I don’t even want to address this topic. And I won’t say the word since I don’t want my blog flagged. But the statistics of evil online use in our society is appalling. And that includes Mennonites. Some of you have men in your life who have battled this addiction. But I’ve talked to women who are frustrated that sermons are always pointed to the men, because they too struggle with using sensual media, whether in images, movies, or books.
Satan tells us that we can indulge in sin in the privacy of our phone, and it won’t hurt anyone, but nothing is hidden from our all-knowing, omnipresent God. Someday everything done in secret will be revealed. Our browsing history is a permanent record before God unless we cleanse it by the blood of Christ.
James 5:16 gives us a battle plan. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Ignoring sin will kill you, just as ignoring cancer or signs of a heart attack doesn’t make it go away, but only allows it to become worse.
Victory can be found in Christ if we confess, repent, and become accountable.
Today’s Challenge: Pray for courage to confront the areas of your life that need changed. Confess any sin God reveals, and then tell someone about it.
I tell my children that if anyone asks you to keep something a secret (not talking about birthday surprises) then that is the thing that you need to tell your parents. And the same is true for us adults. If Satan is encouraging you to hide something from others, that is the thing that you need to reveal in order to break sin’s grip on you. Begin to pray that God will give you a trusted person to be accountable to.
Thank-you, Gina, for embarking on this writing challenge! You have a God-given ability to be courageous with truth without arrogance. It's what I've loved about your writing for a long time.
ReplyDelete"Our browsing history is a permanent record before God..." Sobering thought! I am being changed, deepened, directed as I read here each day. Though I will confess a few rueful moments when I realized I was haunting my phone to see if Gina had posted anything about how to stay away from my phone. �� God bless you with continued inspiration for this commitment!
Thank you, Gina. This post comes just in the right moment about my life('s experiences), from the past and currently.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and prayers sent from across the seas,
Jeanneke.
You are a wise mother, Gina. It is a blessing to me to read one of your favorite scriptures each morning. Is there a more valuable thing to be doing with my time than those few moments in the Word? I think not.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this, Gina. I'm enjoying reading your phone/internet challenges...
ReplyDelete