Why the Online World Should Never Replace God’s Word
Have you ever had such an intense craving for something that you couldn’t have? Maybe it’s soda that isn’t available where you live or food you can only find during certain seasons. You probably try to find something similar to satisfy that craving, but in the end it’s just not the same.
At times, I do this with my spiritual life. I want to know God’s word and I crave it. But I can quickly run to my computer for the latest blog posts and podcasts to fill this need for encouragement, instead of opening my Bible.
Maybe you feel this way too. Here are a few steps that I’m taking to make sure that the what I believe is in fact coming from Christ and I hope that it will encourage you to get into the Word more.
Avoid a checklist mindset
When we wake up each morning knowing that the right thing to do is read our Bible and pray, we are growing spiritually, right? Not always. Even I, myself have fallen into the routine of waking up early, reading through a passage (because that’s what I’m suppose to do as a Christian woman) too quickly.
I know that I need God’s word. I know that it encourages me and guides me throughout my day. But how hard am I trying to apply His word to my life? Sometimes, I treat this sacred time as just another thing on my to-do list.
Many times, I end up not understanding what I read, or how to apply it. Quickly reading a passage in the Bible isn’t necessarily going to have an impact on our life.
I rush through it knowing that soon I’ll be hearing little footsteps coming down the hallway. But what if I took it one sentence, maybe even one word at time? What if my children sat down, curled up beside me and watched me study my Bible? What if we talked about the words I didn’t know and looked them up together? It’s okay to take it a little at time.
To me, that’s teaching our children that mama cares about her Bible. She cares what God has to say to us.
Know what you believe and why
“The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” -Jen Wilkin
Lately, I’ve felt a nudge in my heart to go back to the basics. I’ve been using the New City Catechism and memorizing basic questions/answers about the Christian faith. I want to be able to have these answers stored in my heart (Psalm 119:11) so that I teach my children and anyone else that I may come in contact with.
Even though I grew up in the church, I still need to be reminded about why I believe what I believe. If I want to teach my children well and if I want to truly love God, I must know Him.
Seek Help
If you are struggling to understand a certain passage, then I encourage you to seek wisdom. Don’t be afraid to ask a pastor or mentor. If we care about knowing God’s word then we will put aside our feelings of inadequacy and seek answers.
I pray that we will realize that nothing can take place of the living, breathing word that is found in the Bible. Let’s take our faith seriously and make sure that we aren’t replacing God’s Word with online content. Even the most popular, most wise blogger struggles with sin, and following them will never bring us the fulfillment that following Christ brings.
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