You may have heard of entertaining angels, but have you ever heard of entertaining spirits? In the Bible, they are called “familiar spirits.” In Leviticus 20:6 God declares: “And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”
This is a very severe warning from the Lord himself, that we should all take heed to. God has laid this on my heart to appeal to all his children, a message that I will break down into 2 parts. The first of which will focus on the youth, whether you are parents or not, it is important to know that from the womb to our teenage years, what they are taught will be instilled in them even through adulthood. Some may argue that if they are aware, it is not right, they can choose to not let it influence them. However, that would be deemed straddling the fence, this is evident in Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” If there is any question about whether something you are speaking, listening to, doing, or even teaching about is good, acceptable and perfect; it is time to think on the state of your heart and mind.
Following societal norms may get you acceptance and status, but will it give you your identity and uplift you? I watch a show from the 90s on TV today or hear an old song that screams nostalgic for my generation, and it hits me hard when my renewed mind detects a hard truth. God has bestowed the gift of discernment and opened my eyes that were once deceived or blinded by desensitization tactics.
Think of society today, and what the media feeds us. This is not even an opinion, this is fact, think about if these things are good and just. In the 90s, most of the pop songs I was singing as a teen while skating at Sparkles shared a common theme, pre-marital sex and promiscuity. I never once considered it when I was singing in the shower about the subject of the lyrics nor that it was a discreet way of influencing my thoughts.
Music is a big escape from mental issues, teen angst, heartbreak or so we were led to believe. In truth, it only feeds into whatever message it is expressing. Did we ever think we were speaking word curses over ourselves in the form of a song? Maybe some did but I know many never knew because they were never taught.
Just as what we hear can affect us, so can what we see. Often you hear people say that the “Eyes are the window to the soul”, this is no longer just a poetic way to explain expression, but also a way to say we should be careful what we gaze upon. Satan is at work in this world, and it begins with corrupting the children, so they grow into adults that raise their children in the way they knew, and the pattern continues through generations to come leading to generational curses and broken families.
Society feeds these lies that fuel the fire and broaden the partition. Everything from PBS Kids to the Disney Channel has sought to influence children. If you don’t know Walt Disney’s upbringing and dark history, I would advise you to do some digging and you will learn just why many of his movies are lacking a father figure, or the parents are crazy, or controlling. That is just one of many things I could discuss, so I will just say be careful when you choose what you watch by that company.
The enemy is subtle, careful to not give an outward appearance of evil when appealing to children. In Romans 16:18 – “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” This scripture reveals that there are acts of deceit in play, and this is addressing the unsuspecting and those that lack the wisdom necessary for discernment.
Even in Christianity, we can see mocking spirits and new age techniques that add or take away from the living Word of God. On the surface, a show on TV might play a “kid-friendly” musical about Halloween and show kids that witches are just friendly and use their magic for good, or that ghosts are just misunderstood spirits looking to finish a task or just lonely and want a friend. We really have fed into these lies from the enemy that teach our children that these ideas are normal, that evil is just misunderstood or needs to be compromised with to bring peace. I challenge you to go in the kid’s section for movies and take inventory of just how many movies are about restoring magic to a fallen world, preventing magic from dying, sympathizing with villains, making bargains with magic beings, a witch making all your wishes come true, a witch saving everyone, witches being defeated with GOOD magic, etc.
There is clear theme of magic being the thing that saves the day. That is not to say that all family movies are like this but there are an overwhelming amount, and it is wrapped up in a pretty sparkly bow with lighthearted singing and dancing. Children are so impressionable, even my 3-year-old daughter watched Tinkerbell before I learned the truth, and she started walking around with a purple bag of invisible “pixie dust”. Kids learn from the environment around them, they will be influenced whether they show signs now or later. What their parents say and do, they will follow. What their parents show is permissible, they will believe is the right thing or right way.
Message for Present/Future Parents:
If you do not believe in cutting out movies of this nature, the best thing to do is to break it down with your children and explain that ALL magic is bad, all witchcraft is BAD, witches are NOT good. There is a chance they probably will lose interest at this point because it no longer looks like a joyful, cute tale. Because many of them are not what they appear on the surface, digging deeper may seem like a chore or some may even call it pretentious, however it is worth breaking this pattern for your kids. You want them to not be afraid of the dark, teach them that Jesus is a light, and discourage the glorification of fear.
It says in the Bible, 365 times to NOT BE AFRAID. Why would we welcome fear and entertain spirits by watching things we know are not good? We are ignorant to the doors we open by watching movies that glorify evil, we might as well hold the door open for them to enter, and then you wonder why your house is “haunted”. It is NOT just movies, it is actions, it is words, it is the company we welcome. Teach your kids these truths, and practice what you preach.
One Response
So very true!