Have you ever thought about what you consume?

That question has been a constant subject in my life ever since the movie “Super Size Me” came out. The film talks about the dangers of fast food and goes along with the saying, “You become what you eat.”

I believe we can all agree on food and what is healthy at this point in history. Still, there is another consumption that I think is going in the opposite direction: how the consumption of TV, Movies, Music, News, and media affects our souls. 

When I was in college, I went to my mentor and professor to share the news I was about to go to my first job interview for a “Youth Minister” position. What he said to me, I hope I never forget. He said, “For the next week, do your best to cut out anything harmful to your soul so you will be able to discern, as soon as you walk in that church, whether or not you are called to be there.”

After further conversation, he elaborated on what he meant by “harmful to your soul.” He asked me what type of TV shows I like to watch, what music I like to listen to, what I want to read, and what I consume most. 

At this point, I had only been a Christian for around 5 years, and these statements made a significant impact on my life.

That made me ask the question, “Does what you consume daily actually affect you? If so, in what way?”

After going to the interview and following what my professor said, it seemed very obvious that I could discern whether my family should be working there. I had a clear mind and not an ounce of guilt that hung on my shoulders. 

Over the past 8 years since I started ministry, I can confidently say that what I can control on this earth has a significant impact on my faith and discernment when it comes to my family and ministry. 

Proverbs 4:23 says this. 

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”

Here are the things I cut out of my life that I realized were harmful to my soul

1) What I watched on TV.

I watched TV and movies because I didn’t want to miss out. The more TV and movies I watched, the more I realized there was a lot of great stuff. Hilarious comedies, action pack war, and fighting movies, and story-driven TV series. 

But, most of these movies included what I would consider “Harmful to our soul.” Why? Because I would think about it, and I would long for it over my relationship with Christ. 

These TV and movie shows consisted of vulgar language, inappropriate jokes, nudity, implied sex scenes, etc. It hit home when someone at church referred to a TV from HBO that consists of all the above, and I got the reference. 

So, my wife and I took every rated R DVD and TV17 show we owned and gave it away. We also decided not to watch future TV and movies like the ones we threw away. We found there was no good reason to consume that type of content. 

2) The Music I listen to.

Some of my favorite music is Pop Punk or just Punk. This type of music was prevalent in the 90s and early 2000s. Everyone was listening to it. Music in the 2000s got to the point where they were done with coming up with creative ways to say inappropriate things and just said them. 

If you listen to the radio today, you realize it’s only gotten worse. 

But, I realized I started to sing some of these lines because they were catchy. They were constantly replaying in my mind as I was in the office and driving home from work. It seemed like if I had downtime, this was the type of music filling it. Now it is impossible to get rid of this music altogether. Every store, YouTube ad, restaurant, etc., have music playing. But after a while, it started to have less and less impact on my daily life. 

3) What information/News I consume.

I have found that it is very easy to go down rabbit trails of bad news. For some reason, we are drawn to bad news and gossip. I don’t know what it is, but we love it. There was a time when the news and pop culture affected my day-to-day life. I would have a less productive day because of what someone else did that had zero effect on my day. 

It is impossible to be completely caught up on the news. It’s impossible to emotionally care about every bad thing that happens in the world, and it’s impossible to keep up with other people’s lives along with yourself. I don’t think we were designed to handle all of that information. 

So what I do is give myself a time limit each day in the afternoon, after my essential work is complete, to see what’s going on in the world. So I can pray for what’s going on. Too much bad news will negatively affect your body, so shielding yourself from it can be a good thing. I’m not talking about being ignorant to the issues of what’s going on around you but not becoming consumed with it because that it is impossible to live the life God has called you to live. 

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My conclusion and what I see in scripture is we do become what we consume. What comes out of us is a product of what we let into our lives. But, I love what Jesus says will happen if we abide in Him rather than the world. The Spirit will produce fruit.

Galatians 5:13-26

‘You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.’