Turn my eyes away from worthless things, and revive me in Your way.
Psalm 119:37
Living for God is the secret of living for good both in time and eternity.
Many of these sites are not obviously evil but are subtly worldly, sneakily pulling us farther away from the things of eternity and turning our eyes upon the temporal and trivial.
So, let’s explore some of the most common pitfalls waiting for us in the Internet world, and how we can apply God’s Truth to each one of these areas of the cyber-world.
1. Idle Chatter
Facebook walls and comments, Twitter, and even personal blogs are often breeding grounds for idle chatter, fruitless words, frivolous notes, showing off of wit and personality, and exalting our own thoughts and opinions instead of God’s thoughts and opinions.
Proverbs 10:19 says, “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.”
Second Timothy 2:16 says, “But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (KJV). The term “vain babbling” here means, “empty discussion, discussion of vain and useless matters.” What a perfect description of the vast majority of modern blogs and Facebook walls! Pointless ramblings, emotional philosophizing, chatter that really doesn’t have much of a purpose other than to sound artistic and wax eloquent about nothing in particular – this is what is currently hip in the social media community. But vain babbling is the opposite of godly communication.
Romans 14:19 says, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” The word edify here means, “to build someone up in their faith, to promote another person’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, holiness, etc.” If we choose to blog, our primary goal should be to edify our readers; to build up their faith in Jesus Christ and encourage them spiritually through what we are sharing.
In other words, if you don’t have something truly important, edifying, and God-honoring to say, then don’t say it (or post it) at all! Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, “...every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (KJV).
May we weigh each word we say (and write) in light of eternity.
2. Idolatry
One of the most crafty and dangerous things about Facebook, Pinterest, and blogs is the temptation to worship and idolize the “following” that we have. Instead of looking to Christ alone for our confidence, security, and fulfillment, we become consumed with how many likes we have on our Facebook page, or how many subscribers we have on our blogs.
Popularity is much easier to achieve now than it was when I was younger, thanks to the blogging and social media community. It used to be that in order to become one of the “cool kids” you had to wear the right clothes, use the right slang, and strategically position yourself around the in-crowd. Now, if you simply know how to sit at your laptop and blog in a hip, trendy, artistic, or unique way, you can become popular, gain your own little fan club, and get your ego stroked by the many affirming comments that people leave on your blog site or Facebook page.
All too many of us spend a huge amount of time and energy “competing” to gain more subscribers and see more comments posted on our blogs or Facebook walls. We are addicted to the applause and approval of the outside world, and this is our leading motivation for blogging or using social media, despite often proclaiming that our screen time is “all about Jesus.”
If you find yourself constantly checking to see how many new subscribers you have, always taking a peek at the comments people post, and feeling jealous toward other bloggers or Facebook users who have a bigger following than you do, it’s sign that this area of your life has an unhealthy hold upon your heart.
If social media or blogging has taken an idolatrous place in your life, be willing to completely walk away from it for a season and focus on making Christ your first love, your all in all.
In light of eternity, which is more important?
3. Worldly Preoccupation
Looking to celebrities for inspiration on workouts, diets, hairstyles, and fashion may seem harmless, but what does God say about being influenced by the mentalities of pop-culture? “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly….but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, He meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1)
Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook often encourage us to take our cues from the world as to what we should eat, drink, wear, and do. When we get pulled in to celebrity inspiration and cultural trends, we quickly begin to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. We start meditating upon the world’s value system instead of upon the things of God.
Christ makes it clear that we cannot love both Him and the things that charm and ravish this world. We cannot be dazzled by the images of pop-culture and captivated by the King of all kings:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:15-16)
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
If our Lord does not take delight in the things that charm and ravish the world, neither should we. (And if you believe that God actually applauds the distorted messages of pop-culture, you need to become better acquainted with the God of the Bible.)
To be truly set-apart for our King, we must choose the same path that Amy Carmichael did – to become dead to the world and its applause, to all the customs, fashions, and laws of those who hate the humbling Cross. Why should we look to shallow, ungodly celebrities for advice, when we can look to the King of all kings for everything we could ever need?
Instead of imitating pop-culture and celebrity trends, let us remember that we are called to imitate Christ alone.
4. Disregarding the Sacred
Modern blogging, Pinterest, and Facebook pages provide an opportunity to get all of our feelings “out in the open” while impressing people with your unique and artistic philosophy skills at the same time. It’s like having a public diary. Instead of keeping our personal ponderings and feelings private, social media encourages us to publish them; to creatively market our unique thoughts and ideas in order to gain a following.
Many young women use their blogs to post intimate dreams and desires about what they want in a marriage partner, or use their Pinterest page to display photos of their future dreams – their ideal wedding dress or house with a picket fence. On the Internet, it is all too easy to broadcast thoughts and feelings that should be kept private.
One of my favorite Scriptures is Luke 2:19, when Mary the mother of Jesus “kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”
If anyone had a reason to publicize her thoughts, observations, and experiences, it was Mary. And yet, she chose instead to keep them and ponder them in her own heart.
As women, God tells us not to exude merely a physical beauty, but to allow our beauty to flow from the “hidden person” of the heart:
Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart...
(1 Peter 3:3-4)
The phrase “hidden person of the heart” refers to the secret, intimate part of who we are; our emotions, musings, dreams, struggles, and ideas. When we fall into the habit of publicizing our intimate thoughts, we have no “hidden person of the heart” left to protect; nearly everything we think, hope, dream, fear, and feel is out there on display for the world to see. Granted, it can be more exciting to deposit our personal thoughts in a public forum rather than a private journal, especially when people leave us nice comments and our following grows with every post. But going public with our thoughts can all too quickly lead to unbiblical patterns in our lives, destroying the feminine mystery God intended us to preserve.
Save the personal sacred things of your heart for your journal, prayer closet, and your husband. Do not “cast your pearls before swine” by allowing all eyes to see what is meant to be kept private.
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Remember, the Internet in itself is not an evil thing. I truly believe that Facebook, blogs, Pinterest (and yes, even Twitter) can be used for the glory of God, and that by His grace, we can navigate these areas without falling into the traps that have been set for us. But we must not blindly venture into this dangerous territory. Before sitting down in front of a screen, we must put on the armor of God and have the mind of Christ with every click of the mouse, every moment in front of a screen, every tap upon the keyboard.
I encourage you to take some to time to prayerfully evaluate your time on the Internet, in light of eternity. Are you truly “dead to the world” and spending your screen time on the things of Heaven, and not the things of this earth? If not, ask God’s Spirit to show you how to reorient these areas of your lives around His priorities. Study His Word and apply Truth to your every decision. Be willing to completely walk away from anything that is pulling you away from Jesus Christ. Be willingly to strictly limit your time on the Internet in order to spend the best hours of your day in His presence. And be willing to completely change what you post, what you view, and what you participate in so that He and He along would be glorified through your Internet time.
Is not the Lamb that was slain worthy?
“What is the secret to great living? Entire separation to Christ and devotion to Him. Thus speaks every man and woman whose life has made more than a passing flicker in the spiritual realm. It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts.”

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