Beware False Idols

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” {Jeremiah 2:13 NIV}

We live in a world that tells us we need the latest gadgets to make ourselves happy and that without them, our lives are completely void of any pleasure and happiness.

But the fact remains that many of us have allowed ourselves to get pulled in by false idols and have forsaken the One that can give us the ultimate joy and eternal happiness.

Let’s be honest here...We know that many are guilty of worshiping a false idol. I {Bethany} will be the first to admit that I have allowed my phone, computer and tablet to get in the way of my time with God.

Many of us have put our worth in what another person says about us via social media, in having the newest, greatest tech gadget, and even in what complete strangers half-way across the world, think of us—all because we fall victim to our flesh and what it tells us we need to be worshipping.

But, come clean...many are spending more time on the Internet than you are with God. If that's the case, even if you don’t admit it in writing, please confess to God. We like to call ourselves Christians, but are we really disciples of Jesus or are we disciples of social media?

I am not condemning you.,Please don’t think that’s what I'm here to do because I know that I'm guilty of being a disciple of social media just as much as the next person, but what I am here to do is share my thoughts and, hopefully, help others face a problem that we are ALL susceptible to.

Now, I know you're reading this and saying, “Bethany, social media can be used to spread the gospel,” and you know what? You're right! But in using social media to spread the Good News, you can be opening yourself up to being sucked in and worshiping a false idol.

Maybe you think that you will hop onto Facebook "really quick" and then go read your bible. You WILL have your quiet time. But again...if we are spending time in reflection here and now, you know that hours can pass and by the time you get around to cracking open your Bible, it’s bedtime.  You wake up the next day, vow to have your quiet time, and then repeat the day before.

We need to make sure we're not trying to fill our spiritual needs with false idols. Only the Living Water can sustain us, show us who we truly are, and offer redemption and salvation. Please, put down your false God and crack open your Bible and be nourished by the Living Water that spills off the pages and can fill you up like nothing else can.

I know that I am vowing to only show attention to social media AFTER I have worked to cultivate a deeper relationship with God. Won’t you join me in this vow?

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