Christians And Purity: 3 Reasons Why We Should Be Careful With What We Watch
In the pursuit of purity, we've always been told to be careful what we look at, what we watch. Why is this so? If purity is a matter of the heart, why should we be careful with what we do with our eyes?.
The eyes are passages of light
We've all been told to be careful what we watch. We're told that what we immerse ourselves into, what we constantly look at, ultimately affects what we think, feel, say and do. Business companies know this principle. Not convinced? Then just think about what TV commercials do: entice you to purchase or want what they promote.
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Imagine yourself seeing a tasty food product on an average seventy-times-seven times per day on TV, computer, or smartphone screens. Whether it's a large packet of sumptuous fries, a slice of rich decadent chocolate cake, or even a seemingly innocent pack of cookies, if you keep seeing it (and aren't concerned with your waist or wallet) you'll likely want it. Eventually you'll go and get a serving for yourself.
The Lord Jesus knows this principle and warns us about the dangers of not mastering it. Consider what He said in Matthew 6:22-23:
"The light of the body is the eye. Therefore, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is unclear, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
If we constantly gaze at the wrong things, we will likely flood our minds with wrong thoughts. It's really very simple: light that enters the eyes brightens the mind. Constantly reading God's Word fills the heart and mind with His Word. Frequent watching ungodly shows fills the mind with ungodly thoughts.
Reasons to filter what we watch
Knowing that, I would like to urge you to carefully filter what you look at. Here are some more reasons why:
1) What we watch sticks
Like I mentioned earlier, what we watch fills the mind. You can't expect to intently look at something and not have it linger in your head. What you watch sticks in your imagination, even years after you watched it. That's how our memory works.
2) What we watch influences our choices
Like I explained above using the TV commercial analogy, what we watch influences our choices or opinions. Our opinions are also shaped by what the information we receive through our eyes. What we read, what we see helps shape our thinking – and eventually our actions.
3) What we watch reveals what's in our hearts
Lastly, our viewing choices often reflect what we long for in our hearts. This could actually serve us well if we're wise: When we honestly ask ourselves, "why did I want to watch that?" we can then respond accordingly.
Men who go for a second look after seeing an attractive woman, for example, should ask themselves if they were lusting after her. If the man wants to pursue holiness, he should repent if he did.
Conversely, this could also work to stunt a person's growth. Those who are unwise will label themselves according to what they watch! Men who watch porn, for example, might consider themselves "hopelessly addicted to sex" instead of "needing help to be free." You aren't what you watch, but you need to be very careful what you choose to do with your eyes.
Freedom
Always remember that in Christ, we all have the freedom to choose what we watch. Jesus even told us to gouge out our eye if it's looking at the wrong thing; that's how fiercely we need to fight against our sinful desires to look at something not holy. Let's all choose to stand guard over our hearts by resolutely refusing to allow darkness to enter our eyes.
