New Eyes: When Conviction Changes What We See

I used to think there was nothing wrong with the music I listened to or the movies I loved. After all, I wasn’t participating in anything sinful, just enjoying a good beat, a strong storyline, a little escape from the everyday, attachment to memories from years ago. That was the narrative I held on to. But over time, something started to shift. What once stirred me artistically began to stir me spiritually, and not in a good way.

It wasn’t just about what I was hearing or seeing. It was the spirit behind it.

I started to notice what I hadn’t noticed before, lyrics drenched in rebellion, pride, lust, or despair… stories that glorified darkness, made light of sin, or subtly pulled at the foundations of truth. And the more I drew near to God, the clearer it became: these weren’t harmless distractions. They were forming something in me. Feeding something. Numbing something.

Discernment didn’t land on me all at once like a lightning bolt. It came like a veil lifting slowly from my eyes. Songs I once belted out without a second thought now made me cringe. Movies I once loved now grieved my spirit. The Holy Spirit was opening my eyes, not just to the content, but to the intent. Not just what it said on the surface, but what it celebrated in the soul.

And here’s what I realized: just because something is popular, clever, or nostalgic doesn’t mean it’s harmless. The enemy doesn’t need to be obvious when he can be subtle. He’s perfectly content to feed our flesh in whispers. All he needs is an open door.

But praise God, Jesus gives us NEW eyes. Eyes that aren’t entertained by what once enslaved us. Eyes that love what is pure. Eyes that see through the glitter and into the spirit of a thing.

Letting go wasn’t easy. Some things I had emotional attachments to. Some held memories, comfort, identity. But none of them were worth grieving the Holy Spirit. None of them were worth the cost of dulled discernment.

And the truth is…I haven’t missed them. What God has replaced them with is peace. Clarity. Holiness. A deeper sensitivity to His voice. And a freedom I didn’t know I was missing.

Because I’m not who I used to be.

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

If I’m a new creation, why would I go digging through the old??

I want to live in the light of who I am now, not who I used to be. And that means walking differently. Thinking differently. Choosing differently.

If you’ve felt that nudge…the discomfort, the shift, I encourage you not to brush it off. That’s not legalism. That’s love. That is the Holy Spirit. Discernment. That’s God saying, “I want you to see with new eyes. I want you to walk in light.”

Not everything that glitters is gold. But everything surrendered to Jesus becomes something eternal.