My relationship with technology is ok, but I wish I took advantage of the opportunities that technology can give. Technology governed by a disciplined mind and pure morals can be extremely beneficial, but also can do the exact opposite. It can be used as a drug to numb out pain, a place to spread false information, a place to cyber cyberbully, a place to keep you distracted from unlocking your full potential, a place to compare, and a place to feel fearful and anxious over time.
I believe that social media specifically can be extremely beneficial to show the world what you are truly about and spread the truth of Gods word through the way you live your life. It can be used as a platform to lead people to Christ, through the unique gifts so many people possess. It can be used to spot an agenda, expose it, and show people truth that can be backed up with Gods word. That is, if it does not get taken down or you do not get canceled.
Going into technology to use it as a tool rather than a toy is essential. Becoming fully equipped with the truth thats found in Gods word, your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and the holy spirit vibrant in your life are three things that I believe are key to establish before you go into any usage of technology. When you are lead by the spirit, you can go into things like different social media platforms and use it to honor God.
The ability to find valuable resources that are reliable can be tricky, but one method that I like to use is the SIFT method which stands for Stop, investigate the source, find trustworthy coverage, and trace any claims. We stop, slow down our minds and ask our self if the source we are looking at is feeding to my biased beliefs. We investigate the source by doing a deep search. I like to call it gem hunting. Look for clues on what the message is actually about.
The truth always will rise to the top. We then find trust worthy coverage regarding the topic that we are looking at. Backing the topic up with other reliable sources you have found in the past. Really research and go out of your way to look at all the options. Then lastly, trace claims. Trace the claim back to the hub of where its coming from. Find where the root of the topic is coming from, and attack that idea with whether its intention is truthful, or deceitful.
When I was 14 years old, I got my first Iphone. With the phone came the digital communication via calling and texting, then moved into instagram, twitter, and snapchat. I still remember the feeling I would get when I would post something on either platforms and get positive or negative responses. Looking back at it although I could not see it at the time, I would compare my self to other people, the reactions they would get, the followers and likes they would get, the feeling that they portrayed, and wished I could be more like them. I thought that if I could have what they had then I would feel the way they portrayed to feel. Happy and satisfied. I chased that feeling, and with that chase came FOMO, a distracted mind, comparison, ungratefulness, and anxiety. I craved community, acceptance, and love.
The answer to that would be in Genesis 50:20 which says "you (the devil) meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." This verse honestly is all you need to know about social media, technology, and honestly any kind of medium in the world. The truth is, God is the creator of Good, and The devil is the creator of evil. When something like social media has so many different possibilities, someone like the devil (the schemer) will try to deceive people into using it according to his rules. his rules lead to bondage and slavery which eventually leads to a dead life.
The devil uses 99% truth that God gives, and he twists it with his 1% lie. that 1 % lie is just enough to get you out of bounds. He wants you to operate out of Gods boundaries. This shows the truth that social media within boundaries can be extremely beneficial. Life itself, within boundaries, will be life. That is how life is supposed to be lived. Life within Gods boundaries. Social media, and technology in a whole, can be used for evil in the most sinister way, due to the complexities that lie beneath the surface.
The amount scheming that goes into all of it brings almost endless possibilities, but at the end of all those possibilities, there lies a truth and a lie. The truth leads to life, and the lie leads to death. That is why fully equipping your identity in Jesus Christ is so important in this world. Jesus will lead you, but in order for him to lead you, you must take his hand. You have to reach out and grab his hand. At that moment, you will be able to transcend all of the bondage that the devil gives, and back in oneness with the one that is the truth, God.
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