One Social Media Mistake Some Christians Are Making That’s Affecting Their Relationship With God

[notice type=”information” title=”Guest Post” tag=”h4″]This is a guest post by Greg Holt.  You can learn more about Greg in the bio section at the end of this article.[/notice]

If you’re anything like me, social media is a big part of your life. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, or maybe all of the above.

Did you know there is a right way and a wrong way to use these services?

I’m of course addressing only those people who are believers.

I believe that the most important aspect of social media is when you use it.

How you use social media is also important and I’ll share with you some helpful thoughts on that subject too.

An honest question for you

Let me ask you a question here, and please answer this honestly for yourself before continuing to read this article.

Each day as soon as you wake up, what is the first thing you do?

The way you choose to begin your day will not only impact how your day goes, but also what you think about throughout your day!  Tweet

Instead of beginning the day with Twitter, Facebook or You Tube, we should begin each day with God.

It’s vital to disconnect from social media at times, and especially at the start of the day. Each day is a chance to have a good day, a positive day.

Start your day with the Lord.  Spend some time in the Word of God and prayer.

The pitfalls of starting your day with social media

We achieve our balance and stay on track in life through the time we spend with God.

When we start our day with social media or other things, then we are giving those things the right of first place…God’s place.

Social Media then goes from being a good thing to being an idol and that is obviously a bad thing.

On the Internet there are computers called servers, they process information very quickly and send it on. These computers need to be very quick, and very efficient.

Our minds are the same way. Our mind is part of our spirit, when our spirit gets to have breakfast each morning, our mind is more efficient and therefore works faster and better.

When we choose to start our day with something other than God, our spirit misses out on breakfast and our mind isn’t going to function as well.

The benefits of starting your day the right way

Start your day with the Lord, you’ll feel better, you’ll make better decisions, and you’ll react to stress in a more positive way.

This also aids in keeping the Lord on your mind throughout the day, which is always a good thing.

When you do spend time on Twitter, Facebook etc., what you do matters.

For some of us, such as Peter (@petenaotg) and myself (@writinggomer), Twitter and Facebook are used primarily as ministry tools so we are selective of what we put on our pages.

For some, social media is a combination of recreational use and lifting up the name of God.

Still others use social media almost exclusively for recreational use. All of these uses of Twitter etc. are obviously acceptable.

The most import thing

No matter how we use social media, it’s important for all of us to be mindful of what we are posting on our Facebook pages or our Twitter page, even on YouTube or any other social media site or blog.

If we claim to be believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, then the content seen on our various sites should not be offensive to God or a stumbling block for others.

If we are using offensive language or posting crude things on our sites, how does that reflect on us as believers?

If you start your day with the Lord, I guarantee you will not be sorry you did . The Word is powerful, avail yourself of it each morning, and after you have done so…then visit your Twitter page or Facebook page.

Remember that what we do on these sites should never dishonor our Lord. 

[notice type=”information” title=”About Greg Holt” tag=”h4″]Greg loves to encourage the body of Christ through his writings as well as to share his faith, online and offline.  You can check out his excellent blog at Believeing God Today and you can follow him on Twitter.[/notice]

[image credit:  Phil Earnest]