Come out!

Books. Television. Movies. Music. Video games. Arcades. They transport us into another world, open portals into other realms.

Granted, those realms are fantasy, imaginative, unreal. But they seem real. They even become real to us for a little while…for as long as we can focus completely on the scenes and feelings and characters in them rather than the irritating, depressing, or demanding ones in the real world…the one realm where we all have to live and interact.

Maybe it’s okay to escape into these fantasy realms for awhile. Maybe we learn something important and take away a lesson that we can apply to our relationships and responsibilities in the real world. But what happens when we don’t want to leave these other worlds? What happens when the lessons they teach aren’t about goodness and kindness but about greed, lust, and instant gratification?

Values become distorted when fleshly-centered fantasy realms capture the imagination. Staying in the game or focused on the movie or lost in the book becomes more important than the needs of others around us. We learn violence gets us what we want, aggression forces others to our will, destruction recreates our world to suite our fancies.

How terrible. How sad.

Children are lost in self-exalting fantasy realms filled with blood and gore, cursing and shouting while their parents think, “It’s just pretend, and it keeps them busy so I can get my stuff done.” Teenagers and young adults release their pent-up pain, frustration, and anger on “bad guys” as well as helpless victims in games or watch it done on TV. They don’t realize they’re partnering with evil by approving it in the lyrics, and they’re participating with immorality by experiencing it via the characters. They disconnect more and more from healthy relationships and react to family members as well as total strangers the way they do to obstacles in the fantasy realms.

King David said, “I wil behave wisely in a perfect way… I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes. I hate the work (movie, game, music, book) of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me… He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house. He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence” (Psalm 101:2-3).

King David—man after God’s own heart—isn’t just talking to people in his day. The Scriptures are written for our instruction, and God expects us to apply them according to our present situations. What lies do movies and TV shows tells us? What wickedness do combat video games portray? What perversities do we listen to in music glorifying sin and sinful desires? God is against it all. He wants our hearts pure.

Jesus said, “The pure in heart will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Our heart refers to our minds, wills, and emotions. Purity is a gift from God. Our righteousness is from Him, declares the Lord (Isaiah 54:17). But what do we dump into the heart He has cleansed? Have we made our wills and emotions a toxic waste dump from all the violence, cursing, hate, and immorality we let in? 

The Apostle Paul implores, “What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What communion has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? …Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean.… Having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).

He instructs all of us who are new creations in Christ, “Fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints, neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks… Therefore do not be partakers with them…have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:3-11).

Thank You, Jesus, that when we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Thank You, Holy Spirit, for filling our thoughts and emotions up with Your lovingkindness, Your goodness, Your mercy, and the beauty of Your holiness. Thank You for bubbling up within us joyful songs so we can rejoice and proclaim praises sweet to the heart of our Savior (Ephesians 4:19).