Turning away from temptations

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways. (Psalm 119:37 ESV)

I have noticed a trend in recent years. We all know that television has gotten more and more liberal in what is acceptable, especially for the family hour, but there is a more subtle change happening. The networks are now luring us in with sitcoms that seem clean at first. They create a following and then one year you watch and its all about the ranch. You think to yourself "Did this just become like this? " Then you look back and realize that slowly, the sex and raunched has been worked in, a little at a time. As Christians we think to ourselves that its just one or two instances, but overall the show is still good, right?

I was fortunate in one respect that for 4 years while I returned to school to finish my degree, I voided myself from television. It was'one distraction, one extracurricular activity that I chose to give up. I say I am fortunate because I came to realize that it is not a necessity (okay, maybe on Sunday afternoons in fall). So I will walk away. But it still bothers me.

In my family, our nightly devotions recently have dealt with temptations. As Christians engaged with the Word we can sometimes be lulled into thinking that we are immune from succumbing to these temptations. But we are not. Read through the Bible and you will see many instances of great falls. For that matter, pick up the newspaper and look at the falls from grace. None of us are exempt from Satan's temptations. We must continue to remind ourselves to turn away.