We Are Sponge-beings // Part One //
One of the things which greatly hindered my growth and satisfaction in Jesus was carelessness with my exposure. Time and time again, I kept undoing my exposure to Godly truths, with exposure to content which was mostly contrary to the bible and not emphasizing Jesus.
My entertainment diet did not reflect the truth about newness through Christ in my life. This contradiction grew an uncomfortable lump of guilt in my heart which became increasingly difficult to ignore. I was addicted to profane Hiphop music, TV series and other forms of entertainment. I was scared that I would be bored to death if I let them go! It took the grace of God for me to finally confront this issue. I had to ask myself some hard questions.
What does the content I enjoy, say about what I love the most?
If you were to ask yourself this question, would your answer be Jesus Christ? Mine wasn’t. Yet, I claimed to love and desire Jesus above all things. We sing songs which if we are conscious of, would bring conviction to our hearts. It is one thing to say that we have surrendered all to Jesus and another, to embrace the practical implications of such a declaration.
My unfiltered exposure was costly. I look back and wish I had known to redeem the time by feeding my mind with the scriptures and godly resources. Many mistakes I made in the past were not made in ignorance but were aided by a lack of persistent reminders and caution, which a daily serving of the Bible and a gospel saturated mind-space would have guarded me from. I am deeply grateful that God turned me around.
What we give ourselves to, really matters. We all have sponge-like tendencies which make our interactions and immersions transformative. What we feed our minds and hearts becomes what shapes our behaviour.
The Bible gives us a crucial command: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
Will you obey this command? Will you take the necessary steps to comb through your entertainment menu and put filters where necessary?
Writer: Sonsare Zabadi