One of the songs we teach little children reflected in the title of this article, warns them to be careful what they do with their eyes. All of us need to remember this lesson as we decide which TV shows and movies to watch, which books to read, which songs to listen to, and what to do on the Internet.

Recent Studies
U.S. News and World Report reported that teens who watch sex on TV are more likely to start having intercourse (USNews.com, 9/7/04).

Researchers at the RAND corp., the study referenced in the US News and World report above, found that it didn’t matter if kids watched sexual behavior or if people just talked about sex on TV; the result was the same — kids who watch TV shows with sexual content are more likely to be sexually active.

The conclusion in the RAND study states that “watching sex on TV predicts and may hasten adolescent sexual initiation.” Also that “reducing the amount of sexual content in entertainment programming, reducing adolescent exposure to this content, or increasing references to and depictions of possible negative consequences of sexual activity could appreciably delay the initiation” of sexual activities (PEDIATRICS, Vol. 114, No. 3, September 2004, pp. e280-e289).

A new study released in Pediatrics this month concluded that “exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines accelerates white adolescents’ sexual activity and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse” by as much as 2.2 times (PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 4 April 2006, pp. 1018-1027).

Jesus Said It
These studies prove what we already know to be true. Jesus said, “The eye is the light of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. . . .” (Matt. 6:22-23).

Jesus tells us that we will become what we watch with our eyes. If we view good things, this will help us be good. But if we view evil things, this will encourage us to be evil.

Evil Companions
Paul warns us, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals'” (1 Cor. 15:33).

If we watch evil entertainment, we are prone to imitate the evil things we see. If we watch sexual content, we are prone to imitate the sexual behavior we see. If we watch violence, we are prone to imitate the violent behavior we see.

All of us should determine to turn from the deception of Satan, turning away from wickedness that corrupts good morals.

Be Committed, Like David
David’s commitment was, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Ps. 101:3).

All Christians should make the same commitment. It’s not possible for us to avoid all the evil that is in the world. But we can avoid evil in many respects, including TV, movies, the Internet, video games, books, magazines, and music.

If you haven’t made the same commitment as David, why don’t you make it today? Set no wicked thing before your eyes!