Interupted

The other night I was lying, face down, on the living room floor . . . trying to think. My wife was watching one of her TV shows. I don't really remember which one. It doesn't matter. The point was, I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing with the television on.

Lowering my head onto my Bible, I said a prayer - a prayer interrupted by the voices filling the room - the voices coming from . . . the television.

Did you ever sit down and analyze the things this world throws at us? Whether it is through the television shows the networks feed us or through the movies that Hollywood offers, we are inundated with worldly, mind-numbing drivel. Can you tell I have an opinion?

I love my Bible dearly. I take it with me everywhere I go. After particularly moving times within it's 66 books, I have been known to kiss its cover upon completion of my reading. I treasure time spent exploring and discovering the hidden secrets, the foreshadowing of things to come, and the promises of a God who loves us enough to send His Son to die for OUR sins.

It's pretty easy to figure out what's happening here as we find ourselves slowly being entertained . . . to death.

The following lyrics are from a little-known song by Roger Waters (formerly of Pink Floyd). It perfectly describes where we are headed as a society if we continue devoting our time to ourselves - the television watchers and the movie goers. We will soon be amusing ourselves to death.

We watched the tragedy unfold
We did as we were told
We bought and sold
It was the greatest show on earth
But then it was over
We ooh-ed and ahh-ed
We drove our racing cars
We ate our last few jars of caviar
And somewhere out there in the stars
A keen-eyed look-out
Spied a flickering light
Our last hurrah
And when they found our shadows
Grouped around the TV sets
They ran down every lead
They repeated every test
They checked out all the data on their lists
And then the alien anthropologists
Admitted they were still perplexed
But on eliminating every other reason
For our sad demise
They logged the only explanation left
This species has amused itself to death
No tears to cry no feelings left
This species has amused itself to death

Satan is VERY good at what he does. He gives us everything we want, right when we want it. We hardly even notice the little breaches in the walls surrounding our souls. Slowly he picks away at us.

"Work a little later tonight."

"Oh, no one showed up for your Bible study? Too bad. You must be failing. You fail at a lot of things, don't you."

We've all heard the voices of doubt in our heads. We let those thoughts enter into our minds because we are a forgetful people. We tend to forget about how we have been given the power to resist such things. We were bought with a price, yet we forget about our intercessor, the one who paid our price to begin with.

My wife often says to me, as I am picking up my Bible and walking out of the TV zone . . .

"You're leaving me!"

It's not like I'm "leaving my wife." It hurts me a little every time she says that. But there is someone I love more than her. I must find time to invest in that relationship as well. I MUST find time in my daily schedule for God. I must find some time for my King. The one who stands in the gap for me.

"8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 5:8-11

Please watch this video by Pastor Eric Ludy of the Elerslie Bible Institute, Windsor, CO. See if Eric doesn't get us fired up for Jesus. :)

Intercession by Pastor Eric Ludy