Fasting From Social MediaÀpẹrẹ

Approximately five years ago, the Lord began to impress on my heart the danger of social media and how these sites were distracting me from true healing and growth. I felt intensely that I should log off completely for a season and fast. During this time, life as I knew it was completely turned upside down. My daughter had just passed away unexpectedly from SIDS, and my marriage was suffering. I decided to use my platform to share the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to others, all the while walking through the darkness of the valley of grief. Though I was seemingly doing good by encouraging others adversely, I also utilized the apps to escape the reality of what was happening deep within my soul. Although social media distracted me from what was happening in real-time, the danger was that it was also taking me down the long dark road of depression. I was broken and needed healing, but instead, I reached for my phone to suppress my grief from life and loss. 

When you don’t deal with your hurt, your pain will begin to deal with you, leading you further away from God, His Word, and our confident trust in Him, which is the antidote for all of life's grievances. Before long, prayer and praise will be far from your lips and heart as you gravitate more towards the virtual world, which lacks the ingredients for the real healing you need in real life.

Sometimes, the Lord will require you to give something up while you are at the peak of what feels like success. Proverbs 14:12 ESV states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Though I had garnered over 17,000 followers, one video had over 2 million hits, and my live stream videos were pulling in thousands of views, spiritually I was drifting, and spiritual death was imminent. So, I decided to follow the Holy Spirit's conviction to fast from social media. 

In scripture, when we observe the Saints’ fasting, it often involves food. As a millennial, born into a technology-driven generation, I believe fasting from social media can be beneficial as well. Laying down social media for a time has been one of the best decisions I could have ever made. Not only have I matured in my spiritual disciplines, but I have also healed and am more aware of those around me that need encouragement versus those in my virtual world. Both are equally important, but I’ve learned that sometimes God can do more in our obscurity than in our large platforms. 

My hope and prayer are that you will allow the Lord to search your heart to reveal if this may be something He is leading you to in this season of your life. It is never my intent to make this a doctrine but simply share a few lessons from my journey on why God may want you to lay it down so that you may pick up more spiritual habits. 

Be encouraged.