We Have an Enemy Problem; But a Savior Answer

         If you are reading this blog, chances are that you have social media. Whether that be Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or anything else, more than likely everyone reading this has at least one of them, or maybe even all… 

Today I watched the documentary on Netflix titled, “The Social Dilemma”, and it blew my mind. If you haven't watched it, I HIGHLY recommend it. If you have watched it, then you will know what I'm talking about, but if you haven't seen it, the documentary summed up is basically a film about how social media is literally taking over this world and completely disorienting our mindsets as humans. But as enlightening and informing as the documentary was, it just kinda shocked me that they exposed all of the many, many, many problems that social media has made, but never posed a clear answer to these problems. 

Each person that was interviewed throughout the documentary addressed a certain part of life that social media has affected and the obvious bad things that have come from it, BUT NEVER GAVE US A SOLUTION! Certain people talked about how Instagram has made more and more teen girls hurt themselves because of comparison through feeds and selfies… And once the interview was over, I had been informed of how awful and heartbreaking that was, but not how to prevent it from ever happening in the first place... I heard some of the makers of Facebook talk about how depression started to skyrocket once social media became the new norm, due to the lack of followers and likes, but never let me know how I can be fulfilled in life WITHOUT the likes and follows. Countless times throughout the documentary I heard how more plastic surgeries are happening now more than ever, because of Instagram and Snapchat filters defining what beauty is for me, but I never heard anyone say after the fact why I am even considered to be beautiful in the first place. And finally, I heard of how my generation is significantly higher in the percentages to be committing suicide due to social media, but I didn't hear the people being interviewed tell the camera why our life was even worth living in the first place… and the further and further that I got into it, the more I realized that the simple answer to all of these problems that social media has created over the years, is Jesus. 

Because when we allow Jesus to come in and take over our lives, we start to live like Paul when he writes in Galatians that, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”. Because the sooner that we recognize that this life was never ours in the first place, the quicker we can get everything in the way of having a kingdom-focused mindset, out of the way. 

Finding your worth and identity in Christ is not a trendy label, but instead a gift of indescribable freedom. 

Because the documentary I watched would tell you, “just delete your social media.” But that emptiness that you would have been filing with the temporary satisfaction of scrolling through feeds and posting of airbrushed photos now would just be left empty… If you don’t have Jesus.  

This world tells you, “do what makes you happy!” “Post whatever makes you feel beautiful!” But the most ironic thing about it all is that when you actually do start to invest in the world and start letting the people on the other side of the screen define your beauty and happiness, the uglier and sadder that you feel. 

So let me do my best to solve, what I feel like is the biggest problem talked about in the documentary:

“This generation is hurting and killing themselves more than any other generation due to the lack of followers and likes that they are getting on social media.” 

The first problem is that this generation is letting social media tell us what being beautiful or handsome looks like… I mean c'mon girls, let's take the “cute baby face” Instagram filter for an example. It takes your face and morphs it until you can barely recognize yourself, and there is NOTHING cute about that! It's actually just straight-up scary to see what this world is trying to brainwash us into thinking is acceptable as a selfie. 

The hurting and suicide could be decreased tremendously if this generation started reading what THE BIBLE says about their worth and beauty instead of what this broken world says. I mean think about it, would you rather have the Author of Perfection tell you who you are, or broken people seeking the same acceptance you are? I don’t know about you but I'm picking The Author of perfection every. single. time. 

And let me speak to the guys, I don’t know when the norm switched from being sweet gentlemen that would pursue girls and ask them on dates, to making girls make the first move, and seeking one-night stands instead of one-person relationships… But I do know that it's related to social media, and again, what this world is trying to tell us! God calls ya’ll to be leaders and to seek God-fearing women; to pursue them with respect and grace, and be Godly and trustworthy men all at the same time. 

But the fact is this generation does not have a social media problem; we have an enemy problem. 

The Evil one is out to kill, steal, and destroy. And when we compare ourselves to other people on an Instagram feed, we are letting him kill our confidence. And boys, when you allow him to tell you that seeking out girls the way this world says is the best way to go about it, you are allowing him to steal your chances of having your best marriage possible. And ladies, when you let him convince you that you need to edit yourself skinnier, to get more likes and comments on a post, you are giving him the power to destroy your idea of beauty. 

Guys!! It's time to stinkin 'wake up! We were never called to follow this world. And we were NEVER instructed to keep up with the “social norms” of it either. But we were called to run the race that our God has put in front of each of us. And The Bible DOES tell us to seek His face and His kingdom at ALL costs. Even if that means you have to stop listening to what your news feed says is the newest and best filter on Instagram… 

Find your purpose in JESUS. Find your worth in the ONE who loved you so much that He gave His one and only son for you. And guys… fight the good fight. Spiritual warfare is so real, and the Evil one is using social media as one of his many battlegrounds. 

But let me tell yall the good news about all of this… None of this has to be a mystery. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, handcrafted in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13 & 14). We are worth the life of a perfect Savior named Jesus (John 3:16). And when we find ourselves in spiritual warfare, we have the Victor on our side (1 Corinthians 15:57 & James 4:7) 

Social media has so much power in our lives today, so let’s start using that potential power for the eternal Kingdom and not this temporary home that we live in. Let’s rise up as followers of Christ and fight the evil one. He has no power over us or our feeds on social media. 

Let us stop being confined to what the world tells us, and LET’S LIVE IN FREEDOM!