Winning The Battles Of The Cyberspace

Seated at my desk in the office, with my fingers diligently striking the keys on my computer, I had a goal in mind, a target to meet. I needed to mark the last item on my to-do list as ‘Done’, in order to be able to confidently say I made the best use of my working hours.

I was already way behind schedule, hence I was focused (or so I thought) on getting the task over and done with.

An ad from a popular online store popped up on my screen which reminded me of an item I needed to purchase and so I clicked! By the time I was jolted back to reality, I had spent at least 20 minutes surfing that site, and I even ended up on another one in search of that one dress.

So, I ended up wasting ample time that should have been spent on something more productive like meeting my target because I simply got distracted!

Relatable scenario innit? I’m guessing you may have found yourself in that space before.

Distraction by an online store is still relatively ‘harmless’ compared to some other sites we sometimes inadvertently wander into. Let’s cut to the chase, a pornographic or sexually explicit site is that elephant in the room.

There have been quite a number of debates on whether the internet has done more than good or vice versa, however, one fact holds true; the internet can do both harm and good. Therefore, it is our responsibility to choose the side of the divide we want to stay. Frankly, the choice is not a simple one.

There’s no shortage of avenues through which our minds can be filled with ungodly things. Starving distractions and feeding our focus is an important key in winning this battle of the cyberspace- particularly.

We must take practical steps to remove stumbling blocks in the physical so as to be able to walk in the spirit without falling.

Here are a few points to guide us:

1 Thess. 5:22b “Throw out anything tainted with evil.” (The Message) DO NOT put your ability to resist temptation to test! Joseph did not test to see if he would still be able to resist Potiphar’s wife’s temptation after hugging her, or just a peck on the cheek. The bible says ‘FLEE’. Do not click the tab that pops up just to see if you will be able to turn back in due time, what if you cannot?

DO NOT spend time experimenting or researching topics that will not in any way edify you as a Christian. Not all knowledge is profitable, some are harmful. Simply put, remember the popular saying “Curiosity killed the cat”?

Sometimes, we cannot fully control what pops up on the screen but the good news is that we can personally take measures to ensure sanity in our cyberspace by using filters. For instance, you can turn on the ‘Safe search’ settings on your Google chrome browser to filter explicit search results. You can also do a research on mobile and desktop add ons that can keep certain unhealthy sites off your view.

Beyond the internet, distractions should not be allowed in any battlefield of life. The fiery darts of the enemy are constantly flying around; hence, we must not take our eyes off our heavenly goals, lest we get hit.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”