Regain Control of Your Life

According to Facebook, the company’s 1.23 billion users log into the site for an average of 17 minutes each day. In total, that’s more than 39,757 years of our time collectively spent on Facebook in a single day. And that’s just one website. Numerous reports estimate that 18- to 34-year-olds spend as much as 3.8 hours a day on social media. These days 35- to 49-year-olds don’t fare much better, racking up 3 hours a day on social sites.  - Bilton, Nick. "Reclaiming Our (Real) Lives From Social Media." The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 July 2014.

Social media has become a regular part of life for many. There's no doubt it's fun to connect with friends and family, share interests, pictures, or just check out what others are up to. Businesses use social media sites to keep a finger on the pulse of their customers, as well as acquiring valuable feedback. From grandparents to grandchildren, it seems that almost everyone has, at the very least, a Facebook account.

How pervasive is social media in our society? A recent survey showed that 18 percent of social media users can’t go a few hours without checking Facebook, and 28 percent of iPhone users check their Twitter feed before getting up in the morning. This doesn't even include those of us who check our account(s) constantly throughout the day and night, as well.

Now, I'm not one to knock social media. I think that it can be very useful and entertaining in the right amount. But, it can also become addictive if not kept in check. For example, when people you know have to get your attention on Facebook because you can't be contacted otherwise; or you can't do anything without sharing it on social media just might be signs of a problem.

If left unchecked, it can permeate your life; taking control of it before you even know that its happened. African-American activist Malcolm X once remarked, "The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." The keyword here being "control."

The control I'm referring to (or lack thereof) is "self-control." Sometimes called "self-discipline," this generally refers to our ability to control or restrain ourselves from all kinds of feelings, impulses, and desires; which includes the desire for physical and material comfort.

For the believer, self-control is a vital aspect of the Christian life. This is especially so, since our unredeemed flesh sometimes makes us give in to the constant pull of our sinful desires. I like to compare this persistent tug with social media. It's the constant pull that draws us back for more and more.

It's this draw of sinful and worldly desires that makes pleasing our Lord not always an easy thing to accomplish. Undeniably, our seemingly ravenous human appetites and needs can easily lead to sinful excesses if not controlled. Clearly, without self-discipline, our appetites for comforts and pleasures can easily take control and lead us into sin or otherwise impede our spiritual walk.

Therfore, It's crucial to understand that self-control is a work of the Holy Spirit, not a work of the individual (Galatians 5:22-23). And, since we are only the branches upon which the Vine (Christ) hangs the fruit He produces (John 15:1-8); it's the presence of the Holy Spirit which abides within us that gives Christians the power and ability to exercise self-control so that we will not be mastered by the of “cravings of sinful man.”

The apostle Paul said, “God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). As pointed out, Christians are not controlled by the sinful nature, but by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), who helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26), which makes us able to say “no” to sin.

In closing, regain control of your life. Be more victorious in your Christian walk. Exercise your Spirit-given self-control, Respond in obedience to the commands of Scripture and grow in your spiritual life.

Scripture: Proverbs 25:28; 2 Timothy 1:7; Titus 2:12; Galatians 5:23; 2 Peter 1:5-7

Prayer: Dear Lord, I pray for Your guidance in all that I do and say. You are in control of my life; and I will follow Your voice wherever it may lead me, in Your mercy and grace. Amen

May God bless you!

Elise