What Am I Feeding My Mind?

On Saturday, I did a post sharing some of the Youtube channels that I follow. I think it’s appropriate that I follow that up with a post considering what you feed your mind and the consequences of that.

 

Because what you watch, what you listen to, what you read … the things you fill your day with … these bring with them consequences in your life, whether you realize it or not.

Youtube videos. Music. Movies. TV shows. Books. Magazines. Social media. What you expose yourself to through these things will impact your thoughts and your actions.

Have you considered this? Or do you brush off the inappropriate sexual scene in a movie because: oh, it’s just a movie. It’s not like I’d actually do that.

Do you brush off the swearing, inappropriate language, and misuse of God’s name in the songs you listen to and TV shows you love because: it’s not that bad. There are worse things.

Ephesians 5:3-4

³ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Have you considered that maybe the erotic romance books you read are leading you toward sin in your mind and your heart?

Have you considered that the secular songs you listen to day in and day out are desensitizing you to the unholiness of culture?

Have you considered that by watching countless movies with sex scenes and countless TV shows where fornication and adultery are portrayed as normal, natural, and even acts of true love … that you might actually start to kind of believe that God’s design for sex is outdated?

Hebrews 13:4

⁴ Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Have you considered that the celebrities and people you follow on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube are perhaps feeding you a secular worldview, and not that of what the Bible supports?

2 Timothy 1:13-14

¹³ Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

Have you stopped to consider that maybe culture, the media, and entertainment are influencing you more than the Word of God?

If you listen to, watch, read, and discuss secular, ungodly, worldly content countless hours a week, and hear/read the Bible one, two, or maybe three hours a week … how do you expect to really act like a Christian (a Christ-follower)? How do you expect God’s Word to shape you?

How can it, when it is drowned out by the all-too-loud world that you’re giving an all-too-willing listening ear?

Many of us Christians don’t realize this. We wonder why we can’t control our minds. We wonder why we can’t change. We wonder why Christians are starting to act more and more like the rest of the culture.

We have to come face-to-face with the fact that we are cramming way more secular content and “facts” and entertainment in our minds and hearts than we are the words and ways of God.

Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

We aren’t spending enough time talking with our Father. Sitting at His feet and listening to Him. Asking our Creator and Lord what He would have us do. How He would have us act. We aren’t spending enough time pouring over His precious Word. Learning about Him and His ways and His love.

We are letting the world change us to become more like them. When, in fact, we are supposed to be set-apart. We are supposed to be lights. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth.

1 Peter 2:9

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Matthew 5:13-16

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

John 17:15-18

¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Oh, but we are losing sight of this. Forgetting our first Love. Forgetting that GOD must be our delight and our authority.

So I challenge you.

I challenge you to ask yourself:

What am I feeding my mind?

If you are feeding your mind darkness, and lies, and sin, don’t be afraid to be ruthless in cutting these things out and getting rid of them.

Even if you’re feeding yourself something that isn’t necessarily a sin, if it is burdening you, entangling you, or making so you “don’t have time” for God’s presence, be brave to make the sacrifice and find the greater joy.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Sacrifices will look different for different people.

Maybe you need to delete your Instagram account.

Maybe you need to unfollow some ungodly influences on Instagram, and rather follow some godly ones (such as desiringgod, girldefined, and set apart girl)!

Maybe you need to get to bed earlier in the evening so you can rise early enough to have a couple extra hours for prayer, studying Scripture, and just quiet time listening for God.

Maybe you need to shut off the loud music for awhile and listen to a sermon while eating lunch or doing chores. (J.D. Greear, Matt Chandler, Priscilla Shirer, and John Piper are some great Christian speakers/pastors.)

Maybe you need to turn up the music and dance and worship! 🙂

Maybe you need to cut back on the amount of movies you watch.

Or carefully examine the content of the movies you watch. Search for awesome Christian movies! (Such as The Grace Card, War Room, Courageous, Fireproof, October Baby, I Can Only Imagine, and Woodlawn.)

Maybe you need to go to a Sunday school class before the church service or join a Bible study on Wednesday nights!

Maybe you need to search out some strong fellow believers and get together with them weekly for uplifting, beautiful, godly fellowship.

Maybe you need to swallow your pride or fear and ask that older woman (or man if you’re a guy) if they could be your mentor. Confess your faults. Ask for wisdom, advice, and accountability.

Maybe you need to give up romance novels.

Maybe you need to be very careful of what books you read, even in the Christian market, but can benefit from some godly, beautiful romantic fiction! (Don’t even get me started on books I recommend! 😉 Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar and Dare by Tricia Mingerink are two I’ll leave you with for now. Feel free to contact me if you want more recommendations!)

On that note, maybe you need to read some recommended Christian Living books and Christian biographies! (Such as Breaking the Fear Cycle, Love Defined, Daring to Hope, and Silencing Insecurity.)

Trade bad content for good content.

But cut back on entertainment altogether if you’re not getting enough time with God and His Word.

Your relationship with Him is the thing that is lasting. And your relationship with those of His other children.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

So don’t let entertainment, art, culture, and social media lead you to a burdened, entangled, unsatisfied, mediocre life.

Delight yourself in the Lord. Fill your hours with Him through whatever means you can.

And Shine.

1 Peter 1:13-16

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵ but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

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Social Media – Good or Bad?

Hi, readers! You may have noticed that I’ve been a day late with my schedule these past couple posts. That’s just because I was part of a blog tour, and my set date was Sunday … so I decided to push my Tuesday post to Wednesday. But after this, things shall get back on the schedule. 😉

Today I’m going to talk a little bit about social media. Is it good? Is it bad?

There are so many social media sites out there these days. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, Goodreads, and whatever else. It seems like as soon as you make an account on one, another one gets popular and everyone moves over there. So you go make an account on that site then …

And soon you have a whole list of accounts and profiles and usernames and friends and notifications you have to keep track of.

So is this a problem?

Let’s cut to the chase. Yes. It very well can be a problem.

It can be overwhelming. Stressful. Time-consuming. It can cause discontentment, jealousy, insecurity, and even more loneliness than you had in the first place. It can open up doors for unhealthy friendships or sexual temptations.

On the other hand, social media can be used in a very good way. It can provide platforms that you would have never had. It can get you connected with like-minded people who share your interests and passions that you wouldn’t have met otherwise. It can help you stay in touch with friends and family who move far away. It can help spread the word about your work, passion, and pursuits.

If not for social media and blogs, my sales for my fairy tale novella would have been cut down dramatically. Because of my presence on Goodreads and my steady blogging, I was able to connect with readers and writers who were interested in me and my work before I ever published my first book!

Through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and blogging, I was able to spread the word once my book was published and got a lot more response than I expected. Even most of my relatives, family, and friends who bought my book heard about it through Facebook and ordered it directly from me – giving me more of the profit and them a cheaper price.

So without social media, internet, blogs and the like, the things I’m passionate about – writing, blogging, reading, bookish stuff – wouldn’t be even half of what they are today.

Today I run two blogs. I have a Youtube channel. I’m a published author of a novella. I’ve connected with some of my favorite authors. I receive free books to read and review from publishers and authors. I’ve “met” many an introverted, bookish writer who I can relate to so much, and I’ve received such encouragement and blessings from these lovely “online friends”!

I’ve gotten emails and messages and comments from people telling me how my blog post or book has encouraged and spoken hope to them.

I’ve been able to connect with distant cousins and this opened the door to actually getting to know them in real life! *happiness*

I’ve been asked about my writing and when I’m going to publish my next book. 🙂

I have a PURPOSE in this. There is meaningful work in it. I’m able to use my passions and gifts and get them out to the world somewhat, and then see God work and use my efforts in other people’s lives! Stranger’s lives, sometimes! This is truly beautiful.

Also, I have read lots of blog article that have strengthened me in my walk with Christ. And ones that have encouraged me mightily as a writer. I have learned, and discovered, been encouraged & challenged, and listened to many a great and passionate speaker.

I can scarcely begin to list all the incredible ways I believe God has used blogs, Youtube, social media, internet and the like to impact my life.

On the flip side, I’ve struggled with wasting time on social media or checking it too much in a day because I’m looking for some fulfillment or companionship.

Scrolling through Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram because I’m bored, lonely, or anxious is not profitable or using my time wisely.

I realized this some time ago and decided I needed to get a life. 😉 So now days I’m only occasionally on Pinterest or Instagram (I don’t post on Instagram, I just follow some people), and I am purposeful about limiting my Facebook time. Some days I don’t check it at all because every time I go to check it, I realize I’m just bored or lonely and I know there’s something else more meaningful that I can be doing.

Psalm 107:9

⁹ For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Mainly, Twitter is used for sharing my blog post or Youtube video links. No more mindless scrolling on there either.

Some time ago I was getting anxious and feeling down because of all the bad news and arguments on Facebook, so I went on a Facebook break. I think I was off for a month. Friends, social media breaks are a great thing to do every once in awhile. Let yourself breathe, and give yourself a check up: Is this break so hard that I might actually be addicted to my social media?

Youtube is one that I still struggle with every now and then. Once I start watching videos, it can be hard to stop. Like when I find a really well-spoken young conservative talking about all the hot topics of the day, I can find myself staying up way too late, just clicking on the next video … and the next video … (Liz Wheeler is one such conservative I’ve admired!)

So that’s something I have to be careful about. I need to set a timer or something. 😉

Besides being a waste of time, social media can cause anxiety (as I mentioned in the example above), discontentment, or jealousy.

Friends, if your social media is provoking you to these things, you need to make a change. It’s not worth it. Take a break. Or delete your account altogether.

Proverbs 4:5-6

⁵ Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.

Social media can expose you to sexual immorality and temptation. This is more of a danger/struggle for men, but it’s also something girls need to be aware of and careful about. There are some women who have been drawn into pornography and the like, so we should never pretend there’s not nastiness to be found on the internet or that we are immune to temptation.

If social media is causing you to stumble in this way, get out! Get rid of it! It is, in no way, worth your purity and peace of mind. There are blocking and accountability programs you can get if you (or your children, someone in your family, etc.) struggles.

Matthew 5:29

²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you;

Is it lowering the quality of your time spent with family and friends?

Is it taking away from your time alone with God? Is it messing with your relationship with Him in any way?

Colossians 2:6

⁶ As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

There are a myriad of other negative things, as well. From the temptations to post slightly seductive photos in order to feel beautiful and good about yourself, to unhealthy online dating relationships, to feeling safe to say nasty things because you’re behind a computer screen.

So as amazing as social media and internet access can be, they also come with weighty responsibility. And if we want to use social media in a God-honoring way, we need to step up to that purposeful maturity and responsibility.

1. Honestly evaluate your social media – how you use it, how much time you spend on it, how you affect other people with it, how it makes you feel, etc.
2. Take action. Make boundaries. Be purposeful. Take the steps necessary to keep you responsible.

So whatever you do, do it all for God’s glory and honor! If social media is causing you to be tempted, lazy, become anxious, neglect important or meaningful things – if it is in any way pulling you away from God or His purposes for your life – then step back and make some changes.

1 Corinthians 10:31

³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Just because something can be great, doesn’t mean it can’t also be very negative.

And that’s what I have to say for now on this subject.

Use your blog, your social media, whatever else FOR GOOD. And don’t forget to get plenty of time with people face-to-face. Hang out. Encourage each other. Laugh. Have dinner together. Get down on the floor and play with your kids.  Talk to your loved ones without any distractions. Meet new people. Make friends. Connect often. Spread the good news. Make disciples!

In everything you do, both online and face-to-face, do it all with the desire to make much of His name.

Go forth in God’s peace!

❤ Lady Grace

Psalm 27:4-5

⁴ One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.

⁵ For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.