In 1 John 15-16, the Apostle John instructed us to “not love the world nor the things in the world…. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
We are living in an age when companies are spending unbelievable amounts of money to cause us to desire the very things that we have been warned to avoid. Advertisers have designed the availability of products and services to be as simple as a click away from your doorstep.
Companies hoping to grab the attention of consumers bombard the public with millions of messages per day.
According to Statista: The US, by far the largest advertising market in the world, spent more than $180 billion advertising in 2015. This figure is more than double the amount spent in China, the 2nd largest ad market in the world. Historically, television has been the biggest advertising medium in the United States but people are spending more & more time online, especially on their phones. Advertisers have tapped into a captive audience there and are selling everything imaginable to many with little or no self-control. Curious young people are falling victim to the marketing of everything from shoes, music, movies, and sex.
Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 2, declared, “all that my eyes desired I did not refuse them…and behold all was vanity and striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.”
Resist the extravagance and foolish sensualism promoted by the mass media. God wants to fill the desires of our hearts, for only in Him will we be satisfied and find peace.
Have you have committed your desires to the Lord?
