Dear Christian Friends:
Modern marketing statistics articulate that the average American is expected to see 4,000 – 10,000 ads… PER DAY. Take a second to let that soak in. I was aghast when I read this statistic as I would have never guessed the number to be so high in my life (but I certainly believe it!). This means that 4,000 – 10,000 times a day, you look at something that has been specifically designed by paid and trained professionals to influence your brain into thinking in a certain way. I don’t care how disciplined you may be, certainly some of these ads will accomplish their mission.
As I am sure you have seen, not every ad is innocent. In fact, more and more ads are designed to lead us into some form of sin whether it be: envy, lust, materialism, or despair. You see, every ad may be completely unique and offer products that are entirely different, but they all have one thing in common: they are designed to keep you from being joyful and content. After all, nobody ever came up with a slogan “joyful contentment sells” because it just isn’t true. For us Christians, this poses a problem, after all joyful contentment is the way St. Paul tells us we are to live (Philippians 4:11-13). So what are we supposed to do? Do we throw away our phones, move out into the middle of nowhere and go off the grid with nothing but a Bible and a roll of duct tape? As tempting as that may sound for some of us, I’d like to offer a far more practical solution: we must be intentional about filling our mind with positive Biblical influences (Philippians 4:8).
This starts with getting into our Bibles daily. For many of you, this is already a practice you are taking part of as you continue with our “Read Your Bible in 2 Years” plan. For those that are finding it difficult, I fully understand, we all have busy schedules. Still, you will always have time for the things in your life you prioritize. When you consider all the other things in life that are specifically designed to draw you into idolatry and discontentment, escaping from these things regularly and filling yourself with the counsel of
Perhaps it would help to think about this from a different perspective. When I was a criminal investigator, one of my favorite parts of the job was conducting interrogations. This was not because I am particularly skilled at the actual interrogation portion, but rather because I loved the set up. You see, half the battle with an interrogation is how you set up your interrogation room. If you are able to create an environment that is friendly yet subliminally says “I have you dead to rights”, you start an interrogation having already accomplished half the battle. Once the subject is in the room, you just talk friendly and confidently and allow their mind to wander. Most individuals fall prey to the setup and, imagining you already know the whole story, confess fairly early with very little prompting. Before they know it, they are shaking my hand and signing a statement swearing everything they said was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Often times, they would even thank me for listening to them confess to their crime.
Friends, Satan has your flesh dead to rights and he has set this world up to lead you right into his trap. Your only chance to see through his schemes is to prioritize your faith. Never forget, his goal is to have you smile and thank him as he leads you away from the salvation you have in our Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no greater priority.
In the love of Christ, Vicar Simmons