Hey everybody! Pastor Lisa asked me (Michaele) to be the guest blogger this week as she has surgery done on her knee. The staff is getting together to send her some “Mummy” shaped treats with the message, “Bust out of those bandages, in the name of Jesus!” LOL!
Be in agreement with us for a quick and speedy recovery for her. She was full of faith yesterday and excited to get this done!
Section 4
Did anyone else want to stand up and do a slow clap for this section? Wow! I did. From the very first paragraph I thought, “Lord, you might have to hold me back!” ;) I get really passionate about this topic!
I’ve gotten the opportunity to share with parents of our students on building digital guard rails for children and teens. I had a small glimpse of what kids were being exposed to but as I began to do more research my heart began to break for these kids and all I really wanted to tell the parents was — BUY A FLIP PHONE. Before you write me off as crazy, let’s jump into what Jimmy Evans was talking about in these chapters.
Today, we are witnessing a complete rejection of morality, especially since the advent of the internet. In the past quarter century, we have watched the world around us change. - p. 124
I know many of you would agree, as we take a look around, that things have changed drastically in a very short period of time. I was born in 1987, the same timeframe that the World Wide Web was just beginning to be implemented on computers, that probably weighed more than I do. By the time I was in high school I had access to a desktop computer that did not have a camera but had dial-up internet where I could email and online chat with my friends. When I graduated, I was able to get my Facebook account that was originally created for college students only. Fast Forward only 15 years and we now have access to the unimaginable and the ability to share the unthinkable from a small computer that we, along with children as young as first grade or less, carry around in our pockets.
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, and always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth… - 2 Timothy 3:1-9
I was soaking up every word as Evans parallels the immorality that we read about in the days of Noah and Lot with the society we find ourselves in today. As he mentions the men who were banging on Lot’s door trying to commit sexual sin with the angels (Seriously?! Yes, read Genesis 19) — I began to ask myself, what if that was in 2020? That wouldn’t be just an act committed by those two individuals. That act would’ve been live streamed or shared for potentially 100s of thousands of people to witness and some to even commit themselves. The rapid speed in which lawlessness, sin, and immorality can now be committed, shared, and spread is at a rate in which this world has never seen before. If that in itself doesn’t point toward end-times (following all of the signs Pastor Lisa has mentioned in the first 3 sections) WHAT WILL?
“He created morality to protect the people He loves. Immorality devastates and ruins. That’s why Paul told Timothy, “Beware in the last days — dangerous times are going to come.” Believers, we are in dangerous times right now. We live in an age with no moral restraints.” - p.128
When you read the 4 categories of immorality below, think about the difference between these categories during the days of Lot verses today and how they are expounded by social media and devices.
4 Categories of Immorality:
Exaltation of Self
Rejection of Authority
Rejection of Moral Standards
Vicious and Unloving
4 Moral Responses for Believers
Exaltation of Christ Over Self
Submission to God’s Authority and His Delegated Human Authorities
Acceptance of the Bible’s Moral Standards
Loving Others Loyally and Sacrificially
Now more than ever, we have to be a light in darkness! Aren’t you thankful for messages like Pastor Lisa’s latest Salt of The Earth series that teaches us how to navigate these days? We have nothing to fear! We will not be here when God answers this immorality — we will be gone! But until then, we are armed and ready with everything we need. We are protected, our children are protected, and we are ready to share His light and see many come to Christ as we give priority to the Word above everything else - including social media and our devices.
I may be biased, but I’m so thankful for my church and for my pastors. There is no place I would rather be and no one I would rather serve under. I’m so thankful to be able to be fed the Word of God and be given the tools that I need to be the woman, the wife, and the parent that God wants me to be in these last days!
If you have any questions or concerns about setting up digital guard rails for children you can email me or Pastor Julie at julie@theseedchurch.com
If you are an adult who is struggling with digital guard rails I want to encourage you to reach out to your pastors for help so that you can have freedom to be the person God has called you to be! This is a real and serious issue that has become an addiction for both men and women and has ruined families. But God! He is Healer, Deliverer, and Restorer — there is hope!
Thanks for joining me on the blog today. Don't worry Pastor Lisa will be back next week, and she won’t be so long-winded lol ;) Thanks Pastor Lisa for trusting me to write this, I hope I still have a job.