VIOLENT PRAYERS TO DESTROY SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION

Violent Prayers To Destroy Social Media Addiction. Desiringgod. org Social means—- communal community community-based collective group Media — the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the internet) regarded collectively. Created demands “Personal affirmation. The approval of man. Constant social connection. Fear of missing out. Needy for distraction from life. Needy for constant entertainment. Needy for rumours, gossip and knowledge to puff someone up. What’s the driving force at the heart of this? Why is there so much craving for all these things?” An endless search for own glory, and that self-glory never is enough. It doesn’t last. There is an emptiness that is looking to be filled. I can never get enough of something. People are, more essentially, broadcasting the vastness of their inner hunger, emptiness and neediness to the world. And those needs are not satisfied with just a little more Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok — nor with a little more self-affirmation and self-praise. It all exposes a need. We live in an age of increasing anxiety. Rising rates of depression are common now among teen boys, and especially teen girls. Not entirely but largely to blame for it are the communications technologies that feed a 24/7 comparison culture they cannot escape. Teens are always within moments of sharing something digitally, standing ever ready to act and capture and spread. Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok elicit from them something of a digital beauty pageant, a race to impress with wit, or confidence, or sex appeal, or wealth. But under these ambitious impulses to share at any moment of the day or night remains a low-grade insecurity. When teens fail to impress, and an image or selfie or video sits out there in the digital space unliked and unloved and unshared, it casts self-doubt. What Christians are realising is that social media is not a toy. Snapchat and Instagram and TikTok are not simple hobbies. To enter a social-media platform is to enter into a virtual theatre of spiritual warfare. Social media is spiritual war. The biggest problem facing us is not how much time spent on social media; our problem is that we engage social media with our spiritual guards down. We don’t expect to be met there with predators, sharks serpents and scorpions, satan and demons. So how do we engage in spiritual warfare, even when it’s within a virtual platform? That’s the relevance of Ephesians 6 in the digital age. For this session, we will look at Ephesians 6 11 Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Ecclesiastes 1 8 All things are weary with toil and all words are feeble; man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What Is Phone Addiction? Phone addiction is the obsessive use of a smartphone. The behavioral addiction is often dubbed as “nomophobia,” or the fear of being without a mobile device. Negative Effects Of Phone Addiction  Chronic phone use is a recently developed form of addiction. According to several studies, over time, the devoted use of smartphones can alter and negatively impact an individual much like gambling. Phone addiction may lead to:  Sleep deficit Lower concentration  Creativity blocks  Aggravated ADD Anxiety Reduced cognition  Stress Loneliness Insecurity  Impaired relationships Poor grades Suicide It is important to note that there has also been a rise in depression and suicide among teenagers in recent years correlated to phone addiction. Adolescent girls are particularly susceptible to the risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2010-2015, the suicide rates rose by 65%. At the same time, the rate of severe depression among girls increased by 58%. Many researchers believe the rise in suicides is a direct reflection of the negative effects of phone addiction.  Signs And Symptoms Of Phone Addiction Lying about smartphone use. Loved ones expressing concern. Neglect or trouble completing duties at work, school, or home. More and more time using a phone. Checking peoples’ profiles repeatedly due to anxiety. Accidents or injury due to phone use. Working later to complete tasks. Weak or non-existent social life. Isolation from loved ones.  A feeling of lack of connection. Angry or irritated if phone use is interrupted.  Getting up at night to check a phone.