II Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
Informed Christians should not be in a position to be caught off guard. Often the strategy of someone engaged in warfare or competition is to take every measure possible to gain an advantage over their opponent. They will employ any means available to get the upper hand. Satan's advantage is based upon people being "ignorant of his devices." But if we are aware of the methods Satan uses to lead people astray, we can resist him successfully! His methods include distraction, discouragement, disillusionment, discontentment, and discord. In the world in which we live today, one of Satan’s devices he uses to distract and destroy with is technology. It is a very valuable asset to us, but can become a great liability if we are ignorant of it. Consider some “Helpful Truths in a High-Tech World.”
I. The CONNECTED in a High-Tech World
According to Digital in 2017, a Global Overview report revealed that more than half of the world’s population now uses the Internet.
Findings have exciting implications for businesses, governments, and society in general, but they’re also testament to the speed with which digital connectivity is changing the lives of people all over the world.
It’s only been 25 years since the ‘World Wide Web’ was made available to the public, but in that time, the Internet has already become an integral part of everyday life for most of the world’s population.
It’s not just the Internet that’s growing rapidly:
14.3 trillion web pages are live on the Internet.
There are more Internet connected devices than there are people on earth.
More than half the world now uses a smartphone.
Almost two-thirds of the world’s population now has a mobile phone.
22 billion text messages are sent everyday.
More than half of the world’s web traffic now comes from mobile phones.
More than half of all mobile connections around the world are now ‘broadband.’
More than one in five of the world’s population shopped online in the past 30 days.
Consider what happens online in just 60 seconds:
2 million Google searches
15 thousand tracks downloaded from iTunes
571 new websites are created
204 million emails are sent
3,600 Instagram pics are posted every second
104 thousand Snapchat photos are shared
278 thousand tweets are sent
41 thousand Facebook posts every second
1.8 million likes every 60 seconds
72 hours of YouTube video are uploaded
Social media statistics:
2.7 billion “likes” are given on Facebook each day.
22% of the world’s total population uses Facebook
According to abcnews.go.com, Cellphone users check their phones 150 times a day!
Over one million apps are downloaded each hour.
Youtube reaches more 18-34 year olds than cable network in the U.S.
Almost 80% of the time on social media platforms happens on mobile.
Over 400 million snaps are shared on Snapchat per day, and almost 9,000 photos are shared every second.
100 million food and 146 million fashion boards exist on Pinterest.
There are about 81 million fake Facebook accounts.
100 million hours of video content are watched on Facebook daily.
The user-submitted YouTube video with the most views is “Charlie bit my finger” with over 845 million views.
Selfie statistics
More people died from taking selfies in 2015 than from shark attacks.
India has the most selfie-related death in the world with almost 57 since 2014.
55 percent of millennials have taken selfies and shared them via social media.
74 percent of all images shared on Snapchat are selfies.
1,000 selfies are posted to Instagram every 10 seconds.
There are 93 million selfies each day, which would represent 2,583,333 rolls of film.
19 out of 20 teens have taken selfies.
On August 28th, 2013, a teenager on a pilgrimage took a selfie with Pope Francis, and it was officially deemed the first “Papal Selfie.”
Every year teens spend almost 7 full workdays taking selfies
II. The CAUTIONS in a High-Tech World
Proverbs 22:3 “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”
A prudent man is someone who is cautious and aware of his surroundings. If we carelessly use technology, then we will frequently violate the principles of Scripture. Consider the principles that are violated online:
1. The principle of hearing both sides of a matter before you answer it
Proverbs 18:13 “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.”
When you form opinions without hearing the whole story, you can make some critical mistakes.
2. The principle of concealment
Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”
Personal matters too often get posted online and go public because of a failure to conceal a matter.
3. The principle of meddling
Proverbs 26:17 “He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.”
There is often a temptation for you to get involved in things that are none of your business.
4. The principle of being genuine
James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
So often people try to create an alternative identity for themselves online. There is temptation to live a dual life as a digital citizen.
5. The principle of separating from critical people
II Thes 3:6 “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”
We are to separate ourselves from individuals who seek to slander and criticize through the avenue of technology.
III. The COMMANDMENTS in a High-Tech World
Christian living and the use of technology is more than a list of do’s and don’ts, it’s a way of life. Everything a Christian does should bring glory to God. Using the digital world of technology is no different. If a Christian is to avoid defiling himself with the use of technology, he must allow himself to be shielded from evil and guided by Biblical guidelines. The following are the 10 Commandments of Technology.
1. Honor the Lord thy God by using technology for his glory.
Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” 23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
When is the last time that you used technology to be a blessing to someone or to make the Lord look good?
2. Honor thy father and mother by providing them with your user name and password for all your accounts and devices.
Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
By being transparent with your technology, you keep yourself above reproach. Everyone that uses the Internet on any device needs to have accountability. If you are accountable to no one, then you will potentially make some critical mistakes.
3. Thou shalt not seek to befriend the world.
I John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
The more you scroll the pages of social media, the more inclined you are to seek an affinity with this world. Proverbs 23:17 “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.”
4. Thou shalt not use the Internet without filters and accountability.
I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
The devil will make sure that there is plenty of “click bait” online in order to lure you into his snares. You will be very vulnerable to attack if you don’t take measures to protect yourself!
5. Thou shalt not view any wicked thing.
Psalms 101:3 “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.”
One in every three Internet searches is for pornographic material.
Every second there are 30,000 people viewing pornography online.
There are 68 million daily pornographic search engine request.
The average age of initial pornography exposure is 11.
One in every three pornography viewers are women.
Ezekiel 8:12 “Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not…”
Sin thrives in secrecy, but the only problem is your not hiding anything.
6. Thou shalt not post anything critical.
Eph 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Do not use the platform of technology to let everyone know how mad you are or how much you dislike someone or something!
7. Thou shalt not surf the web without purpose.
Eph 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”
Be careful about where and what you scroll. Idle surfing online can lead to dangerous detours.
8. Thou shalt not “share” or “like” anything displeasing to the Lord.
I Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
Be careful what you “like” online – others people can be notified as to certain sites or pics that you have liked. (Language, bad images, etc…)
Be careful what you “share” online – don’t send anything that might hurt someone else spiritually
9. Thou shalt not draw attention to thyself online.
Galatians 5:26 “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
II Timothy 3:2 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves…”
We live in a self-seeking society! If we are not careful, we will live in such a way that draws more attention to ourselves rather than the Lord.
What is the motivation behind why you post?
Is it simply to make sure people see you?
Do you draw too much attention to yourself?
10. Thou shalt not waste time by excessive use of technology.
Ephesians 5:16 “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” 17 “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
We only have a limited amount of time to do something for the Lord. Make sure that you don’t waste too much time doing things that have no eternal value to them.
Conclusion: Don’t let the devil get an advantage over you. Be aware of his devices and don’t let them distract you from God’s purpose for your life!
Article by
MATT MCDANIEL
Assistant Pastor of
New Manna Baptist Church