Our Heavenly Father Cares – Sabbath Devotional – February 21, 2025
“Digital literacy encompasses the skills required to use technology safely, effectively, and responsibly.”
Who doesn’t love Digital Information and Communication? Not only can we access an infinite amount of knowledge, but we can communicate with individuals across the continents. From the remote mountainous villages to the rugged terrain of the desert, “approximately 67% of the world’s population has access to digital information, meaning they have internet access.”
According to recent health data, unfortunately, we have failed to use technology responsibly.”… with the unending quest for digital information, we have experienced a profound impact on our health, excessive screentime has resulted in an epidemic of Neurological Decline. Health guidelines define ‘excessive screen time’ as more than two hours of recreational screen time per day.
“New research suggests that too much screen time can reshape our brains, and there are a few neurological red flags to watch out for in your own habits.” Red Flags: “Increasingly fragmented attention spans, impaired working memory, difficulty with decision-making, decreased inhibitory control, poor concentration, problems with deep thinking, and a tendency to be easily distracted.”
An Increase in Ophthalmic Diseases: “Excessive blue light exposure from screens is primarily linked to eye issues like digital eye strain, dry eyes, and potentially contributes to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that can lead to vision loss.”
Most importantly, the Digital Age has also negatively impacted the Christian believer’s spiritual goals. From devoting most of our downtime to online activity, we have exchanged prayer and Bible Study for a Recreational Digital Diet. Discussions with other believers are no longer praises of God’s goodness, our values have changed to coincide with secular worldviews, and earthly concerns overshadow our salvation and relationship with Jesus Christ.
“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
Whether our area of interest is financial investments, global economics, political alliances, entertainment, gaming, or watching reels, digital distractions are monopolizing our time. We are unaware that the influx of natural disasters, political corruption, immorality, and social unrest indicates the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. 2 Timothy 3 reveals that we are living in perilous times.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways.’ ” —Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV
When God propelled us into this futuristic Digital Age, His plans and goals for the Christian Community were very different from our use of technology, God desired to remove the barriers that prevented us from witnessing the Plan of Redemption—Jesus Saves! Throughout this world.
“While many people believe that God must always get what He wants, the Bible tells a quite different story. Over and over, Scripture depicts God as experiencing unfulfilled desires. In many instances, God explicitly declares that what is happening is the opposite of what He wants. Freewill has resulted in our the world’s continuous decline of spirituality and morality.” SSNet.org
The Challenge: Calculate your screen time versus the time spent in worship [Prayer and Bible Study].
Like Eve, we have been deceived. We have put our desires above obeying God without thinking about the spiritual consequences. It is not a coincidence that the habit of too much screen time decreases our attention span and creates eye fatigue. Satan, our enemy knows that we require alert eyes, concentration, and discipline to engage in spiritually transformative worship with our Creator God.
We can separate ourselves and remove external distractions, yet our greatest distraction is the internal battle within our minds. Our cellular devices are intertwined with our very existence. When was the last time that you were separated from your phone for an extended period?
The Root Cause: The heart is deceitful above all things And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). God reveals the real issue: We inherited hearts with desires that naturally rebel against God. Secular Information and pleasurable activities are addictive because they are appealing and satisfy our carnal desires.
Take Action! As long as we have breath in our bodies, and the desire to change, we can change! Our Triumphant King waits for us to return to our spiritual senses and ask for His Divine Help to overcome our Digital Dependency.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” —Hebrews 4:16
Reflect on why you accepted Christ as your personal Savior. Confess, repent, and pray for the supernatural strength to return to God. Although we cannot use human strength alone to live righteously, we can place boundaries on the time spent pursuing knowledge and pleasure that does nothing for us spiritually. We have Jesus Christ, our Savior and Heavenly Intercessor who has promised to give us strength in the times of our weaknesses.
“When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father.” —Matthew 6:6
From personal experience, letting go of excessive screentime is one of the toughest battles you will ever fight. Set aside a 2-hour slot for at least two days to consecrate yourself through prayer, fasting [no food], and studying the Bible. For 2 hours place your cellular device on silent and in another location. This is possible because you will use a hardcopy Bible to study [NKJV is recommended due to Scriptural omissions in many other translations].
Before studying the Bible, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you strength, wisdom, and discernment. Begin with Genesis and study one chapter a day for two consecutive days. The book of Genesis has 50 chapters which will extend your Bible study of Genesis to 100 days. Repetition reinforces learning and invites the Holy Spirit to reveal deeper insight into the word of God required for spiritual growth and transformation.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” —1 Corinthians 10:13
As Christians, living responsibly indicates that we are actively working on our salvation and preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When breaking the habit of Digital dependency [that has been practiced for many years], you will experience many roller coaster feelings and the overwhelming drive to retrieve your device even during worship. Keep praying and practice self-control!
“To everything, there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven…” —Ecclesiastes 3:1.
“…making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.” —Ephesians 5:16, Amplified Bible
“Time is a gift from God, and none of us know how much of it we are allotted. Only God knows how much time each of us has on this earth.” Our thoughts, behaviors, habits, and decisions reflect whether or not we have chosen the future reward of Eternal life. Our earthly lives are the only opportunity to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to sanctify and transform our minds, characters, and personalities into the likeness of Christ.
From the human effort of establishing and practicing boundaries in our digital activity, we are empowered with Jesus’ Divine Strength. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms our desires, guiding us away from wasting precious time pursuing the secular instead of righteousness.
Prayer is our soul’s connection to the Almighty God and the Scriptures are God’s spoken words, Living, Active, and filled with His Power! We cannot remain the same when we enter God’s presence! His Power is Life-Changing.
“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes [that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord’s return], so that he will not be naked—spiritually unprepared—and men will not see his shame.” —Revelation 16:15, Amplified Bible
Lord God, we confess and repent that our time is no longer devoted to seeking You. We ask You for the strength to overcome our innate desires and habits that prevent us from worshiping You in spirit and truth. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in the Worthy Name of Jesus, Amen.
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