We have warning labels for the food that we eat; we know what ingredients we consume. We also have warning labels for the movies we watch; we know if there will be language or sexual content. We have warning labels for almost everything we consume except social media. Social media can be detrimental to our mental and physical health. So, sisters, today I want to bring some of those warning signs to your attention to ask you – is the way you are going about using social media edifying and bringing glory to the Lord?

The first thing the serpent does in the garden, when speaking to Eve, is question God. “Will you really live forever?”. I believe the enemy can do this same thing with social media. Especially since we never truly know what we will see and consume. These apps are designed to keep us on their platforms as much as possible and as long as possible. We must be mindful to not allow this to become an idol in our lives!

Matthew 6:22-24

‘ “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.’

What are you seeing with YOUR eyes? Are your eyes healthy? Are you full of light or darkness? We must lay our treasures Heaven!

Matthew 12:36-37

‘I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” ‘

When it comes to social media, I think we give ourselves the green light and a pass because “are we really saying these words? We are just typing them”. However, our hands/fingers are an extension of our mouth and these words are coming from our heart. This applies in our text messages, comments we leave etc. What careless words may you be speaking?

3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

What am I using social media for?

I cannot answer this for you. Are you checking on friends, seeing what’s going on in the world, seeking to be inspired – what are you using it for? 

Is it pulling me closer to Truth or pulling me further away from Truth?

Think of social media as a scale, one side is the enemy and his lies and the other side is God and Truth. Which way does social media pull you? Maybe you watch something that happens to mock God and while this may be against everything you believe, maybe plants a seed of doubt. So, it pulls you closer to lies. Maybe you see Scripture and Truth on your feed and someone says a verse that you have never heard before and it leads you to be like a Berean and it pulls you closer to God and Truth.

Is being on social media tempting me to sin?

At first you may think “of course not, it’s just social media”. However, I want to walk through some questions with you and specific sins so we can answer this question honestly.

Proverbs 6:16-19

‘There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. ‘

Do you use social media as a form of idling? When you consume media does it tempt you to be idle? You may sit for hours on end and doom scroll. It is called doom scrolling and not joy scrolling for a reason. For more on this, I just did an entire video on this topic!

Are you coveting? This is when we are envious, jealous or wishing we had something someone else had. It is one of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:17). You may go online to “just find a recipe” however, how easy is it to covet someone for the nice cookware or even their ability to make all their meals from scratch? Maybe for you, that doesn’t tempt you to sin but maybe you have been longing to get pregnant or have experienced loss. Do you covet those online who announce a pregnancy or have children?

It may not always be WHAT you are consuming but your heart posture when you consume.

Does consuming social media cause you to lust? There are a lot of bodies with minimal clothing online. I know this is something a lot of men struggle with and have completely fled from social media due to this but perhaps this is something you also struggle with? Maybe it is a lust for the opposite sex or the same sex. The algorithm can throw us so many things that can cause us to lust and sin so we need to be aware!

Does it cause you to be prideful? Are you posting online to show off what you have? Are you posting online to feel better about yourself?

Are you full of wrath or tempted to act in a wrathful manner? Are you leaving a bunch of hate comments? Rather than edifying people and glorifying God online, are cursing you them?

Is someone you follow becoming an idol? Is there an idea or lifestyle that you have idolized above God? Is social media tempting you to desire something or someone more than God? If yes, this is a problem and is leading you into sin. I did an entire YouTube video entitled “when good things become and idol”.

After I put my phone down, do I feel led to walk by the Spirit or the flesh?

As my kids have gotten older, I love the conversations we have been able to have and I love asking them questions to gauge what they think! Recently I asked them “do you think I’m on my phone too much?” They said no. However, one of my children said, “I noticed when you get off, you’re not so joyful”. They proceeded to tell me that I get more upset and that my mood is different. And BOY did that HIT me! At this time, when I asked them, this was when a lot of the Hurricanes were happening and the devastation was everywhere. Now, it is good to know what is going on! It is good to help people! What is not good though is when we allow it to totally consume us or allow it to impact the way we engage with our children and those around us. It is up to me to control my emotions and how I am feeling! It is so easy to be upset with the world and allow it to consume us but we were never designed to handle that. Only God can handle it! I have some videos about having a peaceful, heavenly-like home if you would like to be encouraged in this area

Sisters, ask yourself these questions! If you have never done social media fast, I want to encourage you to do so! I fast once a year from social media for an entire month and it is usually the best month of my life! I feel so clear headed and sober minded. However, once your fast is over – have boundaries! Have a limit for how much you consume a day. Look back at how it may have caused you to sin, what are you going to do to flee from that? Make sure you have a purpose when you consume.

Let’s be women of God who do not become drunk on the lies of the enemy!