Social media Addiction: The Lies boredom tells
Social media addiction: Being Bored is a lie
I know that reading this title did either two things, make you interested to read because you think it’s foolish or because it sounds like something you may have begun seeing for yourself and what to know more, or a third option - a little bit of both. This is not something I heard that gave me this revelation but rather something the Holy Spirit (that is the Spirit of God for those who may not know) instructed me to do, cut of social media and all audio entertainment like podcasts and music for a certain period which was 7 days my first time doing this. This time I am doing something similar but for 6 months. What I have come to find out and will hopefully write about it another time is 1. Breaking off social media addiction is very similar to breaking off addiction with substance use or alcohol. And 2. Being bored is a lie. When you are consistently filling yourself up with things that are going on in the world, what people say and even outside noise, it will eventually distract you and influence your dreams, goals, and life and how you approach these things. There’s a difference between inspiration and the need to do things like others. Unfortunately, today, we are more social media-based as people instead of living our own lives well, so social media is not just something we use but influences us on how to live.
So during this time of consecration, the Lord began to show me several things:
The reason why I always felt bored and like I needed to go out and do something is because most of my time was spent on social media and what I saw full of edits and glamor in a matter of seconds to minutes made my reality seem like it was not good enough.
I had spent so much time on social media that I had not been able to build and set things in my life that I wanted. I was not nurturing my life but left it to the side to see instead how people appeared to live theirs.
My thoughts were more in fantasies than in real life and If I did think in real life it was mostly negative. It was a lot of discontentment, complaining, bitterness, and hatred for the next person because they didn't fulfill my needs of pleasure like I wanted them to in comparison to how I felt when I was using social media.
I was dealing with anxiety and FOMO (the fear of missing out) because I was either not feeling like I was doing enough in comparison to the next person or the fear of not knowing what the next person was doing.
I didn't know how to be present and because of that when I first started learning how to live in the moment, taking time out of my day just to sit in silence, I felt like I was being tormented because I was not used to the sound of rest but instead the sound of distraction and noise.
I was using social media as an escape and created it to be an idol for many things, one specifically is comfort.
When I finally cut out social media, I was able to diligently work and build on the visions God gave me (this blog being one of them) and I was able to be consistent and not give up.
I am able to do everything in originality, I am influenced by the Holy Spirit and because of that, I can execute the visions and projects I work on with confidence.
I treat people better. This is a big one. Social media has caused us to pass up on good things for trash because we are trying to have our whole lives reflect 60 seconds of a dopamine high or a YouTube video. People were not as annoying nor frustrating as bitterness and entitlement were trying to make them seem. I would even say that I love better.
Excuses no longer exist, I have time for what I once used to say I did not have time for.
I’ve increased in knowledge, discipline, and maturing my skills that are bettering my future.
I know, see, and believe that God is enough for me and what He gives is enough. Before this experience, I would get frustrated with God because I wanted Him to perform for me on a worldly level. How crazy is that? You are being entitled and acting like GOD, THE GOD, owes you after all the good He’s done for you, and complaining that what He has given you is not good enough and you want Him to decrease from His God capacity and abilities and begin working at a human capacity. Whew! thank God for His mmeeeerrcccyyy cause your girl be trippin’ sometimes, But He gets me back up every time. This also lead me to constantly ask the Lord to do something knew, thinking that I needed and “shift” or “breakthrough” when actuality I just needed to learn how to be content and not covet. Exodus 20
You begin living for God instead of what people think about you or what you assume they will think about. Only one voice matters and that is the voice of God. What is a created thing doing telling another created thing how to function? Foolish right? A Lot of things we have allowed to control us is foolishness.
The more you dwell on social media, the more lazy become. Your motivation to even do simple everyday things begins to decrease because all you want to do is get dopamine highs that leave you empty when you reach your limit. This is very similar to pornography.
Living your real life is actually beautiful and being able to have your peace without being dependent on anything in this world is powerful. You don’t feel like you are running out of time all the time always need to change something in your life, or feeling discontent. You learn to love and enjoy your life.
Healing and deliverance need to be done. It’s a part of the freedom process.
I have more clarity and I can hear God better. This has led me to receive greater instruction and strength to go about my life and the will of God concerning the earth. I am better equipped to do what God wants me to do.
Fear has departed and the fear of the Lord has kicked in.
There are many more things that I can add to this list, who knows maybe I will update this blog from time to time as I keep walking in this journey, but I will stop here for now.
A disclaimer:
Majority of the content I watched wasn't demonic. I think people think that if they were watching sermons or listening to Christian music that this would not apply to them but I will like to say if you don’t know how to serve and worship God for yourself without being heavily dependent on these things than you are wrong and many of us don’t even realize it until something challenges that. Yes, these things are important but don’t be dependent on voices, be dependent on God, His Spirit, and His word. Worship is not when we just sing to God along with a song but when we just sing to God. Practice being in the presence of God and allow Him to be the preacher/ teacher. Practice being the instrument of God and worship unto Him by yourself from your heart, practice seeking God with just your and His word. Be still and know that He is God.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that social media prevents us from living our own lives.
I am not saying social media is completely bad. The gospel, businesses, and good information gets spread across social media every day but there is a limit on how much that can actually feed us. The true fulfillment comes from us living our God-given purpose. This was true for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when He lived here on earth. John 4: 31-34 states, “ 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
So now I want expose the Lies that boredom tell:
FOMO. The fear that your life will be incomplete without you being on social media, that your spiritual life will go downhill if you're not listening to your favorite ministers, that you need to know all that the people you follow are doing, or need to know what is happening on social media is a lie. God did not build you to be completely dependent on a person but on Him, cultivate actual relationships and not ones based on social media and in your head. When you realize FOMO is a lie you will actually appreciate and love your life.
You don’t have enough time to work on your purpose or your visions. Cancel out social media completely. Create a a weekly schedule with plans that will help you work on what God has put in you to do, Not only will you see how productive you become, but you will see how present you are in other areas in your life. This will bless you to see that God has made you more than capable of doing what He’s called you to do and it’s not as hard as laziness was whispering in your You will also see how dumb your excuses were and how lazy you were.
Your life is boring. If you think your life is boring it’s probably because you are not present in it, meaning you're not living it. Find hobbies that you would like to do, read books, read your Bible more, pray more, go walking, bike riding, go to the store without listening to something, explore your city, learn how to be present. Knowing how to be present in your now will help you work towards the future God has for you and help you be content every step of the way.
God is not enough and what He gave is not enough. This is really when you allow the enemy to begin whispering in our ears and allow him to borrow our eyes. This is what happened to Eve in the Garden of Eden when he deceived her into thinking that the apple that God had forbidden her and Adam to eat was better than what God had already prepared for them. This is why you must cast down any thought or imagination that comes up against the Knowledge of God, 2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV reads, “5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Anytime you believe that what the devil and demons say is right, just know you have already stepped outside of the will of God for your life and will begin compromising for a lie, living below God’s glory. But it can and must be stopped. Repent and ask God to keep you focused on Him, it happens but the more you fight eventually you will not deal with it so much.
That you are inadequate and need something else to fill you up. A Lot of times this comes from the comparison aspect of using social media. You begin to feel like anything that you do specifically is not good but if you were to see someone else do it, it’s not only good but better. It’s weird, it is like a reverse hypocrisy. Not realizing that you're good at something but thinking that it’s better in someone else. Or this can be you comparing yourself to someone else who is called to a completely different purpose than you. This can also be someone who does not live for the Lord and you envy their lives. May I encourage you to not envy the evil doers of this life. Do not envy those who don’t live for God, Psalm 37 verse 1 says “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” (I recommend that you read the whole Psalm 37, it is filled with the promises of God in how he covers His people and is a good chapter to read to get your heart right when you do get a little envious). You begin to believe the lies of the devil about you instead of the truth of God concerning you. You begin to play the voices of those you compare yourself to in your head and think they are always criticizing you. Know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God did not make you lack when He created you and gave you the gifts of His Spirit, they are sufficient for you and your life. Meditate on God’s word until you believe it and once you do, continue meditating on it to maintain what you now believe.
Declaration: I love me, I love my life, and I love God, He is more than enough for me and everything He does is more than enough for me.
So How do you overcome this?
Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
You need to first BE in the sense of knowing how to just be the person God created you to be, knowing how to exist as yourself. Then you maintain this when you know that God is God. Our identity is in Him, so when we know God we will know who we are and we will have faith that will keep us firm in that. We will know that He is above all things, this gives us comfort and peace in life, that God is indeed exalted.
Another tip, really a necessity for your freedom. Take some time off of all social media and cancel out noise. I say at least 1 week, then 1 month, then 3 months then 6 months. The goal of this is not to take a break and then go back to social media in a way you used to be but, to develop self-control and discipline where you are not dependent nor addicted to it at all, living and loving your real life. Fasting and prayer do need to be incorporated during these periods to break the addiction at the root and any evil spirits that came through. Repent, forgive, renounce, and replace with God’s truth as you seek Him through fasting and praying.
Reflect and see what may cause your boredom, yes although I touched on social media other things can be a factor in you being bored.
Music can be beautiful, but sometimes the instrumentals, lyrics, and the artist's voice can cause us to begin fantasizing and envying a different lifestyle from the one we actually live. This is why I am big on believers listening to worship music only and not secular music but also taking breaks from listening to music and just worshiping God yourself. Another reason can be you are really dependent on the presence of another person and your do not like to be alone, more than likely there is a root issue. Please seek God for counsel on what may be your root issue(s) and triggers leading you to do things out of boredom and anything else. Social media addiction, fear or discomfort of being alone, and FOMO are just surface fruit, there is a root issue. Ask the Lord to heal you and free you from it, He is more than willing. I know through this experience the Lord has revealed underlying things that he had to heal me from, though some days were hard, I’m glad he was, and still is, more than willing to heal me completely.
My prayer is that God’s grace breaks you free from all addiction and that you know what it is like to be free in Him completely in Jesus’ name. God bless and thank you for reading.
Side note: Something I have begun intentionally doing is not saying I’m bored. I believe life and death are in the power of the tongue, so even if I feel bored, I surrender it to the Holy Spirit and ask God to give me an idea for something I can do. I can testify that this has not failed me since I started doing it, and almost every time, I am able to see what caused me to feel bored.
Also, If you would like to accept the love of God and His son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or even if you have backslidden and want to return to the Lord, Here’s a prayer to guide you.
“ God almighty, I come before you to accept your love, to no longer reject you and what you have done for me. I choose to stop running from you and to finally stop rejecting myself of your love. Thank you for dying for me Lord Jesus, thank you for taking on my sins and shame. Thank you Lord that you became a curse for me so that I would no longer be bound by them but set free by your blood that was shed for me. Thank You for making yourself available to me, as friend, father, Lord, God, helper, comforter, savior, and all the good things I need in my life. Jesus I love you and ask you to help me keep loving you like how you want me to. I accept you completely as my Lord and savior, not what this world and demons have presented to me. Now I declare in the both spiritual and physical realm, that I not longer belong to Satan nor his Kingdom but according to Colossians 1:13, God has delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and has placed me in the Kingdom of light, where Jesus Christ is, I declare I belong to Jesus Christ and I now seat with Him In heavenly places. I rebuke all demonic retaliation in me making this decision and come into agreement with a sound mind in Jesus name. I repent, renounce, denounce, and divorce myself from all the sins I’ve committed (list what you can remember) and break the evil covenants associated with them, and I declare once again I am a part of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. In Jesus name I pray and seal this prayer in His blood, Amen.”
Hallelujah! Congratulations if you made this decision. I pray that you prevail in your walk in the Lord, that forces of darkness continue to fail concerning you, and that the forces of light continue to persevere and propel you in the name of Jesus.
And if you have not yet, get you a Bible. Please, it’s a lot of ghetto foolishness concerning Christianity and religion. The Bible is the only way to protect you from it and will show you how to be a Christian and have a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
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