Unplug and Plug In
If most Christians spent as much time in the Word and prayer as they spent on social media, abortion would have already been outlawed, cancer would be a thing of the past, and people would be getting saved in droves. We get too distracted too easily from the things that are the most important and matter the most. As a result, many Christians have not grown sufficiently in their faith and do not operate in the level of authority that Jesus died to give them. And that is the devil’s plan.
The seed sown among weeds represents the person who receives the message, but all of life’s busy distractions, his divided heart, and his ambition for wealth result in suffocating the kingdom message and prevent him from bearing spiritual fruit. Matthew 13:22 (The Passion Translation, TPT)
The devil is working around the clock to steal the Word. One common strategy he uses is busyness and distractions. If he can get us involved in other things and keep us occupied with activities that have little or no eternal value, he has impacted our spiritual progress and effectiveness for the kingdom.
Jesus told us to stay with Him and remain in Him in order to be fruitful.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5 (KJV)
This does not tell us to abide, or dwell in, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. It does not tell us to remain in Fox News, ESPN, or LinkedIn. Only through daily vital union with Jesus can we be fruitful. We will accomplish nothing of lasting significance if we don’t spend quality time with Him. We cannot rely on the faith and prayers of our apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to change the world. It is their job to train us to win the world. Therefore, if we spend our days posting selfies and watching our twitter feed, our impact will be minimal.
Don’t get me wrong- social media and other media platforms have their place and, in and of themselves, they are not evil or wrong- but allowing them to steal the time we could be spending with God is. I have been guilty of this myself- it is amazing how easy it is to get engrossed in what people post, and before you know it, 30 or 40 minutes have gone by! We can use Facebook, Twitter and other online tools to spread the good news of Jesus, but we must not allow them to take over our day.
When you see the challenges facing this country and the world, do not get upset- get in God’s presence. We have no right to bellyache about the condition of society when we have allowed it to get this way through apathy and distraction. Now is the time to unplug from our devices and plug into God so we can bear much fruit for the Kingdom.
So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine. I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless. If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done. When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father! John 15:4-8 (The Passion Translation, TPT)
