How to Change Culture Through the 7 Mountains of Influence: A Focus on Arts & Entertainment

The Biblical concept behind the seven mountains of influence is captivating and reassuring to grasp. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you must align yourself strategically in these various dimensions of influence. Take advantage of your identity to fulfill the purpose set aside for you by God before the beginning of time, positioning yourself appropriately. 

The key takeaways from each mountain of influence are based on setting a particular standard that you should uphold in their different aspects. There is a place and position set aside for all believers at the peak of them all.

You should endeavor to propel to the highest and most influential capacity of family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government spheres. Seek to know God’s intention for you, then take advantage of your strengths to dominate the mountain(s) that God enables you to.

Every believer ought not to settle for anything less than what God intends for their life. It is a fault when one lives to compromise their Godly enabled capacities for other pleasures or cares of life. Why should you live below your capacity for lack of knowledge? Remember the scripture that talks about God’s people perishing for ignorance or lack of knowledge?

Well, as we delve deeper into the mountain of arts and entertainment today, I hope that this ignites a spark back to your innate potential. 

The Mountain of Arts and Entertainment

You might have heard people frequently referring to it as the hill of celebration. This mountain involves music, movies, art, and all kinds of entertainment. At times, you may wonder if art and creativity are Godly and proper tools with which to interact as a Christian.

Can they be used to bring glory, honor, and adoration to God’s kingdom, or are they just sinful elements of the devil?

It is important to understand that God has nothing against you entertaining yourself so long as it does not put into question the work that Jesus Christ did on your behalf.

Growing up, I encountered friends who had ambiguous and disturbing perceptions of God. Some would portray opinions based on their past hurts and misfortunes and somehow attribute them to God. You might have come to a point in your life and questioned where God was when something was happening to you or someone dear to you. In the same manner, we find ourselves thinking of God as a strict parent who would get angry if we had fun. 

If you come from the school of thought that we are meant to go through troubles and perils here on earth and only get to be happy and relieved in heaven, you want to consider the purpose of Christ coming to dwell on earth.

Some of us have mistaken living a pitiful life for discipline, while in the real sense, Christ came that we may have life and have it in abundance. He gave up all that He was so that you could live a happy and fulfilled life here on earth.

Considering the shame that Jesus saw as nothing compared to the glory that was set before Him, we know that the joy set before us by God in eternity is nothing compared to anything we go through on earth. However, you must know that here on earth, we represent the authority of God, meaning that we were meant to dominate and subdue the earth and all its creatures.

This is according to the command that God gave to Adam when He left him in charge of the garden of Eden (Genesis 1:28), hence the concept behind the seven mountains of influence.

Over time, I have realized that God always wants the best for us here on earth because we bear His name. He wants us to relax, perhaps go swimming, go for a jog, watch a movie with friends, go out to eat, have a picnic, and do many other activities that will make us happy and entertained.

The only thing that God requires of us as we indulge in this mountain of arts and entertainment is that we manifest purity and righteousness as we utilize our gifts and talents even as we take up other hobbies. There are so many films, for instance, that we can think of that guide us towards doing good and knowing God, like God’s Not Dead, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Jesus Film, or paintings by Monet and Van Gogh and others. There are also many Gospel musicians like Lauren Dagle, Kirk Franklin, Nicole Mullen, Tasha Cobbs, Jonathan McReynolds, and Benjamin Dube, amongst many other gospel worshippers around the globe, who produce perfectly articulated art with a Godly touch.

Some channels produce pure content that edifies the body of Christ, but you need to be cautious because the enemy is at work on this hill of entertainment. Knowing that the devil’s mandate is to roar like a lion seeking someone to devour, it is not a surprise that he has taken advantage of music, arts, and entertainment to lure many believers into sin and depravity.

Being all aware that sex is an act that God created for two people (a man and a woman) who are bound together by marriage, the devil creates a deceptive perception in our minds and perverts it; then, he spreads it in the form of film, music, and art. This mountain influences a major part of our lives even without our knowledge.

Think of the population that constantly relies on radio and television in this modern society. The emergence of other forms of social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and many others has intensified the vulnerability of our society to the works of sin. All these platforms are very useful and very educational, but they can expose you to sin and other unpleasant things if not used with caution.

Remember to stand strong and not give the devil a foothold. The apostle Paul says in one of his epistles that everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. So you must consider if the benefits of watching or listening to something outweigh the consequences that come with it. You are free to do anything, but again, not everything adds benefit to your life. Do not defile yourself, as your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Defiling yourself can be through listening, watching, or indulging in anything sinful. 

As a parent, look into ensuring that your child is not exposed to danger through these destructive forms of art that the devil disguises in the form of toys, games, cartoons, or even stories. Expose them to Bible teaching platforms, and at times, it is good to take time with them as they watch their movies or play games. You also need to avoid vulgar and nasty language-speaking platforms, which can cause your children to become rebellious. You may always remind them that they are a product of what they listen to, watch, and interact with.

If you are gifted and can create any form of art, let anything that you create, be it a song, video, dance, story, or anything else, bring glory and honor to God. Instead of creating content that will draw people away from God, you might want to create art that will inspire many to reform and give hope to the world. In this modern age, many are motivated by wealth and fame, and therefore, they create art for all the wrong reasons in the end just so they can resonate with the world and gain relevance. As a believer, you should know that you are called to a greater purpose than comparing yourself with the world, and that is making Christ known through your gifting(s).

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