This Saturday as I was praying, the Lord dealt with my heart about something.

As educated Americans, we have been programmed like a bunch of mice in a scientist’s lab to keep ourselves “in the know” of the latest of the latest of news breaks. It is almost like any other addiction known to man. The adrenalin release upon fulfillment is the same as any “high” that can be known. Also the “hope deferred maketh the heart sick” scenario happens when we go for any length of time without getting our “newest of the news fix”.

We have the electronic capabilities to continually feed on God’s Word. Personally I have an allotted time in my morning drive to work when I listen to an audio Bible. During the rest of the day if I am in the car, I have often listened to talk radio to satisfy my need for a “news fix”. During the day I have often looked at internet news outlets frequently including Sermonindex, Facebook, and several other outlets in order to “stay abreast” of what is going on.

Other Christians may not have this issue as severely as I have had. Part of my problem stems from my line of work. I have to keep up with the latest electronic breakthroughs for my boss who wants to always stay in the latest and greatest of the electronic world. It is often easy for me to “justify” news addictions with my line of work.

This addictive behavior takes on many forms with many Americans. Many of the people that I work with are continually updating their brains on the latest and greatest in the entertainment and sports worlds. With others it is fashion design, vehicle breakthroughs … and literally an army of other addictions that keep us occupied with what we feed our minds on.

The internet provides an extra addictive area that deepens us in our addictions in that we can “comment” on the issues. We are made to believe that we can make a difference with our comments. Often the comments and postings are monitored by the internet gurus to “weed out” ideas that uphold “radical Christianity” or that could really make a difference. It often becomes a huge time waster. If we put the old question: “what difference will it make in 1,000 years?” to it, most of the time it would fail the test.

I once heard Keith Daniels say: “if Christians in America would begin to pray about the condition of their country, they could see it all turned around in just a few months”. I believe that most of us hearing his message somehow believe that he is out of touch with reality for America (as if it could never happen that way for America). Many people from other countries know nothing of the addictions that we live with as Americans. In their uninterrupted intercession sessions they often stay there until the answer comes. When they get the Word of God in their native languages they can often enjoy a depth of study and communion with God that we Americans never know because they aren’t plagued with “information addictions”. In many such places the gifts of the Spirit are manifested on a regular basis and many hearts are convicted and convinced of God’s Word as a result.

After coming to this realization about myself I am praying for God’s guidance in crawling out of such addictions and hopefully becoming more fruitful for the kingdom of God.

_________________
Michael Strickland

2 weeks ago the Lord reminded me of the same through an incident.

Our landline phone had a defect and we did not have internet either. Nearly the same day all our families mobile phones went off the air because the operator went bust. If that wasn't enough my radio controlled quartz watch no longer worked properly and company mobile phone could not receive a proper signal either.

For days I was offline at home and confronted with my own emptiness.

I can imagine that at some point of time real Christians will be forced to either swear allegiance to the anti-christ system or become disconnected from the world of global media.

I have to do something about it, too.