Spiritual Warfare and TV shows today

[thelostgirl101]

I'm kind of a new christian, and i know how important it is to put on the whole armor of god in times of today's spiritual warfare. I'm trying to give up any shows that might invite the devil in. Some shows I'm not sure of whether I should give up are Vampire Diaries and Originals. I love these shows as they have great storylines and characters. Other miscellaneous shows I'm not sure to give up or not are my harry potter collection and star wars. I don't want to invite the devil in and was looking for advice on these shows. Thanks.

 

[Albion]

If you are well aware that this is all fiction and have no thought of the magical or supernatural aspects of these stories being related to anything real, then I don't think you have much reason to worry.

 

[seashale76]

If you are well aware that this is all fiction and have no thought of the magical or supernatural aspects of these stories being related to anything real, then I don't think you have much reason to worry.

I'm in general agreement, however, I also don't think there's a one size fits all approach to this. If an individual feels that certain shows or movies are keeping them separated from God, then perhaps they should give them up. Whether or not they're fictional is actually irrelevant when it comes down to it.

 

[Hieronymus]

I'm kind of a new christian, and i know how important it is to put on the whole armor of god in times of today's spiritual warfare. I'm trying to give up any shows that might invite the devil in.

GOOD!!

Some shows I'm not sure of whether I should give up are Vampire Diaries and Originals.

How... ?
I mean, this doesn't make sense to me, considering your previous sentence.

I love these shows as they have great storylines and characters. Other miscellaneous shows I'm not sure to give up or not are my harry potter collection and star wars. I don't want to invite the devil in and was looking for advice on these shows. Thanks.

I would suggest you make up your mind first.

 

[Hieronymus]

I'm in general agreement, however, I also don't think there's a one size fits all approach to this.

Of course there is.
Don't watch the indoctrination-lamp.
Don't replace the broken TV set.

 

[PsychoeDial]

I'm kind of a new christian, and i know how important it is to put on the whole armor of god in times of today's spiritual warfare. I'm trying to give up any shows that might invite the devil in. Some shows I'm not sure of whether I should give up are Vampire Diaries and Originals. I love these shows as they have great storylines and characters. Other miscellaneous shows I'm not sure to give up or not are my harry potter collection and star wars. I don't want to invite the devil in and was looking for advice on these shows. Thanks.

The subconscious mind records everything without prejudice. And affects the body according to the audio, visual, kinesthetic stimuli that enters in.
These links may be worth pursuing.
Remember in scriptures, as a man-woman thinketh so are they.
Television and big screen occupy your thoughts, emotions, and engage the psyche to suspend disbelief for the duration.
Don't for a minute think what you watch on TV or in movies or on DVD have no effect in your psyche.

Google https://www.google.com/search?clien...fected+by+tv&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

 

[Albion]

If an individual feels that certain shows or movies are keeping them separated from God, then perhaps they should give them up. Whether or not they're fictional is actually irrelevant when it comes down to it.

That element wasn't mentioned in the OP, though.

 

[PsychoeDial]

It was implied just by the question in the OP.

 

[keith99]

.

 

[PsychoeDial]

Red herring.

 

[Albion]

It was implied just by the question in the OP.

No, it wasn't. I half expected to see it as I read the OP, but I certainly did note that it did not appear, and that affected my answer. Now, if I'm wrong about that, "thelostgirl" can tell us as much.

 

[AGTG]

The further you distance yourself from mass-media influence, the better. I know that's not the most "fun" sounding advice, but if you truly care about your spiritual strength and clarity of thought, you will strongly consider cutting most of it out of your life completely and being very selective about what you watch and then limit that, even.

The enemy uses mass-media to manipulate the way people think and how they feel in their heart in order to influence their actions.

Spend more time in the Bible than in the television, is what I mean to say.

 

[Goodbook]

In regards to harry potter and star wars, yes.
You don't need them, and they are occult influenced.
The pull of the characters may be strong, but the more you read the Bible the more you see the truth in Gods Word and the lies in other peoples words/fantasies.

I will explain about Harry Potter - I wasn't at an age when it came out to be targeted by it, but I remember it being wildly popular. Of course it popularizes witches and wizards, which God has said not to partake in, because witchcraft and idolatry and sorcery, divination etc is rebellion against God, and seeking power from demons.
Casting spells, cursing people, foretelling the future, these are things God doesn't like. When you start walking in Him you become christ-minded and put childish things away.

As for Star Wars, that also is occult influenced and based on taoist/buddhist belief in forces. The holy spirit is not a 'force'. He is the likeness of Jesus.
Yoda talks exactly like a zen master would talk about things.

The appeal of these stories is the characters, but they are not real. When you read the Bible, all those people in it are real people and dealt with real situations. Scripture is so powerful that it can cut through the lies to get to the truth. The more you study and read the Bible, the wiser you will be.

You don't gain much wisdom from Harry Potter or Star wars, and I do notice that people who constantly go on about them don't really have anything edifying to say. The Bible is not a boring book and the stories told in it are relevant to us.

When I became a christian I had a lot of things from childhood that I loved or were entertained by that I gave up because they were idols in my life. But I'm glad I got rid of them because it allowed me to focus on Jesus and have more room for Him in my life. God prompted me to do this and when I obeyed I felt peace.

We are to love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, mind and strength. I encourage you to keep following Him - He will help you - you won't regret it.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

You will get a wide variety of answers on this but the truth is theres no guide to this sort of issue with tv. Its up to each person where they draw the line. Some watch everything on tv. Some avoid certain shows that have violence or sex. Some only watch christians show. Some don't even watch tv at all. Its up to you and what you feel God is telling you to do. For example, is CSI good show to watch as a christian? Probably not. But is it a sin to watch it? No. Though technically if tv becomes an obsession then it becomes a sin or sure since its an idol.

 

[PsychoeDial]

No, it wasn't. I half expected to see it as I read the OP, but I certainly did note that it did not appear, and that affected my answer. Now, if I'm wrong about that, "thelostgirl" can tell us as much.

We'll agree to disagree.

 

[Take Heart]

If you feel the Holy Spirit tugging/nudging you to get rid of those movies, don't ignore that feeling : )
I, myself, have personally trashed all my vampire books and other various movies and shows I have been slowly weaned off of through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
From my experiences.. these types of movies/shows have opened some really bad doors in my life. That's just my personal experience. I've read of others who have experienced the same type of conviction. ♥

 

[Moonrise Lu]

I'm in general agreement, however, I also don't think there's a one size fits all approach to this. If an individual feels that certain shows or movies are keeping them separated from God, then perhaps they should give them up. Whether or not they're fictional is actually irrelevant when it comes down to it.

Definitely! God doesn't always call everyone to do the same things. Our experiences and how we behave and are affected are different person to person. For me, I find that trying things out but keeping my heart "guarded" is best. When I experience entertainment I can see what it is trying to be/say, but then I always have commentary from the Holy Spirit in the back of my mind. It feels like "Oh Moonrise, I see you are watching Harry Potter. The story is fun and has nostalgia for you since you grew up on it, and I know you have no interest in magic and are always wary of demons/magic in real life, so I don't see a problem. But please don't cave into your peers to watch Game of Thrones. They all say the story is great, but it has fairly explicit sexual scenes, and since sexual images is something you struggled with in the past, that would not be good for you." To clarify, I don't really hear a voice, I just put the feelings I have into a conversation format.

I will say, the less I indulge in media - whether it be TV, video games, movies etc - the closer I have gotten to God. Or more accurate, the closer I have gotten to God, the less I spend time on those things. It's not to say you cannot watch stuff and be close to God. Maybe a mutual fandom can lead you to friendships in the future where you can share God with other fans. This has just been my experience. You are new to Christianity, so it might not come naturally yet to know where you should draw the line. Just work on your prayer life communicating with God, and read the bible so that you always have God's advice at the ready in your mind.