When you scroll through your Facebook news feed, what do you see? What types of images are your eyes scanning? What types of videos do you stop to watch? When you read a post from a friend or page, what kind of words are used?
Are the things you are seeing on your Facebook news feed encouraging and uplifting? Are they filled with Truth?
Or are you seeing foul words, inappropriate images, and things you wouldn’t want your pastor seeing? If you accidentally clicked share on one of those posts, would you be embarrassed or ashamed?
Perhaps it is time to clean up our Facebook pages. This has been on my heart lately. Let me explain why I think this is important.
We should be careful about what we let our eyes see. Cautious about the words we read and put into our minds.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. — Proverbs 4:23-26
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing, and perfect will. — Romans 12:2
Just like the Casting Crowns song says, it is a slow fade when we give ourselves away. Are you giving your heart away to things of this world, things that can lead you to temptation? Sometimes, we don’t think much of the things we see or read on social media — but our minds do become immune to those things. Slowly, the black and white turn to grey.
Let me give you an example someone wise once told me. When a clock is off by 15 minutes or more, we change it. We reset the clock because we realize how off the time is. But when a clock is off by only a minute or two, we don’t bother resetting it. It’s not a big deal. But over time, that one minute turns into a few minutes off, which turns into several minutes off, and before you know it the clock is off by 15 minutes or more again.
It is the same way with us. We let a minute or two slip by — letting our eyes see things we shouldn’t, reading words that we think won’t penetrate our hearts… and that one minute turns to several minutes. Before we know it, we can be a whole hour off.
Or we can reset the clock now.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers. – Psalm 1:1-3
So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. — 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
I would like to encourage you to clean up your Facebook news feed. Sort through your friends list and your liked pages. Delete or unfriend the ones who post things you shouldn’t be looking at. I realize this could be difficult. “I can’t unfriend Uncle George. He’ll think I hate him and I’ll never hear the end of it. He’s family, even if he does post inappropriate things.” I was in the same predicament the other day. There is a way around this — you can click “Unfollow.” This way that person is still on your friends list, but you will never see their posts in your news feed. And they won’t know you unfollowed them.
After you’ve sorted through your friends list and page likes, I encourage you to like new pages.
Below is a list of Facebook pages I recommend liking in order to fill your news feed with encouragement, scripture, and daily truth. Click on each one to open it in a new tab, scroll through the last few posts and see if the page fits you. If so, click the like button. If you really like the page, you can even click See First so that the posts always show up at the top of your news feed and you never miss anything.
Becoming a Strong Woman of God
Are there any Facebook pages you would recommend adding to this list?
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