It probably comes to no one’s surprise that the popularity of social media has skyrocketed during this current season. With less physical contact and interaction among each other, we’re spending more of our time looking at what others are doing, and they are all too happy to keep us entertained. It starts easy enough. We get up in the morning with the intention to get ourselves and our days centered through prayer, but as soon as we look at our phones, we’re distracted. The news of the day or the latest post by one of our favs captures our attention, and just like that our minds are preoccupied with what we’ve just let in the gate. Much of this stuff is suffocating the excellence of Godly thoughts, and although we may not immediately perceive the effect, it will impact the intimacy of our time with God and the effectiveness of our prayers.
Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 11:24 that we can pray for anything, and if our faith and believing is firmly in God, the thing we’ve prayed for will be ours. This verse calls upon us to have a firm grip on what God says in 2Timothy 2:15 through the Apostle Paul. He tells us to be workman of His Word that receive His approval because we handle His Word with respect and good stewardship. We’re wise about it and being wise about God’s Word begs us to always consider who He is speaking to and why He is speaking. In Matthew 11:24, Jesus Christ was speaking to the disciples. He was teaching them to have faith in God.
It is important for us to have this context because the disciples were followers of the Lord Jesus Christ just like us. These were people who loved Christ and wanted to please God. Pleasing God was their priority, and when this is our priority, we can be sure that Matthew 11:24 applies to us as well. We can pray for anything and have faith to believe and receive. Again, it wasn’t a ‘kid in a candy store’ mentality at play here. We’re to keep in the forefront of our minds that when it comes to having faith and witnessing the fruits of God’s power, the posture and attitude of loving Christ will always be a requirement.
Like the disciples, we should have a heart that loves the Lord, honors God’s Word, and desires preeminently to please Heavenly Father. When this is our motivation, we’re going to protect our relationship with Him. Therefore, we’re not going to let everything in our eye and ear gates. We’re going to heed the wisdom of Proverbs 4:23 and be diligent about guarding our hearts above all else, because the springs of life flow from the heart.
Romans 10:9,10(NLT) tells us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” Believing starts in the heart. It’s where faith gets its marching orders. We know that the heart is a treasury that stores thoughts and intents, and this is why we must guard against anything that doesn’t help us build our believing towards the promises of God. We can’t allow our thoughts and feelings to be so consumed with worldly things, because doing so will cause conditions of fragmentation, confusion, and strife. But if we remain disciplined and diligent in our thought-life, when a situation demands steadiness, a clear mind, and a heart ready for prayer, we’ll be poised to move with faith and authority.
Worldliness is rampant, and we must be careful that we’re not allowing others to plant bad thoughts of ourselves and bad thoughts of other people in our minds and hearts. This is really where social media can do serious damage, and it is exactly what the devil wants. So many of us are preoccupied and entertained by the misfortunes, humiliations, mistakes, and embarrassments that are endured by those we do not personally know. God is not pleased, and we shouldn’t have time for this, because these things will injure our faith. We’ve got someplace to be, and we’re losing valuable stamina, momentum, and time that should be used on the business of the Kingdom.
God has given us a season of rest. Some believers have not seen it this way, but one thing is overwhelmingly clear, it is a time to get ourselves into a state of holy quietness. It’s time to seek God with the most pure and obedient intent we possibly can. The road ahead will not look like anything we’ve seen before. There will be incredible things happening all around us, and Heavenly Father is given us an opportunity to sharpen our spiritual senses, grow in maturity, and increase our faith so that we’re prepared for what is to come. Do not let this opportunity slip by you. If it’s not helping you keep your mind tuned in to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, shut it off! ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Shut It Off!” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.