I am convicted...

Okay, I may lose some people for this entry. This has been placed upon my heart, and I feel as though I cannot write anymore unless I am obedient to the Spirit. The Lord convicts us in different ways, and shows us and teaches us through others and in many ways. So many people read Harry Potter and the Vampire series now. I know these are not true books, and many enjoy them. I am one who has always stood out and said these books are not for me. I cannot read anything that is not christian now. I feel that if I am going to give my time to a book it should be something I am learning from or bringing glory to God in. Our world keeps watering down what is right and good. The world keeps telling us everyone is doing it, so we too should enjoy the same. As we allow a little in, more and more comes forth into our lives and if it is not blessing God should we be doing it? I have had to change my music as I have been convicted of this. All the music I listen to does not glorify God, and I shouldn't be listening to it.As my ringtone went off a few days ago at a friends house and her little one heard it, she loved the beat,but I quickly turned it off, for I was so ashamed that I had allowed this little one to hear that song. I believe as we grow as christians God convicts us more and more of the things in our lives to change us to look more like Him. We are not all going to be convicted of the same things at the same time. There is scripure that shares how we are to stay away from witchcraft, demons, and sorcery. This is where I take my stand, and look at scripture to show me. "Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on." Proverbs 4:14-15 "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galations 5:19-21 There are stories of sorcery in 1 Samuel,in Acts also. Sorcery, witchcraft, and demons are all through the bible for us to see and to learn from .I am sure those in Sodom and Gomorrah didn't know just how far they were moving away from God by the "little" things everyone was doing. In God's word He tells us to stay away from all, so does reading books about it belong in that catagory? I know many of these stories are exciting to so many, they have a story line, but its the content that the Lord convicts me of. "When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. for all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of the abonimations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers, and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you." Deuteronomy 18:9-14 We can read all through the bible, even in Jeremiah how sorcery is wrong and should be turned away from, so how then can I sit with a book in my lap that is all about the things I know God does not want for me? We can read in the Old Testament and the New Testament and see where it is wrong to follow, so does that mean reading about it or seeing it at the theater is wrong also? If we allow a little in, than a little more, where is our boundary line? I think that is where I seem to go wrong is finding my boundaries. Is a book okay but not music? Anything that turns us away from God into sorcery is not His will. I cannot get away from that. No matter how much the world is saying it is great, for me, I have to follow Him, and stay away from it. If I take a stand against movies that are taking God's name in vain, why is watching a movie about witchcraft okay? They both go against all God intends for us. Now, there are no words about vampires in the bible that I could find, but does it fall into the same catagory? That is between you and God,not for me to judge and please know that I am not judging in any way at all. I am trying my best to share what has been layed upon my heart. For someone who loves to read, I know just how easy it can be to fall into things that sound great, just as we cannot judge a book by its cover, many times the cover is what is attracting us only to deceive us on the inside.Could it be a wolf in sheeps clothing trying to trip us up? We are to fill our minds with what is pure, and holy. "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue adn if there is anything praisworthy-meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8-9 This goes for anything that we allow in our minds whether it be books, movies, music, any temptation that takes our focus off of Christ. Keep your minds open to God's word, keep your heart open to God's blessings by listening to His whispers to you. We are always growing, always changing, and if we are obedient we will reap His blessings.