I’ll never forget the day I first got internet access at home back in the mid-90s. I was clueless, fumbling with a screeching dial-up modem that sounded like a cat arguing with a fax machine. Honestly, even now, I’m not sure I’ve cracked the code on this whole internet thing. I keep hearing about “the Cloud” where all our data lives—like it’s some mystical, floating vault in the sky. Is there a secret fortress somewhere with a guy in a cape guarding our passwords? Who’s got the keys? I have so many questions!
But one thing I’ve figured out: the internet has everything. It’s like an endless digital flea market—part treasure, part junk pile. And that, my friends, can be a bit terrifying.
I spend a lot of time online, and I bet you do too. Work emails, news updates, texting friends, shopping for shoes I don’t need, looking for a quick dinner recipe, or hunting for a quick Bible verse to lift my spirits—it’s all there at my fingertips. But let’s be real: it’s also a place where I can lose myself in a TikTok spiral or stumble across content that makes my soul wince. The internet is a wild mix of good, bad, and downright ugly—misinformation, gossip, pride, and, yeah, plenty of sin just waiting for a click.
“ I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil.” – Psalm 101:3-4
He didn’t have internet access when he penned this psalm, but King David’s words would certainly apply to our ever-expanding digital age. And it reminds me that what I let into my eyes and mind matters. A LOT. It goes well beyond just dodging the big, obvious sins (though, yes, please skip the sketchy stuff). It involves saying no to anything that’s worthless, deceptive, or pulls me away from God’s truth. And, surprise!… that includes what I’m scrolling through on my phone.
God’s got a front-row seat to my digital life. Every click, search, and late-night Netflix binge? He sees it all. I don’t get to have an “online me” that plays by different rules than the “real-life me.” As a follower of Christ, I’m called to bring the same integrity and holiness to my screen time as I do to my Sunday morning worship. No split personalities allowed.
The digital world isn’t going anywhere, and neither is God’s call to live purely. It takes some serious discipline to scroll past the clickbait, to shut down the tabs that tempt me to stray, and focus on what’s true, lovely, and good (Philippians 4:8).
Proverbs 4:23 puts it perfectly: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Former Blackout Artist 