Living in High-Tech Society

Nowadays, most people, if not everyone, are owners of high-tech gadgets and are knowledgeable when it comes to high technology. If you know nothing about using cellphones, digital cameras, television, computer, browsing internet and so fort… Then, you may be considered dumb. For everyone knows how to use at least one gadget of today’s generation.

As the year passes by, the upgrading system of each gadgets is also unstoppable. Today it was just a computer, the next day it was a laptop. Now it was a MacBook, tomorrow it’s an iPad. There was just a basic phone and now, I don’t even have any idea what’s the latest cellphone model there is! At the age of 22, at some point I can still consider myself “illiterate” on some newly released gadgets.

“It’s better to be simple than sinful…” Living in this high tech generation, I often think that one has to be real tough in order to survive his Faith in Christ. In every move we make and every step we take, there’s always a corresponding temptation awaiting for us to give in. The battle with the social media is getting worst each day.

I’ve heard some people who think they’re strong enough say that it really depends on a person. They say that one cannot fall if he is careful with what he watch on the telivision, in the internet or even in his cellphone. That got me thinking…

Yes, it may depend on a person. But I believe that the Bible warned us about “abstaining from all the appearance of evil…” (1 Thessalonians 5:22) There’s a quote that says “Prevention is better than cure.” Often we neglect how important it is to keep ourselves from temptations. If we know that our faith is at risk, why would we still try? If we know that what we’re going to do, to say, to watch, to read, to go to will put our faith in question, then why would we still do it? Say it? Watch it? Read it?

Let me give you an insight. It has always been a battle for women to wear “modest apparel” at all times. At some time, she may be able to brace herself but in the long run, she will begin to find excuses on refraining to do so.

What might be the cause? I point it all out on the social media – the advertisements, billboards, magazines, TV ads, TV shows, movies, etc… When “lust of the eyes” is included in three major sins, it doesn’t only speak with “sex”. Anything that we see that causes us to want it so bad is a lust. So whether it’s a body of another person or a thing – it’s a lust! Lust is an overwhelming desire or craving. With “lust of the eyes”, you cannot desire for something you haven’t seen yet. Once you laid your eyes upon something that looks so beautiful in human’s eye, that’s where the “lusting” for it begins.

Now, when a woman sees another woman looking oh, so beautiful and oh, so hot on that dress and that haircut – she will suddenly feel the desire to want it for herself. The Holy Spirit gives us the knowledge and convicts us on the importance of being beautiful in God’s eyes. But when the girl lets herself – her own self-inflicted conviction reign in her heart, then there goes her desire to be like that model or actress or whoever it was she was seeing or looking at. Imagine that happens to a lady when she looks at a worldly model – and that gets to be the scenery everytime she sits on the couch and lay her eyes on the television; or on her desk browsing the internet; or in a class party.

It’s also the same thing with men. Often they become the “root” of broken marriages. Leaving a wife for another lady. Choosing friends over the family. Working all the time so he gets to buy every cool gadgets he wants – leaving him no time to spend with his family.

I also saw some young people of today who struggles in “growing in the knowledge of God…” for instead of reading their Bibles, studying verses and memorizing gospel songs – they are on the internet, talking to friends, blabbering about their favorite “rock stars”; or they are on the phone, talking nonstop with their friends or boy/girlfriends; or they are in a party with “worldly” peers…

Yes, I want to blame it all on the high-technology! I hate it! Sometimes, I wish I live in a remote area, where there are no signals, no internets… Just me… And the trees… And the sea… And the animals… sounds like Garden of Eden? Oh, how I wish it could be. But I know there’s no turning back. The man has gained wisdom and knowledge how to do things on his own. And the only way is for more improvements. I can imagine how the world would look like 50 years from now.

Now what I’m trying to say is… It’s time to check ourselves again. Are we still under God’s protection? When we let His Holy Spirit rule in our lives, no any form of weapon against us shall prosper – and that applies for both spiritual and physical! But how can God protect us if we don’t let Him? And then if we don’t have any protection from Him, then we’re already LOST!

My dear fellow Christians, it’s HIGH-TIME to beat the high-technology and let GOD RULE! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against high-technology. I have my own internet connection at home! I’m not going on hypocrisy… My point is, in everything there’s a season. If we don’t watch what we do, we may not be able to notice how bigger is the part of time we spent on the high-tech world rather than the time we give for our Christian Living. God gave us the freedom to enjoy the fruit of our labors – but we must keep in mind that at the end of the day, everything will perish and what will matter most are not the things we gained in this world but the things that we invested in His Kingdom.