Internet Cafe

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Unlimited Power, Unlimited Love


I took a break from social networking for the last 10 weeks.

I didn’t think I’d feel much of a change but honestly, within days, my mind and heart felt clearer. I feel more inspired, more focused, more like....myself.



I’ve spent more time in the Word (where I belonged in the first place), more uninterrupted time with the people I love (who, honestly, I found myself missing for months now), my calendar is already more organized (though, that may just be because I did have two long flights in the last few months with nothing to do but write on them!) and my heart feels like it has come home (a great feeling).


I’ve been thinking a lot about what the Lord spoke to my heart a few weeks ago when I started to think of pulling back from all of this stuff and was feeling apprehensive.


“Is my power limited to 140 characters?”


You see, I was convinced that if I stepped back from networking, the ministry I am a part of would not grow. As if His power could be thwarted by such a thing!


Since I’ve stepped back I’ve seen growth like never before. All around, it seems, there is plenty.


I'm learning there is an abundance that comes from trusting Him. From loving Him.


Instead of trusting that what I’m eating for breakfast this morning is somehow going to captivate the multitudes.


It is so easy to fall into the trap of “keeping up with the Joneses”. We hear what we should be doing from all of these outside sources, we research extensively how to grow our blogs and ministries, we stress over it and work hard at it.


And I wonder what would happen if simply trusted God? If we handed Him our hearts and plans and hopes and dreams? What would we look like, as a collected group of women, if we stopped limiting God’s power to 140 characters and started taking Him at His word?


I wonder: what do we love more? Doing things for God? Or God?


Deuteronomy 6:3-5 (TM) cuts straight to the heart of the matter: “Listen obediently, Israel. Do what you're told so that you'll have a good life, a life of abundance and bounty, just as God promised, in a land abounding in milk and honey.


Attention, Israel!


God, our God! God the one and only!


Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!”


Let this be our hearts’ desire.


To love the Lord our God will everything we’ve got.


To follow after Him.


To trust He knows best.


To hand Him our fears.


Let us be a women who with joyful expectation wait before His throne. Instead of waiting before our laptop screens!




Kristen is the founder and editor of Exemplify Online & Magazine. She welcomes you to stop by!


*Please know I have nothing against social networking! I just want to suggest we make sure we are doing it for the right reasons and trusting Him more!

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4 Comments:

Anonymous Genikwa R. Williams said...

Hello, Kristen.

Excellent article! I do have to ask myself from time to time, "Why am I doing this again?" Sometimes, time away from certain activities will put them in the right perspective...help you figure out if they're led by God or just nice things to do.

I've been reevaluating my involvement in some things myself lately to see if the season has changed or if I just need to reprioritize. Hmm... Fasting Twitter, Facebook, and blogging? Now there's an idea!

Grace and Peace to you!

Genikwa

October 15, 2009 at 10:30 PM  
Anonymous Charmaine said...

I actually made a comment just a couple weeks ago about the social networking thing. The Lord showed me the amount of time I was spending and I had to ask myself the question, "Do I really need to know what 300 people are doing all at the same time?" After I giggled about it I realized that it was pretty much true. I've just about quit using Facebook and am trying to limit my time on Twitter and attempting to only connect with those who are likeminded (Christians) to encourage and be encouraged. I lead a pretty lonely life so I do enjoy the fellowship but I also want my time with God to come first and then everything else should fall in line correctly. Thanks for this post.

October 15, 2009 at 10:31 PM  
Blogger Brook said...

Amen! I have given up my twitter account, but still need to disable it. I did disable Facebook for the time being. I'll get on again after the semester is over for a week or two to catch up, then I'll disable it again. :)

October 15, 2009 at 10:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

(Your disclaimer made me smile!)

You know what - the minute I stopped trying to grow my blog myself and just let Him have at it, the minute it grew like crazy! And for so long I was consumed with that mentality of trying to keep up. Now that I've let it go, I realize that what matters is the heart of what I am writing. How many people actually read it is really up to Him.

October 20, 2009 at 11:17 PM  

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