What I Used to Laugh Off: Sanctification and What We Let In

Sanctification has a way of quietly changing what we enjoy. The things we did and said before the Lord softened our hearts toward Him slowly lose their appeal. Here’s how that happened for me, and a gentle challenge for you.

There I Lay

I can picture it clearly. Me, stretched out on the couch, remote in hand, halfway through a movie full of foul language and scenes I didn’t need in my head. And honestly? It wasn’t even a good movie.

As it played, a question kept nudging at me. What in the world am I doing? I could be reading my Bible. I could be writing, or sitting at my piano, or working on a craft. I could put on some worship music or pick up a good book. The list kept growing in my mind.

And yet, there I lay.

The Way I Used to Justify It

Before I was truly saved, and even in my early years as a Christian, I swore sometimes. I watched movies with crude language, graphic scenes, and plenty of violence. It didn’t bother me much.

I had my reasons ready, too. Just because I watch it doesn’t mean I’m going to act on it. And when a word slipped out that didn’t honor the Lord, I’d chuckle. Well, I’m still a sinner. I’m going to mess up. Thankfully, God has grace for me.

That last part is true. God’s grace is real, and it is deep. But I was using it like a hall pass. Paul saw that attitude coming a long way off:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2, LSB)

Grace was never meant to make us comfortable with sin. It was meant to free us from it.

Sanctification: When the Old Things Lose Their Shine

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years. Sanctification doesn’t just change what we do. It changes what we want.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, LSB)

Nobody handed me a list of banned movies. No one scolded me into cleaning up my language. The Lord slowly softened my heart, and the things I used to enjoy started to feel out of place. Like wearing an old coat that doesn’t fit anymore.

That’s the renewing of the mind Paul talks about:

“And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, LSB)

It also showed up in my mouth. James says it plainly: “from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be this way” (James 3:10, LSB). It’s a strange thing to sing praises on Sunday and talk like the world on Monday. The longer I walked with the Lord, the stranger it felt.

This Isn’t About a Rulebook

Let me be clear. Is watching TV a sin? Not necessarily. I’m not here to tell you every movie is off limits or that you need a ratings chart taped to your fridge. That kind of legalism misses the heart of the gospel just as badly as license does.

But I think we ask the wrong question. We ask, “Is this a sin?” when we could be asking, “Does this honor the Lord?”

“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” (1 Corinthians 10:23, LSB)

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, LSB)

That shifts things. A book loaded with profanity, violence, and sexual content may not come with a commandment attached. But if sanctification is at work in me, why would I want to fill my mind with it? Wouldn’t I rather read something that points me back to the Word? Philippians 4:8 gives us a pretty good filter: whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute, dwell on these things.

I Haven’t Arrived: Sanctification Is a Lifelong Fight

Please don’t read this and think I’ve got it all figured out. I don’t. I’m still quick to judge. I still say things before I think. But here’s the difference now: when I do, I’m thrown straight into repentance. I don’t laugh it off anymore. I fight it, because I hate that sin.

That fight is part of sanctification, and it’s a sign of life. A heart that feels no conviction should worry us far more than a heart that’s wrestling.

So here’s my challenge, sister. Take an honest look at what you’re letting into your mind and what’s coming out of your mouth. Not to earn anything, and not to compare yourself to the woman next to you in the pew. Do it because you belong to Him, and He’s worth more than a mediocre movie on a Tuesday night.

If something stirs as you read this, don’t brush it aside. That might be the Lord. And His conviction is always a kindness.

A Few Questions to Sit With

1. What’s something I used to enjoy that has lost its appeal since coming to Christ? What does that tell me about how He’s working in me?
2. Where am I still using grace as an excuse instead of a reason to change?
3. When I choose a show, a book, or a playlist, do I ask “Is this okay?” or “Does this honor the Lord?”
4. Does my language at work or with friends sound different from my language at church? Why?
5. If I gave the Lord one evening this week that I’d normally spend on the couch, what would I do with it?