Our family just did Phase I of a move from one home to another. And my husband and I did some purging when we were packing. (Not as much as we should have, I’m sure.) It is always good to clean out drawers and closets that are holding places of things that have been hanging around for a long time. We had to judge if those items were worth keeping.
One of the things we went through were our movies. Did our son outgrow them in age or intellect level? Were they still interesting to us? The biggest question was, did they measure up to the new standards we have set for ourselves?
We, as Christians, are suppose to be growing daily. And we do grow daily. We never stand still. The question is, which way? Are we growing closer to the 
destination God has for us? Closer to completing His perfect plans? Are we spending more time with Him and falling deeper in love with Him? Or are we growing in the other direction? Do the things of God matter less to us than they once did? Are dreams He has given us beginning to fade? Are we spending less time with Him and our love growing colder?
If we are growing closer to Him, then we should have higher standards than we once did, not lower. When we look at our life and judge our standard to be lower, what caused it? Often it is the little things that we feel are insignificant, that have done it. I used to attend weight loss clinics that would have speakers to encourage and educate you. One of the speakers had a saying, “A snitch, a sliver, a slice, a slob.” At first that offended me. Because I was a snitcher. Nothing big. Just a snitch – a little, tiny bit – nothing seemingly significant that would make a difference. But all those snitches combined were one of the reasons I was a slob.
it is often the little sins that hang us up and hinder our relationship with our Lord. We don’t recognize them as readily – they don’t tend to be as much of a ‘nuisance’ to our conscience. They are often disguised as a little thing that doesn’t really matter. Yet they are a slippery slope.
I use to spend time with someone who loved God and wanted to do His will. Nary a questionable word came out of their mouth. This person did not watch shows that had bad language or sex and definitely not anything occult-ish. Then something happened. There was a movie that was popular and had some mildly bad 
language. One ‘not very bad’ word was said only a few of times; but the rest of the movie was enjoyed so the bad was ignored. This became acceptable. I noticed over time that this person started accepting more and more things that had been unacceptable in the past. This person still loves the Lord – I have no doubt about that. But more and stronger bad language; ‘good guys’ that steal and lie, even occult-ish elements are now acceptable in entertainment choices. The reason is because the game is fun or the movie funny or whatever. And it’s not real, so it doesn’t matter anyway. Mildly bad language has slipped from this person’s mouth on occasion. I have noticed this person’s relationship with God has suffered. The sparkle isn’t there that used to be. The excitement and zealousness has waned.
Small things do matter. They lead to bigger things. Snitches lead to slivers; slivers to slices; slices to slobs. When we watch a movie or play a game or listen to music, we need to judge what we are letting into our souls. We would not eat from a pan of brownies if they had even a little bit of dog poop in it. Why do we let entertainment and other things of the world feed us this bad stuff? Why accept a little bit when it will so easily grow into more and jeopardize our relationship with our Heaven Father?
I need to judge what I take in by God’s standard. He gives us a good standard by which to measure in His Word. Philippians 4:8 and Ephesians 5:3-5 are good places to start.
Why do we let the enemy of our souls talk us into thinking these small things won’t hurt us? 
Look at this piece of fruit, Eve. Doesn’t it look good? It won’t really hurt to taste it. This movie is really funny or is a good story. Just a couple of not-so-bad words won’t hurt. So what if the main character in this video game lies or steals and this other character is a witch or wizard? It’s just a game and you know the difference between what’s real and what isn’t. So what if the characters in the show commit fornication or adultery. It’s not you doing it. This fruit is pleasant to look at, fun to do. Just a tiny bite will be okay, will be acceptable.
A tiny little bit of dog poop in brownies, even if we can’t taste it, can still make us very sick.
