Never doubt Gods abilities if you haven't asked Him for the opportunities.
iDENTITY
wisdom
“The greatest source of wisdom is God. To be wise is to spend time with Him.” - Rachel Westraad.
Admit it. We are always looking out for what’s trending these days on the media. Sometimes it’s to seek advice, sometimes we are turning to it instead of God and other times it’s just purely entertainment.
We are constantly picking up our phones to check Instagram, Facebook and imessage. But how much is too much? Can checking all these sites affect the way we deal with reality?
Spending too much time on social media can lead to sleep deprivation, depression and addiction. Although spending time reading things on the media can be a good thing, just like you are doing right now, it can also be a setback. We need to start creating a culture of turning to God for anything and everything.
Think of every time you had to seek advice. What did you do? What did you read or watch to seek advice? If you have a habit of turning to the word of God at times when you seek advice then that’s cool, you’re learning from things that will help contribute to your eternal life in Heaven. But if you continuously turn to the media for advice that’s not based on His word, all those things are perishable, eventually they will decay. Whereas gaining wisdom from something that’s eternal makes sense. God is eternal and He brings eternal life.
Here are some ways that you can set aside time for God without getting distracted,
PUT IT DOWN
Set down your phone for at least one to one and a half hours per day. This will allow you to have free time without the distraction of any alerts from social media, or any games that you play! If you are a person that gets anxious without your phone, I suggest that you switch it off then, aha otherwise you will have a urge to keep checking it.
DELETE APPS
Okay, so I know most teenagers have at least these three apps downloaded onto a device, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. An article featured in SEJ (http://www.searchenginejournal.com/25-things-didnt-know-snapchat/91169/) states that Snapchat has more than 100 million users share over 400 million snaps daily. That surpasses the photo-sharing activity on both Facebook and Instagram. That means that the average Snapchat user sends at least 20-50 snaps per day. Honestly there have been so many times when I’ve contemplated deleting Snapchat. Scrolling through Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds can be fun, but then again are you using the time you spend on it to be productive or not?
READ THE BIBLE
Hello. . .yes aha, read the word of God, one of the most important books to read especially on our walk with God. I’m sure you have heard pastors, youth leaders and parents say this many times, but reading Gods word is so so important. The amount of things we see and watch on TV, social media and in books can pollute our minds and souls. Sometimes in life, you just have to jump into it, as Annika says in her interview that you can check out in the description bellow! The amount of times I’ve heard my friends and other kids say how hard it is for them to pick up the Bible and read it is endless. From my own experience, I would suggest just buying a Devotional book for yourself. The devotion will give you a verse and a more in depth meaning to it, this will help you understand the verse better and be able to gain some wisdom.
STOP WITH THE OLD
Okay, so many of us have bad habits or addictions. The only way to be able to withhold from them is to just one day decide to completely stop. You think you can’t do it yourself? Your God is bigger than your problem and if that isn’t enough for you, than what is? Guys the reason why bad habits and addictions need to be forgotten is not just for fun, it’s because it’s actually a setback to grow and become the person God created you to be. Those set backs are not going to help you study for an exam or get an interview for a job, God will. You don’t think so? Ask him yourself for the help, never doubt Gods abilities if you haven't asked Him for the opportunities.
If there’s just one thing that I could ask for you to take away from this message, just know that there’s a God out there who is waiting for you with His arms wide open, all you have to do is pray. I can tell you now those big dreams you have, those plans you want to fulfill won’t come to you buy spending time learning from social media and fitness magazines, it will come from God and His help.
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Admit it. We are always looking out for what’s trending these days on the media. Sometimes it’s to seek advice, sometimes we are turning to it instead of God and other times it’s just purely entertainment.
We are constantly picking up our phones to check Instagram, Facebook and imessage. But how much is too much? Can checking all these sites affect the way we deal with reality?
Spending too much time on social media can lead to sleep deprivation, depression and addiction. Although spending time reading things on the media can be a good thing, just like you are doing right now, it can also be a setback. We need to start creating a culture of turning to God for anything and everything.
Think of every time you had to seek advice. What did you do? What did you read or watch to seek advice? If you have a habit of turning to the word of God at times when you seek advice then that’s cool, you’re learning from things that will help contribute to your eternal life in Heaven. But if you continuously turn to the media for advice that’s not based on His word, all those things are perishable, eventually they will decay. Whereas gaining wisdom from something that’s eternal makes sense. God is eternal and He brings eternal life.
Here are some ways that you can set aside time for God without getting distracted,
PUT IT DOWN
Set down your phone for at least one to one and a half hours per day. This will allow you to have free time without the distraction of any alerts from social media, or any games that you play! If you are a person that gets anxious without your phone, I suggest that you switch it off then, aha otherwise you will have a urge to keep checking it.
DELETE APPS
Okay, so I know most teenagers have at least these three apps downloaded onto a device, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. An article featured in SEJ (http://www.searchenginejournal.com/25-things-didnt-know-snapchat/91169/) states that Snapchat has more than 100 million users share over 400 million snaps daily. That surpasses the photo-sharing activity on both Facebook and Instagram. That means that the average Snapchat user sends at least 20-50 snaps per day. Honestly there have been so many times when I’ve contemplated deleting Snapchat. Scrolling through Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds can be fun, but then again are you using the time you spend on it to be productive or not?
READ THE BIBLE
Hello. . .yes aha, read the word of God, one of the most important books to read especially on our walk with God. I’m sure you have heard pastors, youth leaders and parents say this many times, but reading Gods word is so so important. The amount of things we see and watch on TV, social media and in books can pollute our minds and souls. Sometimes in life, you just have to jump into it, as Annika says in her interview that you can check out in the description bellow! The amount of times I’ve heard my friends and other kids say how hard it is for them to pick up the Bible and read it is endless. From my own experience, I would suggest just buying a Devotional book for yourself. The devotion will give you a verse and a more in depth meaning to it, this will help you understand the verse better and be able to gain some wisdom.
STOP WITH THE OLD
Okay, so many of us have bad habits or addictions. The only way to be able to withhold from them is to just one day decide to completely stop. You think you can’t do it yourself? Your God is bigger than your problem and if that isn’t enough for you, than what is? Guys the reason why bad habits and addictions need to be forgotten is not just for fun, it’s because it’s actually a setback to grow and become the person God created you to be. Those set backs are not going to help you study for an exam or get an interview for a job, God will. You don’t think so? Ask him yourself for the help, never doubt Gods abilities if you haven't asked Him for the opportunities.
If there’s just one thing that I could ask for you to take away from this message, just know that there’s a God out there who is waiting for you with His arms wide open, all you have to do is pray. I can tell you now those big dreams you have, those plans you want to fulfill won’t come to you buy spending time learning from social media and fitness magazines, it will come from God and His help.
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”