Daily Devotional: January 29th, 2020

The Handheld Tempter

Smartphones. Arguably one of the greatest consumer technological advances in the last few decades and one of the fastest advancing. Giving the user the ability to have information, entertainment, socializing, and much more at the tips of their fingers. Most fail to realize the hidden temptation that a smartphone provides.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21

Matthew 6:21 raises an interesting point, especially if you value your time. let’s adjust the context a bit to provide a different view, “For where you spend your time, there your heart will be also”. We all value our time, but fail to realize the amount of time. inc.com combined research from Nielsen, Pew Research Center, comscore, SmartInsights, and other research institutions and came to the startling conclusion that “the average person spends over four hours a day on their device“.

Why do we spend so much time on our phones? Well one place to look is that we spend almost half of the time on social media, add that to texting and calls and we use our smartphones for an even larger percentage on overall social connections. The issue is the connections on social media is that they are based on skin deep perceptions of people, rather than the deeper relationship we’re called to have with other Christians.

One other thing that Smartphones do is enable addictions. Pornography, gaming, shopping, and many more addictions are fueled by the easiness of the tiny tempter in your pocket. So how do you resist the temptations? Here are a few steps to get you started:

1. Limit access to Social Media – Better yet take a hiatus from social media. If you feel really bold remove or disable the social apps from your phone.
2. Use your Do not Disturb Mode – Most phones have some sort of do not disturb mode, that silences your phone with the exception of trusted contacts.
3. Set Usage Limits – Most phones now have a section that allows for you to put time limits that you spend on certain apps, use these to limit your time in the apps.
4. Charge your Phone in Another Room – If you really want to focus more when you are needing to, charge your phone in another room, or far enough away that you have to get up, make yourself really consider, “do I really need to check my phone?”
5. Gamify your Phone Usage – You can track your usage on your device, set an achievable goal to hit for average daily minutes. Every week you do, reward yourself with something you enjoy (ice cream anyone?).
6. Have Someone Hold you Accountable – You don’t need to struggle through the process by yourself, your small group, spouse, mentor, or others can help hold you accountable.