Learning from Advertisements

We should be able to learn a lot from advertisements. The first thing any advertisement or sales process is going to do is challenge your identity or something you believe. This is often accomplished without words but even in radio advertisements it is there: “Are you hungry all the time but want to lose weight?” Or in other words, “Are you fat?” Quick! What’s your answer? You only have a split second to tell yourself whether that is true. How about, “How would you like to drive a brand new xyz with no payments until 20XX?” Translation, “Do you like what your car says about who you are?”
In each case what we believe about ourselves is terribly important. The only way to resist the lies is to believe the truth (or another lie but we are not going to get into that here).
So what do you believe about money? I can tell by advertising that security is a big deal to us. I can also tell that making and having a lot of money is a big deal to us. I wouldn’t have to ask anyone personally, I just have to read the paper. What is important to you about how you handle your money?
The things we worry about are the very things that we are not putting into God’s hands and leaving them there. Jesus tells us in Luke that we should not worry about clothes or money but believe that God will provide for us. It is important that we believe these truths or else we believe lies that lead us to bondage through worry or believe that something else is going to satisfy. The world cannot give us peace or life the way God can. If you see an advertisement and it hits a nerve think to yourself, “is this true.” I encourage you to be like the Bereans and know for sure.