Compromising your faith in God

[missmuffet]

2 hours ago, Marathoner said:

Is it a stronghold, or is it a habit? If watching television programming has been a part of someone's life, and it's difficult or even impossible to cease, then it's most assuredly a habit. Let those who are free of all manner of habits judge their fellows. 

Ah, but then, is watching television programming forbidden by the Lord? There are some who claim that it is, but all they have is an opinion to justify their claim. You might recall how I've mentioned that I don't watch TV programming, but this isn't a matter of virtue-signaling that I'm somehow holy or righteous because I don't. Nonsense. I never developed the habit, my friend. When I was a child, escaping the house and finding refuge outdoors was my custom, yes? And then many years later, decades of homelessness meant no creature comforts like a kitchen, a bedroom, or a television set. 

If you are troubled by what is otherwise a custom, ask the Lord about it. You might be surprised by His answer.  

Watching television, reading secular books, watching secular movies, playing secular video games(aren't they all secular today?)

listening to secular music are all examples of not feeding your mind and eyes for Christ.

 

[Marathoner]

1 minute ago, missmuffet said:

Watching television, reading secular books, watching secular movies, playing secular video games(aren't they all secular today?)

listening to secular music are all examples of not feeding your mind and eyes for Christ.

 

You have a right to share your opinion.

[missmuffet]

2 hours ago, Marathoner said:

You have a right to share your opinion.

Thank you for your humble reply. I believe that sacrificing the things of this world is my respect and love for Jesus Christ.

Edited September 21, 2024 by missmuffet

[AnOrangeCat]

On 9/20/2024 at 2:03 PM, Vine Abider said:

Unfortunately, I must confess I probably do it everyday.  That is, for instance, I watch some program I know the inner Anointing is not pleased with.  Or make some other decision that causes me to loose His sense of life & peace within.

But hallelujah!  He knows we still have a wretched flesh hanging on us, so I can claim His blood and righteousness and turn back to Him any time without condemnation!

Romans 7:15 to the rest of the chapter is relevant to this. I feel like Mr M's recent topic, Love Perfected; For Boldness On The Day Of Judgment, is also relevant. Addictions, habits, etc. are a real struggle, but I think there's a distinction to be made between trying to shed them and simply being resigned to the status quo. I'd like to think that when it comes to my own hang ups that I'll be able to say that I loved God enough to struggle against them. I've personally been working to phase out some things but it occurred to me that I've grown complacent and content with where I am in that instead of trying to push the bar higher.

On 9/20/2024 at 8:52 PM, Vine Abider said:

so I just keep giving it to Him as He's the One able to finish what He started.

Amen. As I counsel others and look on myself I think of that verse (Philippians 1:6) a lot. Some people are delivered instantly, but for many it ends up being a work in progress. That said I still find the struggle important. At the very least it shows God that we love and respect Him enough to try even in our weakness.

[Marathoner]

There is an austerity of the flesh, a worldly yearning for righteousness that demands denial, of which the apostle Paul wrote about.

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of man? These are matters which do have the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and humility and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. (Colossians 2:20-23 NASB)

And also,

All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up. No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor. Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions, for the sake of conscience; for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of that one who informed you and for the sake of conscience; Now by “conscience” I do not mean your own, but the other person’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? (1 Corinthians 10:23-29 NASB)

There is no teaching against breaking bread with the unbeliever, which is also what the Lord did when He walked among us. Indeed, the Lord was reviled for violating the commandments of men which had the appearance of wisdom but were bereft of value to God; He was accused of evil because of this. It's no different today. 

Faith in God? Is one's faith in the Lord expressed by religiosity, or is one's faith in Christ living and washed clean with His fire? There is much talk about hating the wicked, about averting one's eyes from things that perish, and the like; where is the encouraging word? Where is the exhortation to walk in the Spirit which the natural-minded cannot comprehend? Here is the commandment of the Lord that we heed, remembering how He delivered us with a mighty hand:

This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may go well for you.’" (Jeremiah 7:21-23 NASB)

We obey the voice of the Lord. We do this by walking in the Spirit. 

[Vine Abider]

20 hours ago, Marathoner said:

Is it a stronghold, or is it a habit? If watching television programming has been a part of someone's life, and it's difficult or even impossible to cease, then it's most assuredly a habit. Let those who are free of all manner of habits judge their fellows. 

Ah, but then, is watching television programming forbidden by the Lord? There are some who claim that it is, but all they have is an opinion to justify their claim. You might recall how I've mentioned that I don't watch TV programming, but this isn't a matter of virtue-signaling that I'm somehow holy or righteous because I don't. Nonsense. I never developed the habit, my friend. When I was a child, escaping the house and finding refuge outdoors was my custom, yes? And then many years later, decades of homelessness meant no creature comforts like a kitchen, a bedroom, or a television set. 

If you are troubled by what is otherwise a custom, ask the Lord about it. You might be surprised by His answer.  

Yeah, I grew up in a TV watching household.  And now the habit of the evening is to sit down with my wife and watch a couple of her favorite programs.  We each have veto power over what we watch, and I have exercised that veto with a few programs that I think are over the top.

But it's still the world, and you just can't watch many things today, it seems, without hearing certain language and without the general tide of this anti-God world flooding into your living room. After watching maybe three hours of this evening ritual stuff, my mind is numb and my soul is dead and I stumble into bed groaning, "Lord Jesus - cover all this mess I just watched and help me."

[Vine Abider]

8 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

Amen. As I counsel others and look on myself I think of that verse (Philippians 1:6) a lot. Some people are delivered instantly, but for many it ends up being a work in progress. That said I still find the struggle important. At the very least it shows God that we love and respect Him enough to try even in our weakness.

Yes - amen!  Just the fact that we struggle, is evidence of His life in us working!  Without a consciousness of these things, it would mean we were completely dead . . . and the dead have no feelings.  So even the sensation of death is a matter of His life operating, because the dead don't even know they are dead, because they are totally unable to have ANY sensation.  So praise God for His life in us!

1 hour ago, Marathoner said:

All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up. No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor. Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions, for the sake of conscience; for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of that one who informed you and for the sake of conscience; Now by “conscience” I do not mean your own, but the other person’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? (1 Corinthians 10:23-29 NASB)

This is one of my two "go-to" passages!  (the other is "He who began a good work in you . . .")  "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable . . . not all things build up."  Amen!

So I often think of the children of Israel, and when they didn't utterly deal with and destroy the inhabitants of the land and made compromises with them, these ones became their entrenched enemies which they greatly struggled with ongoing.

[BornAgain490]

Our flesh is compromised. Our faith is by the grace of God secured in the One that saved us. 

Romans 7:15 "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

[Marathoner]

1 hour ago, Vine Abider said:

Yeah, I grew up in a TV watching household.  And now the habit of the evening is to sit down with my wife and watch a couple of her favorite programs.  We each have veto power over what we watch, and I have exercised that veto with a few programs that I think are over the top.

But it's still the world, and you just can't watch many things today, it seems, without hearing certain language and without the general tide of this anti-God world flooding into your living room. After watching maybe three hours of this evening ritual stuff, my mind is numb and my soul is dead and I stumble into bed groaning, "Lord Jesus - cover all this mess I just watched and help me."

I notice that you do this for the sake of your wife. It's good to be merciful and tolerant of others, my friend. That's commendable. 

Perhaps, if what she views gets to you in such a way (I don't watch television programming so I can only imagine how standard fare would affect me), you can engage in something else while she watches? The apostle encourages us to work for the advantage of our neighbor so, for as long as she is not galled by things --- working toward peace with a spouse is also commendable (and wise, heh) --- you could watch your fingernails grow? 

Just kidding about that. You might find something unobtrusive to occupy your attention is the point I'm making. I have learned how to keep pressing on regardless of what surrounds me, for others do not have power over my conscience toward the Lord. Being sent to desperate places by Christ has built this up to be sure. 

[Marathoner]

10 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

Romans 7:15 to the rest of the chapter is relevant to this. I feel like Mr M's recent topic, Love Perfected; For Boldness On The Day Of Judgment, is also relevant. Addictions, habits, etc. are a real struggle, but I think there's a distinction to be made between trying to shed them and simply being resigned to the status quo. I'd like to think that when it comes to my own hang ups that I'll be able to say that I loved God enough to struggle against them. I've personally been working to phase out some things but it occurred to me that I've grown complacent and content with where I am in that instead of trying to push the bar higher.

Amen. As I counsel others and look on myself I think of that verse (Philippians 1:6) a lot. Some people are delivered instantly, but for many it ends up being a work in progress. That said I still find the struggle important. At the very least it shows God that we love and respect Him enough to try even in our weakness.

I wonder about these things, sister. I learned a long time ago that our Lord is not harsh like men and women tend to be, especially toward our own selves. Throughout my time after being called by the Lord, and particularly after He filled me with His Spirit, He has counseled me in the following manner:

If your conscience is troubled, refrain. 

Acts 15 represents the word of the Lord to us all, and what we need to avoid; namely, sexual immorality (a sin that works iniquity upon the accomplice in addition to ourselves), blood, and food sacrificed to idols. With regard to the latter, that was all the rage in society during Paul's day but as for us today, it's virtually unheard of apart from isolated locations in the world. That's not something we're going to encounter unless we go to places where that still happens. 

Seeing as how all scripture is in harmony and taking into account the Lord's words as given to us by Paul, what we don't know harms no one. This is in keeping with the Lord holding the blind blameless in His judgment. 

There is something critical that the apostle mentions, and that's things which are perishing; and also, the words of the Lord Himself regarding what does and does not defile a man. What we consume does not defile us... what comes forth from the heart is what defiles us. So, for the one who abstains from this and refuses to do that, if they hate their neighbor, then they are defiled. For the one who eats this or drinks that? It passes through and exits the body. They are not defiled by it. 

Hating one's neighbor defiles? Absolutely. It violates the royal law to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

Here's what I say: watching a stupid TV show defiles no one. If it offends the conscience, then don't watch. If you are able to press on while others watch it, that is best. Why? Because the latter works for the advantage of our neighbor and their conscience. We are not on this earth to dictate the affairs of our neighbor. I understand that there are self-styled Christians who believe otherwise. 

Edited September 22, 2024 by Marathoner