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How to Put Down Your Phone and Pick Up the Bible

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How to Put Down Your Phone and Pick Up the Bible

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Lately, it’s been getting harder for me to read the Bible. It’s not that I don’t want to, or don’t see the need to. I’ve just found it harder to stay focused on the words and actually read them. My brain feels like slush when I try. It takes me several minutes of reading the same passage over and over before I feel like I get into “Bible mode” and can actually read.

I blame it on my smartphone, or more specifically, my smartphone habits.

If God desires purity in our thoughts, then what is constant social media and news-checking doing to help or hurt in this process? For me, it seems like social media tends to get me thinking more about my physical life instead of my spiritual life.

You see, I have a lot of noise in my head these days. When I wake up, I check my phone to see what has happened overnight. I check my text messages, Facebook, Mint, my Etsy shop app, Google News, Pinterest, my workout app and Instagram.

Instantly my mind is loaded with information, ideas and those all-too-powerful images of other people’s lives—both the good and the bad. And each interesting morsel is quickly scrolled past to find what the next interesting thing will be! I don’t feel like I even truly process much of what I see before I succumb to the urge to scroll to the next thing. I can almost compare it to the feeling of being hungry—hungry for more entertainment, or information, or validation.

This routine of checking all these apps can repeat itself multiple times throughout the day. It feels satisfying and important, but I’m starting to wonder if I have a problem. It’s hard to stop all this “checking” when it’s time to pray and read God’s Word. It’s hard to stay focused enough to read the Bible without my hand seemingly unconsciously unlocking my phone! It’s embarrassing to even write this, but my guess is that I’m not the only one struggling.

I have a theory: My mind has grown dependent on the constant influx of new information. Now when there is a dull moment (or a Bible passage that challenges me), I seek relief in the distractions always readily available on my smartphone. I feel really uncomfortable with this. Is this really the way God wants me to live?

The physical vs. the spiritual

In Psalm 19:14 King David writes, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” The meditation of our hearts is simply what we continually think about throughout the day. If God desires purity in our thoughts, then what is constant social media and news-checking doing to help or hurt in this process?

For me, it seems like social media tends to get me thinking more about my physical life instead of my spiritual life. Seeing other people’s physical accomplishments—outfits, vacations, workouts, political views, food, families and activities—gets me focused on these types of things.

This is not to say that I think it’s bad to post on social media. There can be many good uses such as checking on sick friends, or staying close to out-of-town friends or family! But when I spend hours of my free time immersed in thinking about the physical sides of life, it doesn’t leave much time for thinking about the spiritual side of life. “The meditation of my heart” becomes a futile exercise in increasing worldliness.

The problem with social media distracting us from God’s Word may come from how much easier it is to look at photos and read other people’s ideas compared to sitting down, focusing and studying the Bible. Reading the Bible requires us to calm and quiet our minds.

It requires us to think and wonder what a passage might mean. It requires us to pray for guidance. It really takes a lot of time to truly dig in. If your attention span has been totally shot by all the instantaneous distractions of the Internet, it can be very hard to adequately study the Bible!

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” There is a stillness and a quietness of mind that I feel is being completely stolen by constantly checking our phones. There is no time for reflection, no peace, and no place for the Holy Spirit to guide us.

I really want to improve in this area. It’s frightening to think that it’s become difficult to stay focused on God’s Word!

So what can I do?

I want to properly balance my life so that my meditation is pleasing to God, my mind isn’t continually distracted, yet I can still use social media for its good aspects. Here are a few ideas that I have just started trying:

• First things first.

I bought a regular clock so I can put my phone away at night (instead of using it for an alarm). I have been trying to not check my phone until I spend some time praying and reading my Bible in the morning.

• Delete apps.

There is no need for me to have instant access to some apps. I can check Facebook or Pinterest on my computer, for example. It’s okay for people to not be able to reach me instantaneously. My connection with God is much more important!

• Use a timer.

I found an add-on for my Internet browser to limit my time on Facebook. When the time’s up, I can’t access the site anymore. This causes me to quickly check on the events or people that I need to and then sign off as fast as I can. I also put an app on my phone which tracks how much time I spend using it and notifies me if it’s too much.

• Take some time off.

I scheduled a few days a week for myself that I am calling “screen-free days.” I’m sure that I will still have to check my phone some, but the hope is that instead of spending my free time on the Internet, I can instead spend time outside, read a book or just think.

• Ask God for help!

I had to admit to God that I was sinning by making an idol out of my smartphone and all that it offered me. And even now, I still feel majorly tempted to overdo my use of my smartphone. I pray that God will help me through His Spirit to overcome!

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” We, too, cannot subsist on the daily distractions of the Internet. Yes, there are good things, but no, it can never fulfill our deep hunger for God’s Word. We have to make room in our minds and carve out a quiet place where we can feed on His Word so that He can work in our lives.

If You Must Be on Your Device

If you find it really hard to put down your smartphone or tablet, there is the alternative of using it for reading the Bible and spiritual study. You can spend time on Bible apps, follow friend recommendations on useful reading, and peruse our website, which is filled with mobile-friendly articles, study guides, sermons and Beyond Today videos. Above all, read the Bible itself. Of course, it takes wisdom and discipline to not be easily distracted on electronic devices and to spend your time well.

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Comments

  • Stephen John

    I hate social media sites such as Facebook. I find it intrusive. YouTube/Wikipedia are great sites. YouTube is great for music and video entertainment. I study the scripture Iand find out a lot about ancient history and all manner topics relating to the word of god. It's also very good for learning new skills on any subject you can imagine.

  • J G

    I thought about the topmost 2 comments of this informative post, which stated:
    "...How to Put Down Your Phone and Pick Up the Bible...Is your smartphone's unending supply for information and entertainment drawing you away from God?..."
    I thought; I put UP my phone and pick up my Bible, because I place my phone on a stand in front of me while using the elliptical machine at a local gym, but this particular entertainment help keep me focused via eyes, ears and touch.
    My phone has a free KJV application on it so I have the entire Old and New Testaments available immediately with a few depressions on the cell phone itself.
    Also, I have hundreds of excellent sermons (no throw-aways) stored in my phone in the form of mp3 and/or mp4 format well worth re-listening to anytime I want to.
    In fact, I go to a gym to listen to a sermon and read cited scriptures to help me endure the heart-felt exercise. Exercise is secondary to me b/c it profits little but, regardless, moderation is needed with ALL THINGS.
    "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." Phil 4:5
    The gym is NOT a quiet place: it is noisy. Enter those blue-tooth headset buds! Any headset will do.
    John

  • uruloki

    I have my Bible on my phone, with the app on the home (first) page (along with study guides). The app also allows hi-liting and annotation. Since my phone is usually with me I have a constant reminder and ready access to the Bible almost anytime, anywhere. I also have a complete audio Bible loaded on my iPhone. I know a lot of people prefer paper - but for me this works well.

  • Joy Porter

    I love that you are using your phone for good- kudos to you!! What matters most is not paper vs. digital; it's that we are getting quality time with God's word. Thanks for your comment.

  • rockygirl

    This is a great God inspired article. Thank you so much for this. I just did recently get a smart phone and it is way smarter than I am. I am forever asking my sons to help me with this or that. However, I do find myself checking my phone in the same way you have described even with my limited understanding. After reading this, I don't think I want to understand every single thing about what I can do. I am determined not to get addicted. My phone is just a phone and a way I can be reached.

  • Joy Porter

    That's great! When I got my phone, I had no idea how enticing it could be! It's a good idea to have a plan of how you are going to manage your time on there, and to teach kids how to manage their time as well.

  • Heidi Braun

    This has been exactly what I've been needing to hear for a long time now. Thank you for being so open and willing to share your own experience. I greatly look forward to trying the ideas you shared.

  • Joy Porter

    I'm glad this has been helpful! It feels like Satan is always coming up with new ways to distract us! This is just another method, but God can help us overcome it through the power of his Holy Spirit. I have also had several people ask me about the specific tools I use to manage the time I spend. I use a Chrome extension called Stayfocusd on my laptop to limit my time on social media websites, and an Android app called BreakFree on my smartphone to track my overall time used on my phone.

  • craigm

    Thanks for the article. I find the smartphone and the volume of entertainment and information it provides is indeed a big distraction from the important things of life. It takes discipline to choose more worthwhile use of my time.

  • Joy Porter

    It is a new threat to our focus on God that seems to creep in easily without us realizing what is happening! Thanks for the comment!

  • Jacob Hitsman

    Hello Joy Porter, Thank you for a well written article and timely alarm about this addiction going on around the world. Never have I had the problem of this addiction to the phone but then everyone around me is totally addicted. This is so frustrating to me because I realize how much they could gain by partaking in the society around them. In one way they are rejecting the society around them by being distracted all the time. They are saying that this app is far more important than anything I could learn from the environment around me. Because of this evil world we are a part of most people do not want to meet strangers and this is understandable.
    Here in Oslo Norway where I live now you can walk the whole distance of the underground train which is three cars and it will be filled with people and not one sound can be heard. Obsession with the phone has reached alarming proportions. Anyway happy to see you breaking this addiction and drawing closer to God. My patience is tried every day with this obsession but thanks be to God I do not over-react to this phenomenon. Let us pray that His Kingdom come and wake up the techno zombies and give them life. Amen

  • Joy Porter

    Thanks so much for your comment. It gives me a lot to think about! What a great point about rejecting society around us by always being distracted! We need to value people! Thank you for your encouragement as well. Smartphone overuse is not something I am proud to be dealing with, but know that with God's help, I can overcome!

  • Jacob Hitsman

    You are welcome Joy. Because you follow Christ you realize the problem is severe. Those not worshiping Christ also feel there is a problem because I ask them and they tell me it is mostly bad to be on your phone all the time. The joy I receive is in making them think about this addiction and it's positive and negative sides. The problem as I mentioned earlier is in the abusive world of Satan the devil and no shared morality. If you have to be cautious all the time and on guard because you never know what this person should have from you and most likely it is nothing good but instead selfishness and evil why meet someone new?
    I sincerely believe this can only be fixed by Holy God so we end up frustrated and sad over the state of affairs of mankind. Long-suffering would describe it best and Gary Petty gave a wonderful sermon on this that I enjoyed very much last night. He made it clear we all suffer with sin in the life including me so we do not judge others but are personally responsible before God at all times to uphold His truth. Thanks again Joy for your response to me above. Let us continually pray Your Kingdom come dear Jesus. Amen

  • sign_ruth

    Thank you for this..... I have same issues even though I can do without social media or apps for days ......i also set reminder which telling me to read Bible or it telling that I spend too long on it

  • Joy Porter

    Thanks for your comment. That's a great idea to set a reminder to read the Bible!!

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