers are given first place in their lives. Motherhood is despised and we are finding that the hand that rocks the cradle really does rule the world. Parents in general and mothers in particular have the power to curb the natural, violent nature that is in every child. This is done when time is spent (by both parents) with the child instilling moral values, and when time is spent in showing, by example, behavior that is sharing, loving, and forgiving. Children imitate what they see.

Absent fathers are a disgrace to their families. Any man who fathers a child and then forsakes his responsibilities to provide not only money, but also a home and family for the child and his wife is worse than an unbeliever. Such behavior is not human; it is animalistic. God’s punishment for such a one will be quite severe. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). Fathers are a direct representative of God to their families and many times what children think about God, how they picture Him, is the result of a father’s words and actions. Sons learn to be responsible, to treat girls with respect, that being bigger and stronger is not for the purpose of beating someone, especially their wives, but to defend and protect her and their children. Daughters crave the love of their fathers. They are supposed to learn what it means to be loved by a man from a pure heart rather than used by a man. How children see their father is often how they see God. What an awesome responsibility.

So, is the media responsible for the increase in violence among kids and teenagers we are experiencing in our nation? Not entirely. The breakdown of the family, consisting of the father and mother through divorce, adultery, putting careers ahead of children, or simply living together outside of marriage creates a powerful environment for wrongdoing to flourish. When mom and dad live lives themselves that are sinful, immoral, or harmful, their kids will reject any teaching from them that contradicts what they see. The hypocrisy of do what I tell you, not what I do is met with scorn by our children. This causes the authority of parents to be quickly eroded. Discipline becomes almost impossible. This creates a vacuum within the child’s spirit and soul that the world is all too eager to fill with its godless forms of leisure and entertainment. Hollywood must share a large portion of the blame for the immorality and violence we are experiencing. But its influence is magnified when parents fail to make their children the priority in their lives that God intended it to be.

Jesus said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in and acknowledge and cleave to Me to stumble and sin that is, who entices him, or hinders him in right conduct or thought it would be better (more expedient and profitable or advantageous) for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be sunk in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for such temptations to sin and influences to do wrong! It is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the person on whose account or by whom the temptation comes” (Matthew 18:6-7 AMP)! The fact that movies, TV, video games, etc. are rated for content is self-condemning to the entertainment industry. If what we see had no affect upon us it would not matter if sex or violence were part of the movie. But even as adults, much less children and adolescents, it does affect us. Programs can make us laugh or cry, stand up and cheer, or seethe with anger. Their influence is so strong that they can make us root for the “bad guy” and wish evil upon the “good guy”. Adultery is made acceptable and romanticized. Coarse language, sexually impure comedy, and pornographic images are expected. Nothing is sacred. Christian values are mocked and ridiculed; they are sacrificed upon the altars of tolerance and political correctness.

The Psalmist recognized the need to not look upon evil. “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Psalm 101:3 KJV). Why? Because he knew, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it” (Jeremiah 17:9)? His desire was that, “A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil” (Psalm 101:4). The word “know” used here is the Hebrew “yada” and means, “to know, to ascertain by seeing”. He refused to look upon evil because he knew that his heart was inclined to act upon what he saw. Jesus told His disciples, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23). We should feed ourselves a steady diet of holiness and purity so that the evil that is in our heart because of our fallen nature will be replace with kindness, forgiveness, and self-sacrificial love. Refusing to look upon wickedness the Psalmist goes on to say, “My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me” (Psalm 101:6). To often it is corrupt entertainment that ministers to us and the result is devastating. We truly are what we see.

God is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). His fiery judgments will destroy all evil and wickedness that the godless practice. “Sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling has seized the godless. ‘Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?’ He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, he who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; he who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; he will dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rock; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty.” (Isaiah 33:14-17). Set your eyes upon the Lord and your heart will follow paths of holiness.

Copyright: Terry L. Brown

Terry lives in Billings, MT with his wife, Julie.

Terry graduated from Yellowstone Valley Bible Institute in June 2003. He authored “Hallowed Be Thy Name” available at http://www.authorhouse.com/

Email: Terry_L_Brown@whispersofthespirit.com

http://www.whispersofthespirit.com