Today’s Reading: Philippians 4:8 Version-ESV
How and where do you spend most of your free time? You’ll be amazed if you sum up the hours spent watching television each week. Now, add to that the time spent on the Internet or reading newspapers. The news media act directly on the development of our personality.

The big problem is that, behind the communication or information, there may be a real manipulation of our feelings, thoughts, behaviors and needs. The media businesses make us buy certain products, we do not always need. Although not as much as before, today the ads of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are presented and portrait with aura of victory, success, intelligence. Nevertheless cancer and other diseases caused by these products are not given much emphasis, of course!

But it is not only commercials, or a harmless novel, it can be simple news that become popular instruments of direct manipulation, by putting forward the idea or the mastery of certain ideologies.

The Christian’s mind should be occupied with, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise.” Our life cannot be manipulated or dictated by the media, only by the Word of God.

Ildefonso Torres