Luke 16:15 (AMPC)
“But
He said to them, you are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright
before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted and highly
thought of among men is detestable and abhorrent (an abomination) in the
sight of God.” [1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 21:2.]
Dear people of God, yesterday Monday October 4, 2021, the social
media applications WhatsApp, Facebook, Facebook messenger and Instagram had a
service outage for about 7 hours between 5p.m. GMT to after 12 midnight GMT.
It is reported that many users were visibly distraught and a lot
of businesses that depend on these apps to interact for business with their
customers lost billions of US dollars due to the outage.
Many casual users quickly switched over to Telegram and other
social media networks to continue their chatting with friends because it has
become an addictive hobby for them.
Though they have been conflicting reports as to what caused the
service outage, one thing that is clear from users’ reactions to the outage is
that many people have turned social media into a god, which is synonymous with
idolatry.
A recent report put the social media app Instagram under severe
attack because it has caused severe anxiety and depression amongst teenage
girls since if focused more on body features and lifestyle, issues young women
are deeply concerned about.
Social media is also reported to negatively affect the mental
health of young women because of its link to bullying, encouraging eating
disorders and causing depression.
With these negative feedback from users of social media,
especially the womenfolk, why are they still addicted to it and keep going
there?
The reason is simple, which is that the devil and his agents are
the ones controlling social media and using it to negatively influence the
lives of teenagers and young adults through pornography, cyberbullying, immoral
dating, internet fraud and all manner of vices.
What social media and mobile phone addicts usually do last thing
at night before they go off to bed or first thing when they wake up in the
morning is to take their mobile phones and start engaging in social media.
Social media has therefore become a god or an idol in their
lives, which is most unfortunate.
Does social media have any positive sides? Yes it does, which is
that Christians the world over can use it to regularly share God’s Word via
Evangelism to reach billions of unsaved souls in danger of an eternal damnation
in HELL if they die in sin and without accepting Jesus Christ into their lives
as their Saviour and Messiah.
This is the basic online activity every Christian on social
media should be engaged in obedience to the Lord Jesus’ command to take the
Gospel to every creature all over the world – Mark 16:15.
Every activity we undertake in this world is recorded in heaven
so nothing you do on social media online or offline is hidden from God and we
would certainly give account of it to God – Hebrews 4:13; Romans 14:12.
What is the lesson here for Christians?
Do not turn social media into your god by engaging hours on end
in it in unproductive activity and if you must be there, let it be more about
sharing God’s Word with others than any other activity.
For Christian teenagers, young adults and those who have turned
social media and especially their mobile phones and personal computers into an
idol by spending great time in it in chatting and chatting without any Godly
spiritual value, know today that God hates idolatry or anything that takes His
place in your life.
Repent, amend your ways and focus and feed daily more on God’s
Word in the Holy Bible and Godly spiritual activities (prayer, meditation, Church
attendance, Evangelism) before it is too late for you.
Jesus Christ is coming shortly to take away only His qualified
children in Rapture. Are you His child? Are you ready for Him?
Come to Jesus Christ today and now, for tomorrow or later may be
too late for you.
May the good Lord bless you as you heed
His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Holy Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.