A Devotional on Social Media, Exposure, and the Call to Purity
Opening Thought
We live in a time where, with one flick of a finger, we can watch violence unfold, arguments escalate, intimate acts be exposed, and abuse broadcast for the world to see. Social media has given us front-row seats to things God never intended our eyes—or our souls—to carry. It’s not just information; it’s contamination. What we watch, we absorb. What we absorb, we become. And what we become, if left unchecked, can crush the very soul God designed for purity and peace.
Scripture Readings
• “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23)
• “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” (Psalm 101:3)
• “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)
• “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16)
• “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (Psalm 119:37)
Reflection
When David prayed, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless” (Psalm 101:3), he could not have imagined TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. Yet the principle applies. God designed the human soul with holy limits. We were not created to endlessly scroll through images of war, graphic sin, public humiliation, or constant comparison. Our souls are fragile vessels meant to hold light, not darkness.
Jesus warns that the eyes are the “lamp of the body.” In our digital age, what fills the eyes inevitably saturates the heart. When social media floods us with violence, lust, and rage, it is more than just “content”—it is spiritual corruption, creeping in pixel by pixel. Over time, these images erode compassion, warp our desires, and desensitize us to what God calls holy.
The ancient serpent tempted Eve with a vision: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes…” (Genesis 3:6). The pattern has not changed. What delights the eyes but destroys the soul is still Satan’s most common trap. Today, the forbidden fruit dangles not in a garden, but on a glowing screen in our palm.
Application
1. Guard Your Feed – Take inventory of the voices, images, and videos you consume daily. If they promote violence, lust, or strife, cut them off (Matthew 5:29).
2. Replace, Don’t Just Remove – Don’t simply delete apps or mute accounts. Replace what you see with what feeds your spirit—scripture, worship, godly teaching, beauty in creation.
3. Fast from Noise – Consider regular breaks from social media to detox your soul and retrain your eyes toward the light.
4. Pray for Clean Vision – Ask God to purify your eyes and heart. David’s cry should be ours: “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things.”
Closing Prayer
Father, You made my eyes to behold Your glory, not the world’s corruption. Forgive me for the times I have allowed darkness to seep into my soul through what I’ve consumed. Guard my eyes, Lord, and give me wisdom to discern what I see. Help me turn from worthless things and fill me with Your light. Let my eyes reflect Your beauty, and let my heart remain untainted by the constant noise of this world. Amen.