As she scrolled through her feeds, 16-year-old Nonso felt like she was drowning in a sea of curated perfection. Everyone seemed to have a better life, more friends, and greater accomplishments. She couldn’t help but compare and feel inadequate.
“I’m not good enough,” Nonso whispered to herself, tears welling up in her eyes.
In that moment, Nonso realized she was trapped – enslaved to the constant need for validation through social media. She knew she needed help, but where could she turn?
One day, while reading her Bible, Nonso stumbled upon Matthew 6:22-23, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.”
Nonso understood that her eyes were fixed on the wrong things – social media, instead of God’s word. She began to seek counsel from her youth pastor, Rachel, who introduced her to the concept of “digital detox.” With Rachel’s support, Nonso embarked on a journey to break free from social media’s grip. It wasn’t easy – withdrawal symptoms included anxiety, FOMO, and feelings of disconnection.
However, as Nonso spent more time praying in the Spirit, developing Godly relationships and most importantly filling any void in her heart with God’s word especially the New Testament with focus on her Identity in Christ, she started to experience freedom. She discovered that her worth wasn’t measured by likes or followers, but by God’s love, grace and her identity in Jesus Christ.
One day, while Nonso was taking her morning devotion, she read In 1 Corinthians 6:12, “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” Then, she realized that social media wasn’t inherently evil, but her addiction to it was. She learned to use social media responsibly, without letting it control her life.
Through this journey with the help of the Holy-Spirit, Nonso grew closer to God and formed developed Godly connections with friends and family. She discovered that true validation comes from within, rooted in God’s love for her and her identity in Jesus Christ.
As Nonso looked back on her experience, she understood that the social media trap was a spiritual battle – one that required the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and the help of the Holy Spirit.
Nonso’s story serves as a reminder that freedom from addiction and bondage is possible through God’s word and the power of the Holy Spirit. When you learn to fix your eyes on Jesus Christ, and cultivate a lifestyle of consistent fellowship with Him, you can break free from any trap that ensnares you and live a life of purpose, joy, peace, rest, blessings and fulfillment.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32.
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Shalom!
