Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Book publishing is booming, and monstrous amounts of new "Christian" literature fills book shelves daily. At first glance, this can seem wonderful. But a closer look often reveals a superficial message inside an appealing cover with a clever title, I'm afraid.
Just last week, a stroll through our local Christian bookstore demonstrated this demoralizing truth. I saw a couple of trends that aren't necessarily new, but trends that are worth a word of caution. First, not all Christian literature is Christian literature. Sad, but true, you can't walk into the Christian bookstore and safely pull anything off the shelf assuming its message stays true to God's Truth. Armed with our own knowledge of the Word of Truth, we must use Godly wisdom and discernment as we make choices about what we digest off the shelves. I have found that just a quick read of random middle pages allows the Holy Spirit to either warn (or sometimes repulse) me, or give me the green light.
This is especially true of things that directly defy the Gospel message, of course. But a second trend is more subtle and equally as dangerous, and might I add that we women are probably more susceptible to this trend, as female authors seem to be throwing a lot more "junk" our way. The second trend I see is this great appeal to "me," to "self." It is obviously a secular cultural trend, but is so contagious to the "Christian" culture it's filtered its way right into what we print as important manuals to guide our spiritual walk. Be careful! There is only one Truth and we cannot safely manipulate it in any way to suit ourselves.
Why do I think this is of great concern for women in particular? Generally speaking, we are more feeling-driven. There are a lot of "Christian living" books out there for women that are nothing more than fluff to make us feel better about the struggles our feelings go through on any given day or experience. Watch out! I'm not trying to send a message that God has no real regard for our feelings, simply that if all you're reading is coddling you and subtly freezing your attention on you and what God can do for you instead of how you can glorify Him, you may be falling for a cheap truth (or lie).
Satan creeps His way in to deceive. It's so much easier for him to take his lies and mask them with some truth and lead us to fall for the deception. Think of the garden...a little truth, a big fat lie, and your left with separation from God.
Guard your hearts! Look for literature that is sound. How do you know it's sound? Know the infallible Word of God. Take head to the warnings Scripture gives. Be aware of messages that don't point consistently to the Cross and our risen Lord and our completely lost state without Him. Don't stand for partial truth. Don't stand for a message that feels the need to add to the real Truth. If you just aren't sure, perhaps spend more time in the purity of God's Word before you venture off to other Christian literature. Pray for the discernment of the Holy Spirit in your bookstore choices. Grow under the guidance and training of wise Godly teachers and pastors. Oh how thankful I am for this blessing and I realize it may not be the norm, but search for it.
The bottom line is, we only grow closer to His likeness if that is what we are searching for. Is the scale tipping too much in the direction of us, or is it pointing us to the great I AM?
Scripture to consider: Proverbs 7:1-5; Romans 1:18-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15; 1 Timothy 4:16, 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:15-19; Titus 1:1-3, 9-11; Hebrews 10:19-39; 2 Peter 2:1-3
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