Spiritual Mouse Traps

The subtle messages that are all around us and ingrained within the fabric of our culture are slowly coaxing mindless masses of people into a slow, spiritual death. I heard one pastor remark that modern day culture is Satan’s pulpit from which he delivers damning sermons. Satan’s tactics to lead people away from Christ and down that broad road to Hell are very similar to how we would set out to capture a mouse in our homes.

I am the head of my household. You could said that I am the ruler of my house. My wife Lacy is gracious enough to let me believe that. When we first got married, I remember we realize that we had a mouse in our home. I quickly bought a mouse trap and that night, we baited it with a small morsel of cheese. The next morning, I found that our trap had worked. The mouse was caught, and we disposed of him immediately.

Ultimately, the mouse’s demise was caused by it’s own selfish desires. The mouse smells the crumb of cheese and begins to seek out that which has stirred up his appetite. Now if the mouse had the brain power to actually examine the funny looking contraption that the cheese rested on, he may realize that things are not what they seem. But all the mouse cares about is fulfilling his own cravings. Without thinking, he runs head first into the trap which at first glance, appeared so enticing, only for death to seize him without any warning.

The Bible says that Satan is the reigning prince of this world.

“Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” John 12:31.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4.

Satan has been given authority over this earth, but only for a short time. He is blinding the eyes of many, enticing them through the church of the media and spewing poisonous propaganda just as a person will cater to the lusts of a mouse in order to draw them to certian death. Much like a spiritual mouse trap.

I remember when we first got married one of the staples of our trips to the grocery store would be to pick up a copy of the latest People Magazine or something like it. We would watch all the Hollywood entertainment news shows to stay up to date on the lives of our favorite celebs. We would go every weekend to see the newest movies at the theaters and listen to radio stations that played the current top 20 songs. We sought out these media outlets to entertain our minds and to satisfy our hunger for entertainment. But we were no different than that mouse creeping towards the cheese on a trap. We were unknowingly taking a front row seat to listen to Satan preach his messages of deception.

Its been three years since I truly gave my life over to Jesus Christ. Since I began to seek him through his word and allow him to transform my life. One of the first things I changed is what I was using to feed my mind. Lacy and I quickly that we had been more interested in what the lastest happening in Hollywood were than Jesus. We were in front of wordly entertainment more than reading the Bible. It may have seemed drastic to those who knew us, but we cut ourselves off from Entertainment Magazines, worldly music, and even movies.

This morning I clicked my internet explorer icon on my computer to get my work day started as usual. My home page is just a regular MSN news feed which I never pay attention to. But this morning, a headline on one of the feeds was about the lives of Hollywood stars. For some reason, I gravitated towards this trap to see what was happening in the lives of the worlds favorite people. I clicked on the headline, and I was amazed at what I saw.

It wasnt so much what I saw, but how my perception had changed. The Hollywood news stories were not much different than what I read three years ago in the Entertainment Magazines. But where as three years ago I was very entertained by them, this morning I was broken hearted over them. It was as if I was that mouse again, but this time, I could see the trap for what it was….a potential spiritual death sentence.

One story I read was of Hollywood legend Warren Beatty’s homosexual daughter. Here is an excerpt of the article I read….

“Born Kathlyn Elizabeth Bening Beatty, the Hollywood couple’s 20-year-old daughter now goes by the name Steven Ira Beatty, and calls himself a “Trans-man” …”

In his new video, obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Beatty also reveals he dreams of becoming a teacher and he hopes to become a father one day.

 He adds, “I am going to have babies and give them onesies with, ‘This is what a transfeminist looks like’ on them.” (Wonderwall.msn.com).

The next story I read was of Twilight actress Kristen Stewart cheating on her boyfriend with a married Hollywood director. I clicked again on another link about the Matrix movie director Larry Wachowski now wishing to be called “Lana” due to his sex change. This continued everywhere on the site I clicked. I read of a so called “war” going on between Tom Cruise and John Travolta regarding who is the best Scientologist. I then read popular news reporter Anderson Cooper has admitted that he is openly gay.

Families destroyed. People living demented lives. Seeking without regard the pleasures of the flesh regardless of whom it may hurt including the mental scarring of young children. We live in such a “me first” centered world. Yet daily, be it in music, publications or the big screen, we allow these same values that we say are disgusting and unGodly to us serve as our entertainment. Does anyone see the problem in this?

The more stories I clicked on, the more evil and sin I saw being exposed right before my eyes. And these were the same stories I was using to gratify my need for entertainment a few years ago! Stories of acceptable homosexuality and pushing this belief on children from birth. Stories of adultery. Stories of worshipping other Gods. And I ask the same question as I did in yesterday’s blog….how are we as a people who predominately call ourselves “Christian” so plainly deceived!!

How can we not be disgusted at the sinful lives we see flaunted in the media and instead call it entertainment?? Why can we not see that when we willingly place ourselves in front of sinful voyeurism, what may be entertainment to us is blatant Idoltery to God!! Many will say there dont agree with Hollywood movies that contain sex, cursing, homosexuality or adultery, they just watch it for entertainment. Many will say they dont agree with the sexual innuendos in popular music lyrics, they just like the beat. Many will say they dont agree with the lives of celebrities they just like reading about them.  Many will say they dont worship cultural entertainment, they just spend more time in front of it than Jesus.

But isnt that sort of like saying you dont agree with killing unborn children, you just like to watch abortion procedures?

Satans pulpit is pop culture. The sins that God plainly spoke of as being damning are the same ones being portrayed in our Media as acceptable and the norm. Anton Levay, the founder of the church of Satan once said in an interview that the greatest tool for Satan reaching people is television and the entertainment industry. Yet the founder of Satanism went on to say that he would never let his children watch television because of some of the immoral things. Isnt it a sad thing when the founder of Satanism has more of a moral standard and discernment from pop culture than many Christians.

1 John 2:15-17, ” Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Why is it that so many professing Christians squirm at the thought of giving up worldly entertainment? Why do so many try desperately to justify in some way what is clearly defined as evil by God? I firmly believe the Bible to be black and white. Its is not up to interpretation. God meant what he said. I am always driven back to the passage in Matthew speaking of the narrow road to Heaven that Jesus says, “few will find.” He says more will gravitate towards the broad road leading to Hell.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 that many will stand before him on the day of Judgement in utter shock. Claiming that Jesus was Lord of their lives only to hear Jesus reply, “I never knew you.” Only to hear Jesus say to them that they were more a lover of the world than of Christ. And it is so important for us to examine constantly our love for Jesus. How much do you love Jesus? Are the enticements of our pop culture generation to much for you to give up? Or have you seen that Christ is so much greater that you willingly toss everything of this world aside in exchange for Him. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew…..

“The kingdom of heaven is  like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-50.

Are you willing to give up the sinful preaching of Satan through pop culture in exchange for the pursuit of Christ? Is He that hidden treasure in the field or the pearl of great value that is worth more than anything? Do you find yourself disgusted at the blasphemy in our world or entertained by it? See Satans trap for what it is. There is no justification of right and wrong in scripture. The question you must ask yourself is whom will you follow?