Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
Oh the joys of social media, it’s such a blessing and a curse, depending how you use it. One thing with social media is the fact that it has become such a huge distraction in everyday life. One thing God warns us about is guarding our hearts, become everything flows from it, and social media is not exempt. In fact, you must guard your heart and guard your mind and sometimes that requires unfollowing and unfriending people or even taking a break from time to time.
Now unfollowing or unfriending someone doesn’t mean you like them any less or don’t want them in your life but you have to take certain measures to filter out anything that can cause you to stumble. It’s crazy because there are some people in your life who are totally different online than in person and you will be surprised and shocked at the things they post and share online. Some people just post and share anything, not knowing that it could be offensive to others. When I discovered the “unfollow friend” button on Facebook I think my life became better! Seriously, though I’m being sarcastic, I seriously thank Facebook for the function because there were a few times before I knew about that button that I wanted to unfriend people but I thought that it was mean and if I unfriend them they wouldn’t be able to see my statuses that could possible encourage them, so I just dealt with their shenanigans lol. However since I’ve found the function to unfollow, there has been quite a few people I’ve had to unfollow on all social media including celebrities, family and friends. For the simple fact that they were posting too much curse words, negative and sexual memes, or inappropriate videos, and I was like REALLY?
“We pray and ask God for deliverance of strongholds, thoughts, desires, and habits, but God is saying what are you doing to help?”
At first I thought I was being mean and overreacting, but it was either comment with a “WWJS” (WhatWouldJesusSay), and start a war lol or just unfollow. Thank God The Lord showed me a way out of that temptation lol, Unfollow, obviously! And Yes, It is that serious, what we allow ourselves to purposely consume in our minds on a daily basis says a lot about us. We pray and ask God for deliverance of strongholds, thoughts, desires, and habits, but God is saying what are you doing to help?
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 51:10 NKJV
Are you scrolling on social media and liking everything your Facebook friend post just because it’s an old high school buddy? Even though half the stuff they post and share is disrespectful to the God you serve? Are you watching these videos created for comedy but promotes lust, you know the area you struggle with? If you don’t feel it’s that serious and you can manage living a life for Christ while still entertaining yourself with the wicked side of social media then maybe you need a break and need to get before the Lord so He can clear your mind and show you some things.
Our standards on things should be changing for God, and that includes our standards for social media. I used to follow countless celebrities on Instagram but as I started growing with Christ and my desires for this world started decreasing, scrolling through my feed and seeing all they were posting were vain pictures and curse word after curse word, and nothing positive in my eyes or even anything that correlates to anything beneficial for my spiritual walk, I had to let them go! I barely follow any secular celebrities anymore, mainly all Christian bloggers, writers, and preachers.
“I have to guard my heart for my own personal reasons and you have to guard your heart with everything, not only with social media but with what you watch, listen to, and consume on a daily basis.”
I just want to make sure that I am doing my part in helping God to purify and renew my mind. I can’t fully have that spiritual blessing if I’m always seeing pictures of Kim Kardashian and Rihanna’s face and half naked photoshoots, I’ll start wishing I was prettier or need a bigger butt (stumbling block). I can’t fully have that spiritual blessing if I’m always seeing ratchet videos of a misinterpretation of how women act, I’ll have curse words and negative attitudes downloaded in my mind (stumbling block). I can’t fully have a renewed heart if I’m always seeing memes of false relationship goals, pictures of everyone happily in love on the Internet, because I’ll have seeds planted in my head without even knowing until I’m alone with just my thoughts and realize that I’m still single (stumbling block). Then, those seeds will start to harvest themselves causing me to think I’m lonely or that I set my relationship goals standards to godly and high (bigger stumbling block). I can’t fully have the spiritual blessing of a renewed mind, if I’m always seeing sexual images/memes/videos, I will start to remember that it’s been a year since I’ve been celibate and get tempted (stumbling block)! I have to guard my heart for my own personal reasons and you have to guard your heart with everything, not only with social media but with what you watch, listen to, and consume on a daily basis.
Be careful because the devil is out to kill, steal, and destroy and what better way than by what you use the most: social media! Don’t be afraid to use the unfollow button and don’t feel left out if you take a break, but both will be needed if you are walking with Christ because it can get hard and tempting with how easily social media can be used in the worst way. Guard your heart and let God lead you on how to manage social media!
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 NKJV
[wc_fa icon=”heart-o” margin_left=”” margin_right=””][/wc_fa] With Love, Brittany La’Vell
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This is a murky area for me. Not necessarily the content (though it’s definitely questionable in some areas- nudity on Pinterest for example). I struggle more with the attention and time i find i can give to social media sometimes. I always feel like i wasted precious time when i realize I’m scrolling through the same feed again. It’s such a vice sometimes. I have definitely become more aware of my intake of social media, time and content. It’s a daily crossroads.