Social media can be great; it provides a bridge to people with whom we might otherwise rarely — if ever — connect. As believers, it can also give us access to specific details, so that our prayers can be more attuned to the myriad needs that exist in the world. But if ever there was a double-edged sword, this is it.

There is all kinds of research showing social media use is inextricably linked to increases in depression and anxiety. It’s no wonder: we’re trying to force a round peg into a square hole. As image bearers of God, we are designed to be co-creators through communication, but social media is a poor tool for that. Rather than establishing space to create, social media calls upon our worst instincts: to react, repress, and retreat.

We are unendingly assailed by the churn of social media, constantly bombarded with discouraging, complex, and sometimes even scary information, left with only a small arsenal of often unhelpful options: reacting rather than acting, repressing rather than expressing and processing, and retreating or isolating instead of pressing in and adapting.

Human beings weren’t designed to take in so much information, particularly when there is little immediate action we can take to address it. There’s no doubt in social media’s usefulness, but we have to learn to master it so it doesn’t master us, and that starts with setting boundaries, such as taking time away from it all, limiting who we follow, and remembering we don’t always have to engage, and focusing on our purpose, which is to glorify God in all things, to simply do the next right thing in front of us, and take our burdens to the Lord in prayer.

The 20th century pastor and author A.W. Tozer once wrote, “Sometimes, when we get overwhelmed, we forget how big God is.” What a profound truth, particularly in the social media age.

Below are five Bible passages to keep in mind as you use social media:

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Main takeaway: We don’t have to carry our concerns, worries, and fears in isolation. The Apostle Paul said that in every single circumstance, we can tell God what we are feeling and, as a result, the Lord will protect our hearts and minds from the weight of this world.

ROMANS 8:26

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Main takeaway: More often than not, it seems, the issues before us are too complex and troubling to understand. In this passage, Paul made it clear the Holy Spirit helps us communicate our requests to God. We can rest assured He is advocating for us in our confusion and lack.

COLOSSIANS 3:1-2

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Main takeaway: While we should certainly be informed and engaged, we should not despair as if we have no hope. Ultimately, as Paul wrote, our lives are not determined or controlled by forces on this earth. Our security is in Jesus, and that should guide our thinking.

MATTHEW 6:30

“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you — you of little faith?”

Main takeaway: Even if His provision doesn’t look the way we think it should, God can be trusted to meet our greatest needs. If He cares enough about the earth to cover it in brilliant colors that quickly fade, how much more does God care for you, for whom He sent His Son, Jesus, to die?

ROMANS 12:2

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

Main takeaway: While we certainly ought to engage in the world, Paul warned against becoming so consumed by its trappings that we begin to mirror it. Instead, we should set boundaries and see the temporary circumstances around us through the lens of our renewed minds, which come through sanctification as a result of salvation through Jesus.

The Lord is eager to meet us in every situation and circumstance, including when we’re overwhelmed by the constant flow of information fed to us by our newsfeeds. Take some time today to turn off your phone and focus on our priority: Jesus.
Sources:faithwire

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Myanmar – In a “clearance operation” aimed at eliminating the opposition in Chin state, the Burmese Army (Tatmadaw) set an entire village on fire—including a Baptist church and a dozen other buildings— before arresting several civilians.

The fighting between the Tatmadaw and Chinland Defense Forces (CDF) has intensified since August. As a Christian stronghold, Chin state has resisted the Tatmadaw for its discriminatory stance against ethnic minorities and Christianity since the February coup. For this, the junta reinforced its offensive by transporting heavy weaponry and deploying troops to Chin state.

On October 13, while the fighting intensified across the main highway between Hakha city and Falam town in the north, a military convoy, with more than 80 trucks, have arrived in Mindat town – the southern town of Chin State.

The Tatmadaw convoy was attacked about three miles outside of Falam by the CDF militia, sources told Radio Free Asia’s Myanmar Service. In response, the military junta arrested four civilians, including a 13-year-old minor at Hniarlawn village.

The soldiers set up camp in Rialti village after the clash, not far from where the convoy was attacked, and began setting buildings ablaze. The Chindwin News also reports that the soldiers were seen looting the properties and killing animals such as pigs, goats, and hens.

A religious leader from the Rialti Village Baptist Church, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, said that the military initially burned eight homes around 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, before continuing to set buildings on fire Thursday morning.

“This morning, it was the church and our warehouse—those two were set on fire earlier this morning and at about 9:00 a.m., the remaining three houses,” he said.

“All were gone in a short while. The whole village, including the church, was set on fire. Eight houses were torched yesterday. In all, 13 buildings, including the church, were destroyed.”

Salai Za Op Lin, deputy executive director of the India-based Chin Human Rights Organization, confirmed to RFA that the military had burned down the Baptist church and other buildings in Rialti village and called the act a “war crime,” for the Tatmadaw has deliberately violated religious freedom targeting the Chin Christian communities.

According to UCA News, civilians from ethnic regions, including predominantly Christian areas in Kayah, Chin, Kachin, and Karen states, have borne the brunt of the renewed conflict where people have long faced oppression and persecution under iron-fisted military rule for more than five decades.

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