Facebook Struggle

There is a common theme I have noticed in the past few years. More and more Christians are deleting their Facebook accounts or struggling to maintain staying on social media. What was once created to help us connect and enjoy life together has become toxic and bombarded with political correctness and unfiltered opinions. As a christian, I struggle to stay on social media. As a devoted follower of Jesus I have chosen to live a life of purity and pursue holiness and how can I do that when I scroll down my news feed to see random articles of gossip and or sexual pictures. I chose to be on this site but I struggle to stay a part of it and I know I am not alone. Jesus teaches us that what we put into our hearts comes out of mouths (Matthew 15:18). So if what we read, look at or watch comes into our hearts, how do we protect what comes out?

When we check social media we can expect to find a few things 1) The world is perfect for everyone else 2) Life is more fun somewhere else or with someone else 3) the world is falling apart 4) Social media determines what is relevant and what is not. I'm guilty of clicking on the "wait til you see what he/she did next" articles. I am guilty of clicking on pictures or articles that I know will steer my mind in places it shouldn't go. I am guilty of judging others by their posts and worst of all I am guilty of condemning others in my mind.

So if I struggle to be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, ect., why do I stay on it? Why put up with this constant struggle when at the click of a button I can go back to my sheltered life pretending like the world is better without all the negativity and sin on social media? The answer is simple, I'm called to be a witness of Jesus Christ. If all the Christians I know deleted their Facebook accounts who would be on the #1 visited site in the world proclaiming the Gospel? We would make a dark place even darker. When we are called to be the light of the world, that phrase transitions to all forms of communication. Now I am not saying I or anyone else will save souls on Facebook but people will be able to see the life transformation of Christ through me. I will testify the things the Lord has done in my life. I will post truth and thank God for the good and the bad events and praise Him for never leaving my side. If you want to be a follower of Christ on Facebook there is no right way to do it but here are a few rules I apply to my post that have helped me:

1) Pray before you post. 
I will literally type out what I want to post and then ask myself does this post show the love of Christ, will others be turned away by what I say or will others see the love of our Father through my words or picture. I have written many responses, post and blogs that I did not post because I felt the Holy Spirit stop me and I have to be okay with not sharing my thoughts.



2) I refuse to vent anything negative or pessimistic
 In the world of social media their are so many posts about hate, judgement, greed, lust and trends and although tempting to comment or respond, I choose not to voice my opinion. I'm here to tell you it is okay to NOT have an opinion on everything. It is impossible to be an expert on everything and there are plenty of things in this world I know nothing about or do not have all the facts so I do not share my opinion. If I decide to post or respond I will choose to say something uplifting, inspiring or encouraging.

3) Be human
I believe God wants us to show our human side to people in all forms. Life is not perfect and we should not pretend it is. Paul proclaimed that he was the king of sinners.The most attractive thing about Christianity should be our humility. We should be owning up to our shortcomings and in return explaining our dependence on Christ and a need for savior.


4) Watch your words
 Words have power and influence, therefore you must choose them wisely. Believe it or not the bible speaks against using profanity, gossip and perverse talk. But don't just take my word for it, here's what God tells us:

"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." -Colossians 3:8

"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place but instead let there be thanksgiving" - Ephesians 5:4

"I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give account for every careless word they speak , for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" - Matthew 12:36-37

 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as it fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

5) Love and encourage others
Facebook is by far the easiest way to encourage or make someones day. Imagine if everyone on Facebook left one uplifting message or compliment on someones wall a day how much better the world would be, I can only imagine. Use facebook as a tool to inspire others. The best part is, with only a few clicks, you can make someones day. I dare you to try this for a week, you'll feel better about how you use social media.

6) Avoid Gossip

Today gossip doesn't look like it did in middle school. It comes in various forms which include but are not limited to: sharing other peoples posts, sharing Facebook articles or stories, commenting or posting about celebrities, athletes, politicians or other people you may or may not know. If you repost or comment on something you need to make sure you do your research and do not take what someone says or an article you read as truth. Many things float around in cyberspace and some of it is factual and many are not. Please do not be ignorant and take the time to dive deeper and do you research before promoting whatever you decide to repost.


7) Use it to show gratitude and thankfulness
Some of the most inspiring post I have read have been by people who have lost a loved one, gone through a sickness or a struggle and still shown how their faith has persevered. I can only imagine the smile on Gods face as people read about his goodness as we face obstacles. I make it a point to thank people and show love on Facebook because the world needs to see us model it.

8) Modeling
 As parents and adults we want to raise up a generous, kind and respectful generation but are you modeling this to our youth? As a school teacher I realize my actions with children are more caught then taught and this is true in the social media realm. If you have children following you on twitter or friends with you on Facebook, I plead with you to please refrain from cursing or crude humor. Who are we to say or do one thing and then tell our children they are not old enough or mature to use those words. If you do not want your kids acting or speaking a certain way then model it.



These are just a few things that I use to help shape who I am or want to be perceived on social media. I will be the first to tell you I am not perfect, nor do I try to be. But I do believe God wants me on social media and I believe he wants other Christians on social media too. I will take breaks where I deactivate but that is because I believe in fasting and taking time to focus solely on the Lord but I do believe if we are truly called to the be salt of the earth then we need to be where darkness consumes and social media has become a place of ministry for me. I have had multiple people message me, email me, text me or call me and know that when they have questions about their faith they know they can turn to someone who is honestly trying to live out a life pursing God. Nothing gives me more pleasure then knowing God can use my life to bring his children hope. What are you posting? Have you inspired someone lately? Perhaps you are the person who feels convicted after reading this to start watching who you are on social media. Believe it or not God watches our posts, and one day we will be held accountable for every comment, post, picture or like.

Thank you for reading and if you would like to leave a comment or share please do so. My hope is that this will help encourage people to stay on Facebook and spread truth and hope to their sphere of influence. If you would like to email me or send me a prayer request, you may do so at zachary.tyler.white@gmail.com