Purposely drowning yourself …

“What are you streaming these days?” is a very familiar question for most of us living in Western society.

We’ve become “streamers.”

It’s not enough to gather tidbits of news, or watch a few shows, or listen to a favorite podcast, or even tune into the radio. We take in information and media by the streams.

We’ve eliminated quiet moments and the anguish of silence and have replaced it with the constancy of outside influences … podcasts, videos, news media, social media, or the persistence of musical tunes.

Yes, songs have words, and both words and music have influence.

By crafting a life in which there is a constant stream of influences flowing into our lives, often through earbuds or headphones, we have chosen to drown ourselves in the thoughts, opinions, values, and moods of others.

And influences always have, well, their influence!

You would have to be naive to think that you can have such constant streams flowing into your mind and think whatever you’ve chosen to pour into your life doesn’t have real influence with you. Chances are, the content and quality of your life demonstrate clear and distinct evidences of the impact made from what streams into you.

So the really important question is, what ARE you streaming?

If you’re a child of God, what you allow to stream into you should be influences that encourage, foster, and promote a holy, godly life. That’s the idea behind the writer of Psalm 119 who was also a “streamer” …

“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you,” Psalm 119:11.

The psalmist wanted God’s Word to so influence and shape his life that it would repel him from sin. For the Word to have that impact in our lives, we have to have a constancy of it, streaming the Bible into our lives so that it influences us away from sin and toward God, and shapes us to be like the One we’ve dedicated our lives to follow.

Just imagine what could happen to who you are if you were a streamer of God’s Word …

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires,” Hebrews 4:12.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

How are you taking into your life God’s Word? What influence does the Word of God have in your life? Which has greater influence in your life, the Word of God or secular streams?

Scotty