Taking care of our bodies is very important to stay physically healthy, but we also need to take care of our minds. Whatever we put our minds into, affects our attitudes and behaviors, which will eventually affect our whole being, including our bodies. Romans 8:6 says, "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." In this week's devotions, we will talk about some of the ways how we can take care of our minds so that we can have more peace and godly minds. Today, I want to talk about the danger of cell phone addiction. According to studies about cell phone addiction, excessive use of phones leads to anxiety and depression because of feeling missing out. If we are always on our phones and stay up very late at night, we may be addicted to our cell phones. If we use our cell phones and cannot be still without using them, it may be a sign of cell phone addiction. Social media, such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms, lead to too much time on our cell phones. Depending on the content of what we are watching in social media affects our relationship and faith in our Lord Jesus. The media can influence the way we see the world through its subtle influence. If we are not careful, we are going to think like the world and no longer think biblically or godly. We become self-focus instead of God's focus. Tomorrow's devotion we will talk more about social and sports media platforms.
Our minds are the doorway to our souls. Whatever we allow into our minds affects our hearts, and our hearts define who we are as a person. Matthew 6:21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So, how do we overcome cell phone addiction? First, we need to ask God for strength and courage to change our lifestyle. We need to ask God to help us control ourselves for excessive use of our cell phones. I have been using Screen Time settings on my iPhone to lock my phone from 10pm to 7pm. Another way we can limit our cell phone use is to limit our use of social media. Many people are now getting phones or tablets that only have calls and texts. I am not promoting these cell phones, but if this is going to help us control our excessive use of our phones, I recommend it.
There are so many positive things we can learn, see, and experience outside of our cell phones. We can spend more time in meaningful conversation with our loved ones, enjoy walking, running, and playing sports that we love, and be able to meditate on the Word of God and pray more.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you). What is cell phone addiction? Why is cell phone addiction very dangerous to our minds? What can I do to limit my use of my phone?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, would you please continue to teach me to protect my mind from the influence of this world? Please help me to overcome my excessive use of my cell phone. Please forgive me if I don't spend time in your Word and in prayer because I spend too much time with my cell phone. Please give me the courage and strength to change my lifestyle. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.