So easily distracted ....

[Smiler33]

Hi, I wonder if I can ask some advice please. I am really trying to be less 'worldly' - distance myself from gossip, not use Facebook and not spend so much time on the internet BUT I keep being distracted and going back on and look at things that I really don't need to. Why do I keep doing this? I can easily spend a couple of hours on there looking at nothing in particular.

What I've started doing is to have my lunch and then go upstairs, sit on my bed with my Bible and at the moment I have just started reading Reuben Job's Wesley's Spiritual Reader. Only early days (on day 2!) but I need some sort of routine. This is good as it gives me a verse to read, Wesley's insight, time to meditate and pray and has taken me around 40 mins each day so far.

I'd say at the moment my idol is the internet and it's so hard to break free from. I think the evil one knows my weakness but would be grateful for any advice you can give.

Many thanks.

 

[turned around]

Hi,
Hey everything we do is not sin or "worldly". How are you defining gossip? Is the Holy Spirit talking to you about this? Maybe I'm reading something into this. But are you trying to be "super spiritual". Entertainment is not all bad(relax).

Grace to you.

 

[Shattered-Reflections]

If something is an idol in our life, it's because we aren't getting what we actually need from THE source. Maybe it's acceptances and feeling good about ourselves. Maybe it's depth and emotional fulfillment. You may need to understand WHY you can't stay away from the internet, and see where you haven't been getting that from God.

We are built for community, so it could be that you also need to find better ways to get your social needs met with serving others. If you have a lot of idle time you'll waste it if you're not focused. So join or teach a bible study, go visit shut-ins, go work at a soup kitchen, volunteer, get busy doing things for the Lord.

 

[Smiler33]

Hi,
Hey everything we do is not sin or "worldly". How are you defining gossip? Is the Holy Spirit talking to you about this? Maybe I'm reading something into this. But are you trying to be "super spiritual". Entertainment is not all bad(relax).

Grace to you.

Hi Turned Around, thanks for your reply. Maybe I am being hard on myself but my default setting seems to be to look at rubbish on the internet. I have to watch out because I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and am prone to fixating on things; I'm having Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help with this. I fully realise entertainment is not all bad but I feel I need to get the balance right - at the moment it's heavily weighted to the internet side if you see what I mean.

 

[Smiler33]

If something is an idol in our life, it's because we aren't getting what we actually need from THE source. Maybe it's acceptances and feeling good about ourselves. Maybe it's depth and emotional fulfillment. You may need to understand WHY you can't stay away from the internet, and see where you haven't been getting that from God.

We are built for community, so it could be that you also need to find better ways to get your social needs met with serving others. If you have a lot of idle time you'll waste it if you're not focused. So join or teach a bible study, go visit shut-ins, go work at a soup kitchen, volunteer, get busy doing things for the Lord.

Hi Shattered Reflections, thanks for getting back to me. You are right in that something is out of balance; as I said above I suffer from OCD and think I've just been letting myself do what I want without listening to what I know I should be doing instead. Of course you know who has been rubbing his hands with glee but I am determined not to let this continue though it's going to take a lot of praying for it to stop.

I do actually help in the community and go to church/fellowship groups etc although with my anxiety this can be hard, luckily it's not too bad at the moment. My church have been offering lots of support but at the end of the day it's only me who can sit down with the Bible, open it up and read.

 

[timf]

Smiler,

In the case of OCD, you might want to experiment with things like Inositol to see if you can help take the edge off.

When my oldest daughter was about four years old, I once observed her watching older children at play. She would bounce up and down and clap her hands as if she were participating in the activity in which she had been excluded. This human ability to derive pleasure vicariously allows Satan to draw us into constructs such as the "reality" TV show Survivor and experience sensations as if we were part of something popular, important, or meaningful.

The social media Facebook, according to the movie "The Social Network" seems to have been specifically designed by college students for the purpose of getting women to make available personal information that would make them easier targets of fornication.

The "bait" that is dangled is the same that is used in school;

1. Who likes me?
2. Who is interested in me?
3. What are my "freinds" doing?
4. Who likes them?

There used to be a real world centered around families. The artificial world Satan has created is centered around self.

As the years pass and we neglect the real world, we find that we have nothing of lasting value accumulated. We have been fooled into thinking that the occasional "LOL" constitutes real friendships and relationships.

If you have not invested your time in building a real family, you can consider investing your time in ministering to those who are unwelcome in the artificial world. Those aged and inform who are unwanted may represent an opportunity for you to build for yourself treasures in heaven.

 

[Smiler33]

Hi Tim and many thanks for responding. I do take meds for my OCD/anxiety and get seen by my Christian GP every month; my therapist is well aware I am Christian too.

I do have a 'real' family - I'm married with 2 lovely children. I so understand what you are saying re Facebook and how it creates an artificial world and your credibility can seem to be based on how many friends you have, how 'cool' they are etc etc and to me this is all very much worldly and not something I want to be involved with.

Today I've decided something. Going to try to get all my work done (paid work/housework/shopping etc) and then have my time with the Lord via my bible reading/meditation/spiritual journal and then, when I would normally be coming onto the internet for waaaay too long, do something like go out in the garden/be out in the fresh air/walking instead of spending hours in front of my laptop.

This exercise will be good for my head and take me away from my greatest source of temptation as I do think the internet has become a bit of an idol for me. Don't get me wrong, I will still look at things from time to time as the internet can be useful, just not all my spare time which leaves me feeling empty and unfulfilled. Also with not always being on the computer it will be good as my 2 children will see that Mum's outside in the garden and come out with me instead of being glued to the iPad which can happen sometimes :o.

Thanks again.