Many, if not most of today’s church folk are quite different from their predecessors; and compared to the early church the difference is like night and day! One of the major differences is in the mindset of today’s newfangled “believers.” Many professing Christians believe they can eat of the enemy’s wares and not be affected. This is foolishness! Let’s unpack this a bit, and see what the Word of God teaches us about it.
One of the most errant views running rampant in Christendom today is that one can Eat Filth [watch and listen to filth] and not get sick; they really believe themselves strong enough to “handle it.” This is deception at its finest! There is so much error in this notion. Besides having pride at its foundation, this view reveals a blindness and indifference brought on by conditioning from eating at the devil’s table.
WHAT YOU EAT CAN EITHER HELP YOU OR HARM YOU!
I know a person who, for a brief time in their life, was only eating fast food. They had hit a rough patch and were unable to grocery shop; they had nowhere to cook or store food. So they had been eating at fast food restaurants once or twice a day. They were also not drinking enough water. They shared with me that, after a while, they started to feel bad. They were very sluggish and just felt out of sorts. They knew something was wrong but didn’t know what. One day it hit them! They had not had any vegetables or fruit; they had not had REAL food in far too long. So they changed what they were doing. Instead of turning to fast food they started frequenting restaurants that offered better choices. They purchased fruits that did not have to be refrigerated, and started drinking water instead of juice and other sugary drinks. After a few days of better eating they began to feel like themselves, instead of being bogged down from their body trying to process the faux edibles they had been consuming. Is this not a picture of what happens to us spiritually?
Think about it! Just as constant intake of improper food affected the above individual in a negative way, so does the constant intake of worldliness affect the soul in a detrimental way. As a matter of fact, we can easily see the negative affects throughout the church today. Consider this example:
Satan’s buffet is very much like our example. On his table are all kinds of good looking distractions. His offerings are highly appealing, designed to draw you in. There are so many things at his buffet, but let’s consider the over indulgence in entertainment.
Television is the biggest brainwashing tool in the history of humanity (have you ever thought about the words used for television shows i.e. programs/programming?). If you are my age or older you should be able to recognize the effects of this; how quickly and low society has sunk since we were kids (which seems like just yesterday!)
I have mentioned before that people of God did not watch as much television as they do now. Over the years, as the church picked up more and more of the world’s ways, television has obtained increasingly more ground in many of our lives. It is not only the increase in TV viewing but also, for numerous professing believers today, the severe lack of discretion in regards to content.
Nowadays, even older believers proclaim their love for “programming” that promotes and glamorizes the very things God hates. Many professing believers are faithful viewers of programming that (sometimes quite graphically) displays and pushes the acceptance of blatant sexual immorality and gross violence. Programming that makes Christ and His followers the butt of jokes and kicks against everything God declares to be right. Yet, professing believers nowadays love to say, “I can handle it,” when it comes to the glorification of sin they eat up so eagerly. I’ve got news for any professing believer who thinks they can handle constantly filling their hearts and minds with the slop of the world. No, you cannot “handle it,” and you aren’t “handling it” now; it is handling you!
SOME EFFECTS OF CONSTANTLY WATCHING AND LISTENING TO SIN
When you are eating at the devil’s table you may not notice the effects of what he’s serving right away. Just like our imaginary buffet, you can definitely enjoy now and suffer the consequences later! Let’s look at a few of the effects of what we are eating.
STRONG FLESH AND WEAKENED SPIRIT
When we clamor after and indulge in satan’s buffet we are indeed feeding our flesh. We will soon realize that it takes more and more of his wares to try and satisfy an insatiable flesh. Keep indulging and soon the things of God will no longer hold any desirable quality. Everything we prefer will be worldly; the world’s look, the world’s sound and the worlds way of doing things is what will appeal to us as God becomes a distant figment of our memory.
COMPROMISE
Filling ourselves up on the wickedness relentlessly flowing via the world’s various entertainment outlets only indoctrinates us in a slow, unsuspecting (to many) way. The Bible says for us to put to death what is worldly in us. How, pray tell, are we to do that if we keep indulging in worldliness!? One must compromise to watch the mess shown on television and movie screens today. You have to disobey the Word of God, ignore the Holy Spirit, and override your own conscience just to indulge in the muck of the world; not to mention taint your own reputation as a child of God. Worst of all is that you, who say Christ lives inside, attempt to make the Lord a part of your sin of commission. Of course He will not be, so stop and ask yourself who’s actually living on the inside – the god of this world or THE GOD of the Bible. Aaah, quite a question isn’t it!?
NO DESIRE TO WORSHIP GOD OR FELLOWSHIP WITH FELLOW BELIEVERS
Numerous churches across this country are rife with this problem. True believers everywhere are growing weary with the way the church has changed. They don’t get an opportunity to truly worship in God’s house because praise and worship has practically been cut out of the service, under the guise of leaving time for the message. In truth the hearts of many have been turned so far from the Lord that there is a lack of desire to worship, to love on God and enjoy His presence in return. So we go to church while a praise team “entertains” with 2-3 short selections on a schedule so strict the Holy Spirit doesn’t have time to find a seat. The heart that loves and craves God and fellowship with His people is sorely missing today. So much so that many true believers are discouraged and wondering if there’s any longer a point in even attending church; the sheep feeling like outcasts among the goats and wolves!
You Are What You Eat
When we eat what the world eats we will become like the world. The world loves darkness and every evil way. The world wants nothing to do with real love, fellowship, compassion etc, and definitely nothing to do with our God. Instead the world is selfish, self-centered, self-indulgent, shallow and fake – among other things. This is what we have to return to if we start eating at satan’s buffet. Eating what the world’s god has to offer is exactly why professing Christians can take pleasure in sin and not be bothered by it. It is why church services are often shallow and lifeless. It’s why praise teams toss God a quick, heartless, token worship just to hurry up and get it out of the way (Isaiah 1:1-15). It’s why a good pastor has to come lead the congregation in giving God praise after the praise team has finished their show. Eating the world’s contaminated fare is why church parking lots clear so fast it leaves one baffled at the speed! It is why people wonder why the church does not have the love and fellowship it once had in the not so distant past. Too many professing believers have become just as selfish, self-centered, self-indulgent, shallow and fake as the world…because that is exactly what they are of, the world!
WHO ARE YOU ALLOWING TO FEED YOU, TO CONDITION YOU?
Sin Begins in the mind, which is why we must consider what we put before our eyes and ears! We cannot, as children of God, allow just anything to enter our hearts and minds through our eyes and ears. It is our job to keep ourselves from the unclean thing (2 Corinthians 6:17; James 1:27; Romans 12:2); I do not care what today’s grace-mongers have to say about it.
Child of God none of us can handle watching, listening, and hanging around the depravity of this world. Just because we don’t think we have a desire to commit immoral acts, does not mean we are not affected by what we put before our eyes. If you believe you can eat what satan is offering then you, my friend, are deceived and need to run to God for help in order to see and accept the truth.
We must remember satan doesn’t have new tricks. The things he offers always appeals to man’s flesh and pride. What he offers entices and conditions all takers to his will. God knows this and has provided what we need to avoid surrendering to the will of the evil one.
We must leave satan’s buffet table, take his hook out of our noses, repent and turn our hearts back to God. We have to trust God enough to OBEY His instructions!
Until next time!
Let’s hear some chatter out there!
*What are your thoughts on television/movies etc… and believers; does it matter what we entertain ourselves with?
* Once a believer, have you ever found yourself intrigued/indulging in satan’s buffet?
*What effect did it have? Did it help you or hurt you?
**I’m participating in the following linkups. Check them out and discover new bloggers and encouraging articles.
_________ And That’s The Bottom Line________ There’s a reason why true believers won’t allow foolishness to get through their eye and ear gates. It’s because they understand that what goes in – is what comes out!! and what comes out – is what governs every aspect of our lives!! So, we guard our hearts with A L L diligence because out of it flows the issues of life.
Every issue we have in life – comes straight out of our own hearts!! Until we understand that, we’ll never see the importance of not letting garbage get in. Satan constantly supply’s the buffet of life with plenty of garbage because he knows exactly how the human being works. The question is; Do WE know how we work ?
Hello Rodney,
Yes Yes Yes!! We have to be careful. Many today don’t believe people of God have to travel carefully through this wicked world. But we simply must do so, there’s no way we can walk with God and not walk carefully through this filthy place! I loved your statement, “satan constantly supplies the buffet of life with plenty of garbage bcue he knows exactly how the human being works. The question is, do WE know how we work?” God knows how we work that is why He gave us instructions on what to do and what not to do, what to embrace and what to avoid. If we obey Him we will make it.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts on the post
God bless you!!