How to Walk In Victory: Part 3 “Balancing Your Social Media Life with Your Personal Life”

Okay, I’m pretty passionate about this one guys! For starters, I just have to say that I’ve grown to love social media. At first, I told my husband, “I am soooo not getting into that, because it seems addictive.” Well, lo and behold, I tried it, and I’ve grown to love it (as I’m sure many of you reading this love or “Like” it too)! As a result, I’ve signed up for Facebook, Twitter, Google Chat, Instagram, and of course I have a blog on WordPress (not sure if I’m ready for LinkedIn yet, but I’ll keep you posted). Nonetheless, it’s just a great way to connect with others locally and around the globe! BUT, how many of you also know that anything that may seem too good to be true might trigger a raised eyebrow…especially, if it begins to interfere with your personal life.

Oh yeah, you know it can have a way of wiggling into your personal life more than you ever could’ve imagined. Ever had these things happen to you?

-          Working on a project and someone inboxes you or comments on something you posted (you know you just have to check it real quickly)

-          Out at dinner and you or your spouse or friends can’t help but look to see what’s happening in the social media world while you send out a quick status post, check-in, or tweet (but it turns out longer than you initially anticipated)

-          Before going to bed, you find yourself scrolling through the News Feed to see what’s happening right before you close your eyes (this can take another hour or so and then you find yourself fatigued in the morning)

-          As soon as you get up in the morning, you turn over and the first thing you grab is your phone or computer to check your tweets, messages, and status responses from the previous night vs. saying, “Good morning Father. Thank you for waking me up this morning.”

-          Sneaking at work to check your social media accounts (beyond your break or lunch) 

-          Posting, tweeting, or reading inboxes, status posts, or “Likes” before you enter work, church, school, gym, grocery store, or worst yet…the red light (that sometimes make you late, rushed, or distracted)

Let’s face it ladies, it can take over if we’re not careful. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, but I am saying that it might require some balance and wisdom if it begins to cause some unnecessary issues between your spouse, relationships, school, work, or most importantly, your personal time with God. If not mindful it can begin to steal your affection away from God.

I can recall one time (before social media even came out), I was cleaning up my bedroom and enjoying some good praise music, when I clearly heard the Lord say, “The enemy is going to try to take your affection from me.” Now again, at the time, I was in high praise as I cleaned my room, but God found a way to interject a concern of His regarding our relationship. So I paused and remembered the Scripture in Colossians 3:2 where it states - “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” I knew it was the Lord. This was just His amazing way of preparing me for the future. 

I now know without a shadow of a doubt that He was absolutely right. There’s so much out there in this world that’s competing for our attention like the news, reality TV shows, the latest fashions, success, ambition, material things, and surprisingly now…social media! Satan is literally on a rampage in this last hour. If he can get us distracted and consumed enough into our world or other people’s world through a network of ipads, cell phones, and computers to steal our affection away from God, he’ll try it! And then before you know it, we’ll find ourselves so distracted that we’re not as close to God as we were before, because we’re literally consumed with stuff. Keep in mind that it’s a slow fade.

Don’t get me wrong, social media is a great way to connect with friends, conduct business, or even do ministry (remember, I’m a fan). But with all things considered, there needs to be a healthy balance established between our social media life and our personal lives. That’s the key here. So sometimes we may just need to put it down, back away from it while we have dinner with family or friends, and especially lay it aside as we spend time in devotion with the Lord. The Lord should be the first thing on our minds in the morning, not what’s the latest tweet or post. Remember He is a jealous God, so we have to make sure that He remains first in our lives and that we don’t create any idols.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” I just believe that if we keep it all balanced and in its proper place, we’ll experience God’s perfect peace and live guilt free as we walk in true victory in this particular area of our lives!    

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon. Let’s get ready from the Inside Out. 

~Courtnaye

Thanks for reading! Like, comment, or share from my Facebook Fan Page and “Like” it while you’re there ( http://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye). Also feel absolutely free to leave a comment here! I’d love to get your feedback! I pray that God will continue to enlighten you to live for Him through His word in your daily life. Stay tuned for new blog posts every Monday at 7:30am on Inside Out with Courtnaye @  www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org.  Also, follow me on Twitter by inoutwcourtnaye. Thanks again![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]