What you watch DOES affect you.

With mid-season shows kicking off on TV, new movies to choose from every weekend, and the uproar over MTV's decision to air “Skins” (a TV show that we would NEVER recommend you watch), we thought it was important to help you figure out what you should be watching and what's better left off your DVR. 

Here are some guidelines to help you decide what to watch and what to leave alone:
1. Do some research. What's the message this show is sending? How does that message or the subject matter it focuses on fit with the standard God has called you to? Is the show promoting a belief or practice you believe goes against God's standard? What values, lifestyles, and points of view are being lifted up?

2. If you choose to watch a show, consider how it makes you feel. If the entire time you're watching you feel like you're doing something slightly wrong, you probably shouldn't be watching. If a show's message, subject matter, or depictions make you feel uncomfortable or fly in the face of how you know God has called you to live, turn it off. If a show's theme, message, subject matter, or even the characters lead your mind to thoughts that you know aren't pleasing to God, then you shouldn't be watching it. As you're watching, consider: Does this show lead me to behave or think in ways that go against God's standard? If you answer yes, then the answer is pretty clear: this isn't a show you should watch.

3. Ask yourself if this is a show you should spend your time on. There's nothing wrong with watching TV or movies. We all need rest, relaxation, and entertainment and fun aren't bad things. But if a show adds nothing beneficial to your life and is primarily focused on situations that aren't pleasing to God, is it really worth the time you have? Our lives are finite, and we only have so much time on this earth. Make sure you're spending yours in a way that counts!