I did the exact same thing and came to this video and saw your comment. Then I put down my phone and went back to reading my bible but now I’m done so I’m here to comment this! 😅
This is something I have definitely been struggling with, too. I find cell phones and TH-cam most distracting. Ironically, I am using such a platform to watch these videos. Technology, when used right, can be such a blessing. But at the same time, such a distraction. Hard to find a balance.
The balance is in your heart, not in your mind friend. I have learned to for the most part just push the three dots and push hide this or ignore this if it does not pertain to the lord. I have been getting better about this and have been trying to let all these things so I may be closer to the lord. He died for me, and I want to show the love I have for him by coming closer to him.
You are talking about reality this seems very hard to balance godly life and worldy life. But we all fell but stand by god's grace and he disciplines us and put us on his righteous path again. Carry on brothers fighting against sin because we will be in spiritual warfare upto last breath of this life.
Being on the cell phone became a big battle to the extent I could hold my bible to study, and ended up being on the social media for 1 hr. I realized the enemy has gotten me cheap, I cried to God for help and immediately I started living as if I don't have it and focus on my spiritual life in studying the word, meditating on it,praying and preaching the gospel. I now gather people for bible study online and live.
please, anyone who reads this, pray for me, just say Lord help this guy, I'm so miserable because I know that life is so short, and when I have time I waste it, I prefer entertainment over time with the Lord, please just make a short prayer for me.
Hello cesar mundaca rojas my name is Tudor I am from Romania and I want you to know that I have prayed for you. Please continue to read your bible and pray daily. Please remember: Matthew 11:28-30 --> 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
cesar mundaca rojas I have that problem too and i find it so hard being a teen cause I wanna be like the other girls. The struggle is there everyday. Just recently i’ve been setting my timer in the morning for 8am to read the bible and it’s really helped me. I just read 3 chapters, it might help you too :)
Hey! I was struggling with a similar issue, and I brought it before a Godly woman at my church. She said that me lamenting over shortcomings in my walk with Christ shows the spirit working in me. So even in these times, be encouraged! Your discomfort in sin shows you how good God is, that he would not let you stay in sin. Praying for you!
Nathan Gonzalez I can see what you mean but remember, to the glory of god. Anything sinful wouldn’t be glorifying god. One should be careful though as you said not to distort the word of god to ones own liking.
I've struggled too with this. But I've also noticed, as I get older, that when I get too involved in entertainment I end up missing the Lord, as one would miss a friend. Thus, entertainment losses some of its luster, more and more as time goes by. Also , I look back in my twenties and thirties, the times where I prayed less or read the Bible less, seem darker and lonely than they could've otherwise been.
Kinda nice to hear. Currently in my twenties and it's nice to know that I'll look back with fondness if I do the right thing and spend time with the Lord. Very difficult tho.
Thank you so much. This is my greatest struggle and I need prayer for this. I used to be so addicted to video games and the urge is still there everyday. In a period of time where I have so much free time I need to be guided with my time better and continually seek God in my free time.
Be encouraged my friend! The fact you struggle with it means you do care and the Holy Spirit is working to help you! It's when there is no struggle you we all should be concerned
I have the same struggle and have relapsed again and again. I trust in the Lord and have asked Him for true Fear of the Lord which is wisdom (Job 28: 28). James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Psalm 51: "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." Fear of the Lord, as I understand it, involves recognizing God's Sovereignty, His Holiness and His Righteousness with a response of total surrender, submission and worship. Luke 12:5: ". . . fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" Remember, too, that we have been called to a hope (Ephesians 4:4), and our God ". . . delights in mercy" (Micah 7 :18). Finally, I would recommend 2 Peter 1: 1-11 and Proverbs 3: 5-8. I hope that through the grace of God this is helpful, that it will exhort and encourage you.
would it be wrong to enjoy reading books ? Not so much unless they disrupt our lives, entertainment was never evil in the Bible, but we claim that it is wrong to be happy, will this produce wisdom what is it we should be doing ? We should be learning to be kinder, more compassionate and good for the sake of everyone, beginning with but never limited to our families, friends, even our pets (Proverbs 12:10) if we can improve our hearts and minds, and similarly our actions, we are guiding our lives by ways shown to us through the Scripture's teachings let's remember to keep trying to be kind and good, in all matters, even improving our tone and mannerisms regarding how we interact with our families and friends He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8)
From my experience God's love is always winning over any entertainment in this world. Seek and we will find. I had surgery 5 days ago. I'm weak but he is strong. I'm finally ready to loose my chains and meet my pastor at the community pool at almost 62 years old I'm feeling in need to get Baptised. Glory to God. I'm free indeed. Prayers for all the world and its leaders 🙏 ❤️ 💙
I used to never ever think that my faith or religion would Trump or take priority over my affinity for high quality films and shows. But slowly, I have found the balance shifting. The best I can say to anyone, as someone who has transformed from "barely a Christian" to someone who is on a walk of sanctification...is to just start. Once you start with any consistency to make time for the word. For any video, for any service, for any time reading or hearing the word...once you open that door and continue to make any time for it...slowly the balance will shift. I find I am becoming more interesting in reading my Bible beginning to end. Hearing more of the word from Pastor. Having more questions answered and more advice explored through the lord. I find it easier and easier to save my time and money and cut huge chunks of entertainment and shows out of my life. I feel there is time for entertainment and relaxation...but I do find that the balance of "time dedicated to Christ and faith" and "time for entertainment" is shifting more and more. The more time I give to faith and Christ and my Bible, the more I find I WANT to do so. Please believe me, as someone who NEVER thought my faith would triumph over my passion for film...I can absolutely say that it can. If you allow the opening of the door faith can and will come crashing through. The power of it is shaking me and rocking me. It is overwhelming sometimes but also awe inspiring and encouraging.
I love Pastor John. He has a gift from God for explaining scripture. Unfortunately my church doesn't get into the deep things of the Lord. I get more out of a 4 minute video from pastor John than from 2 hours in church. I am not idolizing him or do I think that he he has the corner on truth. But he is a special and gifted teacher. Thank you Pastor John
Praise God that you are blessed with the teachings of pastor John brother! Everyone is gifted, but not everyone is gifted with the same things. God bless you more abundantly brother! Love you!
Yeah, social media has been a HUGE distraction in my life and every time I waste hours on the internet, I just feel hollow afterwards. Now I find these short, insightful APJ videos a huge satisfaction and now it's become my new entertainment. The truth is wholesome and good :)
Agreed. Pastor John is that “author” who speaks words of life that stir a love of the gospel of Jesus Christ and fill my heart with a desire to worship God more fully.
If I have unresolved offense/hurt and unforgiveness, that will immediately cause me to not want to spend time with God and distract myself instead, with entertainment. Life’s a battle. Keep fighting the good fight brethren!
I'm literally feeding myself with YT videos on bts. To the point when my 5year old daughter already asked me why I love this boys. I said just an admiration. But there was that guilt feeling because she should be seeing me reading God's word and praying and not binge watching. Sometimes the Lord gives us a tap on the shoulder and tells us get back on track. Same goes with disappointments in life. To whom can we run to except Him.. Better change my profile Pic.
"where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". I play soccer, watch sports, do art....but it does not consume my time and life. I dont bet on games, i dont get all grumpy if my team loses, i dont watch horror/sexualized movies....I agree nothing good comes out of hollywood, because they program people to think like the world. But art/music/sports can be healthy if used properly. Its a conscience decision, what's wrong for you its not necessarely wrong for me. Depends where you are spiritually and i would not judge you.
The other day I found a comment about the band KISS and this guy was saying that satan knows how to appeal to the flesh, and rock n roll music sounds good and makes you want to dance but gospel music is boring and hard to listen to all of the time. But I commented and told him that I understand how he feels and that some of that gospel music can really start to grow on you if you listen to it enough. But I was just doing the best I could to help him out and help him to wanna grow deeper in God. I don't know if it will help but atleast the seed has been planted
It very much depends on what you're doing. Anything that promotes sin or allows sin in it is bad. If a song or media you consume has these things, then dont consume them. If what you consume challenges and tests your faith and brings to light what you could do better then by all means, just dont pick content that will drag you down.
Excerpts 1. Ask the Lord to direct you to an unbeliever/young believer/ fallen believer so you can share with them what it is about God that should draw them back. 2. Think through what type of downtime you need and what forms of downtime would be pure and not a contradiction of your holiness. 3. Find somebody- author (dead/alive) who speaks or writes about God as one who had really tasted and seen that God is glorious and beautiful and satisfying and writes about it in such a way that when you read it, you taste it.
Love not the world neither the things that are in the world, for if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life...." And these are not of the Father 1 John 2:15-17
TH-cam should never take place of spending time with God or the word but man I LOVE watching Bible content, sermons and other Christian teachings like these and TH-cam has helped me grow tremendously and made me want to read my bible more.
@@Homie-yi5fy I'd say it's not "formal" time with God like it would be when you personally focus your heart on God for worship, prayer, and reading his word. But you can most certainly glory God while watching them and I guess you could technically meet God while doing anything. Which is an excellent practice to help you grow in awareness of him at all times. His word/the bible and spending that "formal" time with is what is what's really going to transform us and help us grow the most.
Thank you! A very good soul-searching question indeed to ask myself: what is keeping me from enjoying God? May the Lord open our eyes to truly see His awesome beauty, & make us long for Him more than anything else in this world.
This advice is rich. I've found myself at varies times practicing all three recommendations and they each work in their own way. However, that practice has been ad hoc and inconsistent. To hear this advice broken down in Pastor John's signature manner bolsters my motivation to keep at it. Thank you!
I earnestly Think about the LORD GODFATHER in CHRIST Most of the time Everyday, the Reason Why i Greatly LOVE HIM more than Anything in this World.Be Prayerful Everyday, and Think about HIM, HIS GOODNESS, HIS LOVE and MERCY Most of the Time Everyday and Your Love to HIM will Keep on Growing Continually Everlastingly.
Through a very hard season of doubt and confusion I realized that entertainment is not for me at all. It sounds crazy but my only entertainment is kingdom stuff. Its not anything I did but God gave me His desires and I cannot conform to the world in any way
Great question and great answer. Really appreciated the advice to find a 'less spiritual' person and communicate the Greatness and Goodness of our God revealed in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This gives confirmation of our faith in Him and His marvelous work at the Cross.
Amen. May the Lord continue to bless Pastor John, continue to give him more knowledge and wisdom to help him give believers helpful advice, and continue to use him to reach out to and help many other believers in Jesus' name, amen.
Great wisdom to be found here. Always seek God, and His help, to do His will. He keeps His Word. So be faithful to Him, and trust Him: not to be half-hearted, but genuinely seek Him. Something that's helped me: reading the Bible more slowly while having the Blue Letter Bible website open to the chapter I'm at, and writing down notes (even just typing in exactly the verses I'm reading!). You can learn a lot, and spot a lot, that you otherwise would miss if you were just 'grazing over' the matter. I've a long way to go.
I have been struggling with this and it is truly a blessing to have listened to this podcast. God is great, and he is using people in my life right now to overcome this. Thank you
David Wilkerson sermons are 🔥. Biblical truth dispensed by someone who truly loves Jesus, is filled with the Holy Spirit AND is engrossing. I just heard a sermon YT recently, that I listened to several times… it was straight from the throne room of God called: “The Incredible Blessings of Being in Christ” it’s not what u think. Guarantee u will file it to ur faves or listen to it again the next day. All glory to the only Living God, our Savior and King and First Love, Jesus Christ 💙🙏🏽! Shalom brothers and sisters!
I have been struggling with this a lot this week. I spent the whole week binge watching movies. I still spent at least two times a day reading the Bible but it was more so to cross off a box on my to do list.
If God dwells in us, everything we do He does with us. We are communing and enjoying everything with Him. And we are learning about everything with Him and learning about everything from Him as we dwell in Him.
Pastor John, thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord and for speaking a word so filled with who the King is. How convicted I am, but how glad I am to be convicted by the Lord speaking through you, for through your voice God spoke to my own ears directly and how GLAD I am that the King Himself would reach out to me personally. Pastor John, I speak these words to encourage you, not to feed pride into, but you are that man who speaks and I am completely disarmed when you speak the word of the Lord. Thank you for being a messenger of the Lord, for the blessings I've received from your obedience has completely overwhelmed me. Please pray that He will lead me and I will stay consistent in my following in my combat against the pleasures of this world and I give praise to the Lord Almighty for you and for Him speaking to me personally through you. May the Lord bless you with a gift so overwhelming that no words may be able to contain the goodness He does for you not just here, but in the eternal life.
I agree with talking with an unbeliever. I was backsliding in the sense that God was not a priority in my life. I was quite a workaholic and just crossing things off my bucketlist. One of those things was to play with a band on stage, a childhood dream. So I was talking with my bandmate, and she mentioned that she was 'spiritual'. I read the bible a decade ago so I know it mentioned demons and such, I even had a medium classmate in the past, but I didn't think there was any power in that, or at least not in these days. So as I talked to her, I started doing more researched and realized demons are actually working full time and creating havoc these days, they may even be the cause for some mental illnesses. And while she didn't know it, I told her she is leaning towards New Age beliefs, and that the things she was interested in (ie. Tarot card readings, she's been to a psychic before, had a dreamcatcher in her room) are of witchcraft origin and are opening portals for demons. She still thought it was innocent or just her finding truth within herself, but I asked her questions to dwell on too, like 'how can you trust yourself or think you're a god when you were created and haven't been here for long?' As I did more research and came across more videos, it made me realize how serious this is. No one ever told me about Spiritual Warfare, so I didn't realize how important prayer was. I saw it as just a way to maintain your relationship with God but didn't realize it's necessary to fight spiritual battles for others as well. After knowing all this, I've been on fire. I did try sharing my faith with other friends...they all know I'm Christian (I grew up keeping the Sabbath [SDA] so it would always come up when I'm not available Saturdays. I'd also tell my gay friends early on that I don't agree with that and I'm not an ally, but I'd still treat em like everyone else), I assumed others were Christian cause of their families but I was wrong. Most shut me down pretty quickly when I wanted to speak religion 😅 She was open to discussion though, so I had hope for her. She grew up kinda in the church, moved around a lot, seen different denominations, so she had questions and clearly the wrong impression of Jesus. She was able to see the darkness in the world and how messed up the LGBT community is in that people don't want to accept their real selves, so while she didn't seem open to converting for the first few months, I guess I was able to clarify things and show her the light and the truth. Before long, she dusted off her bible. She said it was a catholic bible, so that same weekend, I got her a new bible along with some other books from the christian store. I got quite a collection for myself the last few months. If I'm not watching Christian videos like this as I'm working, I'm reading something, or listening to a Christian podcast. There's so much I didn't know and I'm just obsessed with learning all I can about God as we near the end~
Huh...is true, one time, after I sinned, God gave me the grace, that an unbeliever asked me a question about God not long after, so that I had to tell them why God is worth it all the while I felt horrible about myself, and it will convict me always...
I large part is learning More about God on the Web. I also am Not going Down rabbit holes of useless 'Entertainment'. The last 3 years of WUHAN have crippled and isolated The Majority with FEAR . But The Enemy LOSES ! Raise your Eyes to the Hills where Our Salvation Comes ! Glory to God
Well, it's the first 5min which decides what I get hooked on to. First 5min of listening to this kind of content will create enough inertia to keep it going. That's the fight I feel when deciding what to watch everytime I come on social media
Omg literally stopped watching some detail Troy TH-cam to follow God and this was the first godly vid in my feed literally two seconds later. God is sovereign and good.
Craig, The problem can also be due to forgetting the second commandment of the 2 Jesus said were the greatest commandments: "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself". Many Christians, yes, even non-Christians (spiritualists, etc) gauge their "love" for God or interaction and devotion to the Lord by how they much, how long, how intense is their communion with God. But the Lord is clear by the teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that devotion to the Lord MUST ALSO BE gauged by how much we delight to assemble with the saints, how much we love to serve them and others, how much we love and enjoy spending time with people who want to know more about our God. Mission work, community Good works alongside the saints and joined with those who want to do God's work are some of the most joyous experiences you'll ever want or need. So don't be one-track-minded about our devotions with the Lord. There is an end result to our personal time with the Lord--it's going out in His Spirit and the Holiness He imparts in our devotions so we can get out there to serve our fellow Brethren and to reach out to others as a team. I've come to understand how God many times will not fully reveal Himself to us until we are in assembly with the saints/the church. There have been struggles I've had, questions that I've asked God and "waiting" for him in private devotions. But the answers did not always come through those quiet times. They came through a sermon, a fellowship outing, a mission to reach the community, etc. Wow. No wonder Jesus was not fooled into providing that one commandment as an end all--like the Pharisees and scribes wanted. Our God is a God whose will is for all the world to come to Him. And we are His ambassadors and high priests. Of course He knows not everyone will repent. But isn't that what Jonah thought about Nineveh, or the saints believed about the Christian murderer Saul-later called PAUL by the Lord --that they would never repent? God wants us to find out who will or will not repent. The outreach must be without bias. So, the Lord wants us to enjoy fellowship with Him and with the church and others whom the Lord brings our way. Speaking of entertainment, I love watching Christian films. I love listening to sermons on TH-cam. Sports. Uplifting TV shows. I especially love doing these with others! There's nothing like loving others as we love ourselves because God loved us!
The first step. For example, you just decided (maybe as you often do, in the time you often do) to watch television (or to play video game or any social media time or another entertainment), but before you doing so, you choose to read the Word of God instead. Perhaps you will spend a nice time with His word and you will see that you used great your time. And than you will say: wow, it's so good, it's better than spending time with that entertainment I was going to do. I shall do it more often than to the entertainment I always do. And maybe you will use more your time with the Word of God (hearing or reading), preachings, worship time with God (signing and or playing instruments to Him), and so on.
Almost all of us prefer entertainment over time with God the only difference is you're honest, thank you for that. I was so severely battered traumatized and abused as a child I have no natural affection. I can't even love people let alone God. Also I have no idea what the phrase "time alone with God" means. Again, thanks for being honest, believe it or not that's encouraging.
More and more, I hope to see titles like "How to love God more than Netflix." I say that in earnest. It's a different world. Binge-able shows get more attention than our God - so that needs to be addressed. How to love God more than video games - show the good in video games, talk about the psychology of why we like video games, then show that it's only a cheap bandaid when put into the wrong place in our lives. As a hobby, fine. As our 'escape' from reality? I don't know. What do I know?.. I just think, to say the old saying, that modern problems require modern solutions - but grounded in ancient wisdom.
Man bruh If I'm haveing to watch a video about how to love God more then entertainment then I'm a messed up selfish person bruh. Like bruh I should already love him, just by for all of the things he has done for me. Bruh
He loves you man. Christ makes us perfect by His sacrifice and guidance through The Holy Spirit. You're in a good place feeling bad about it, and He's close to you. Draw near to Him, and He'll draw near to you. He is so Good!!
If you like entertainment, just remember to not like it too much. What they are basically saying in this video is that you can have your entertainment, but you must love god more. Because god has created that entertainment. And he has created everything else as well. But one of the ten commandments says, "Do not make for yourself a carved image."
"We speak that we do know & testify that we have seen - and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things & ye believe not - how shall ye believe if I tell you of Heavenly things?" (John3: 11-12).
I wish I could be totally 100% sold out for God, you know? Talking, dreaming, thinking, pondering him 24/7 becuase his awesome honeslt i WISH i was like that. And although I think about him alot I still like watching secular movies becuase christian movie dont cut it for me lol. I hope God can change all out desires to be inclined to him and his glorious treasure box of wonders and good God study and facts. Amen? Amen. His super super awesome, i wish I can know him more deeply and my beautiful Jesus ❤✝️
If it were up to me, I would get rid of all of the TVs in our house and after my phone is paid off I’m seriously considering going to a flip phone. I’m praying the Holy Spirit will help me have the fruit of self-control and I think that is a fruit that, a lot of people struggle with, but I trust him.
I know fully well that reading comic will kill me. I mean first I would read safe comic, then a little bit compromise and extremely worldly comics (sexual immorality then porn, then fall fall fall). 😭😭😭. Help me, Lord 😭😭😭 Nothing is Impossible for God, He is chain breaker
I've had this habit for years where I watch a TH-cam video or throw on Netflix while I eat yo br entertained. But now, I try to throw on a video that glorifies God or a sermon while I eat. So when I physically eat, I spiritually eat too. I hope this helps someone.
Downtime that is pure. As a Christian that struggles with this very thing. I go back to movies or TV shows I’ve seen already. I stay away from vile stuff as much as possible. I don’t really watch new movies. The deviant scenes pop on the screen before you can look away.
I play games allot. I dont think it interferes with my time with god simply because theres only so much i can do. I love hearing the word when i can understand it. I gave up porn for god even though i fail him sometimes still. Im better then I was and I know god is working on me and will finish his work in me as long as I keep my eyes on him. I dont love the world. Infact i hate it but i do have things that numb the pain and make life worth living and thats family, games, and above all God. If God calls on me then I will answer. But i will always feel im not doing enough no matter how much i surrender. I know change doesn't happen instantly and im still a child of god. I wish I felt i was doing the right thing. I have autism and OCD, and major depressive disorder so idk if its my mental ilness getting to me making me feel worthless.
We all struggle with this. It’s a portion of our lives that we will always need guidance for and from. It’s the amount that we allow ourselves to take in that ultimately leads us back to the relationship with Christ that we so deeply desire. If that desire is fading and you find yourself struggling to seek him? Do what pastor John said, test you’re faith. God is waiting for you to rise to the occasion of whoever may need to know of his divine love for us. At that point you will feel the Holy Spirit override you’re consciousness and deliver you back into the love and divine promise of Jesus Christ’s love for you and whoever you maybe leading to him. Trust in the desire that led you to Jesus in the first place. He’s always waiting for you to return to his divine love and prosperity.
No, but anything that we are willing to tell God “no” to get is an idol. Anything we prefer over Him is idolatry, that’s this listener’s concern is He spends more time on entertainment than reading the Bible or praying or enjoying God.
How do I get over the fear of man and not be ashamed of Jesus. I have faith and have grown my relationship with God but now it's clear he wants me to spread the gospel. I know works is not what gets you into heaven but faith without works is dead. How can I show my faith and thanks to God to others and God himself???
I personally know a family memeber, who is a believer (and would tell you he absolutely is!) who gets so incredibly excited about recreational activities, football, music, making money or extra money, working out, wine, beer and the list goes on and on. I have never seen any excitement toward God and the things of God, as much as he is drawn to these other things he finds exciting. And he wonders why he can't make better decisions about his life, has little to no credibility or respect from his family, and is extremely stressed out feeling stuck in his job that he doesn't like. May God open my friends eyes---would you join me in praying for him.
Hello Thank-full my name is Tudor I am from Romania and I want you to know that I have prayed for you(your friend). Please continue to read your bible and pray daily. Please remember: Matthew 11:28-30 --> 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Anyone who sees this. Pray for me please. I want holiness. I want righteousness. I hate that I see my default go to something that's not godly and not spiritual. I want to see Jesus in all new light. I want to taste his glory and grow in him. Please, if you need prayers as well I'd love to pray for anyone. Please, if you need prayers, post a reply.
I have that exact same question and I appreciate someone asking it in a way that makes sense. However, I didn't find that answer very helpful unfortunately. I'm not sure why. I will pray and ask the Lord for wisdom and understanding and hopefully find another source of information and inspiration on the subject.
Idk if it’s okay but when I face lust i tell myself that I am too superior and that I don’t need that because I have Jesus, also 2 Corinthian 10 says he that glorieth let him glory in the lord
Idk how to love him. I love him. But I don’t think I am succeeding at loving him more than other people or things. If I died right now, I don’t think I’d go to Heaven for this very reason. Please pray that I can conquer this.
Would you think it strange if a young lady whom you didnt know walked up to you and told you that she loved you and would want to marry you?....You probly wouldnt believe her simply because she doesn't know you... she has never spent any time with you or understands your personality or your past life... the three tools that the lord gave us to spend time with you our prayer Bible reading and going to church fellowshipping with other believers as well as listening to the pastor preaching.. when you stay consistent and those things all of a sudden the Lord Jesus will become real to you and then you won't see him like some type of impersonal story written thousands of years ago... I know the answer may sound generic or may feel like it doesn't work but somehow it really does work you do your part and God will do his part and make himself real to you. and all of a sudden you begin to love him like he was a real person..
And I forgot to mention that once you start connecting with him through prayer Bible reading and attending church and he becomes more real to you then all of a sudden you will have a greater desire to actually be obedient and listen to what he says..that is why he says "if you love me you will obey my commands"
Rome 8 : 38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love.
I just put off reading my bible to go on TH-cam and this is what I see... guess I'll go read my bible now.
😅
I did the exact same thing and came to this video and saw your comment. Then I put down my phone and went back to reading my bible but now I’m done so I’m here to comment this! 😅
Looks like you're in good company. Be encouraged that we're with you throughout this journey!
Lol
Same lol
The more you get into the word the more it will draw you in.
Bruce Courtney Amen
Its a slow fade when you give yourself away
Facts. It slowly goes from "I do this because ik It's best and I need time with God" to "I love spending time with Jesus! Everything else fades!"
So so true
Darn it
This is something I have definitely been struggling with, too. I find cell phones and TH-cam most distracting. Ironically, I am using such a platform to watch these videos. Technology, when used right, can be such a blessing. But at the same time, such a distraction. Hard to find a balance.
The balance is in your heart, not in your mind friend. I have learned to for the most part just push the three dots and push hide this or ignore this if it does not pertain to the lord. I have been getting better about this and have been trying to let all these things so I may be closer to the lord. He died for me, and I want to show the love I have for him by coming closer to him.
Me too… struggling for years. I love the Lord. So I will put in to work the things John Piper suggested
Same in in my phone alot but 85% of that time is doing somthing to do about God lol
You are talking about reality this seems very hard to balance godly life and worldy life.
But we all fell but stand by god's grace and he disciplines us and put us on his righteous path again.
Carry on brothers fighting against sin because we will be in spiritual warfare upto last breath of this life.
Being on the cell phone became a big battle to the extent I could hold my bible to study, and ended up being on the social media for 1 hr. I realized the enemy has gotten me cheap, I cried to God for help and immediately I started living as if I don't have it and focus on my spiritual life in studying the word, meditating on it,praying and preaching the gospel. I now gather people for bible study online and live.
please, anyone who reads this, pray for me, just say Lord help this guy, I'm so miserable because I know that life is so short, and when I have time I waste it, I prefer entertainment over time with the Lord, please just make a short prayer for me.
Hello cesar mundaca rojas my name is Tudor I am from Romania and I want you to know that I have prayed for you.
Please continue to read your bible and pray daily. Please remember:
Matthew 11:28-30 --> 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
cesar mundaca rojas Absolutely brother. Will do
cesar mundaca rojas I have that problem too and i find it so hard being a teen cause I wanna be like the other girls. The struggle is there everyday. Just recently i’ve been setting my timer in the morning for 8am to read the bible and it’s really helped me. I just read 3 chapters, it might help you too :)
Allow yourself to at least once, before going to the entertainment, you say: before that I will take a time hearing the word of God.
Hey! I was struggling with a similar issue, and I brought it before a Godly woman at my church. She said that me lamenting over shortcomings in my walk with Christ shows the spirit working in me. So even in these times, be encouraged! Your discomfort in sin shows you how good God is, that he would not let you stay in sin. Praying for you!
1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
@@Gnathan96 No no. God hates sin, though we do it when weak, tempted and compelled to it.
@@Gnathan96 Oh I thought you were really asking 😅, sorry.
Nathan Gonzalez I can see what you mean but remember, to the glory of god. Anything sinful wouldn’t be glorifying god. One should be careful though as you said not to distort the word of god to ones own liking.
@@Gnathan96God has no sin thus you cant sin for the glory of God.
I've struggled too with this. But I've also noticed, as I get older, that when I get too involved in entertainment I end up missing the Lord, as one would miss a friend. Thus, entertainment losses some of its luster, more and more as time goes by.
Also , I look back in my twenties and thirties, the times where I prayed less or read the Bible less, seem darker and lonely than they could've otherwise been.
I'm glad God pulls us
Kinda nice to hear. Currently in my twenties and it's nice to know that I'll look back with fondness if I do the right thing and spend time with the Lord. Very difficult tho.
I completely feel this comment. Same thing for me in mid twenties to late thirties.
This is very similar to how things are with me. I've been praying about it, It's getting better, and the 'entertainment' is losing out to Jesus. Amen
Thank you so much. This is my greatest struggle and I need prayer for this. I used to be so addicted to video games and the urge is still there everyday. In a period of time where I have so much free time I need to be guided with my time better and continually seek God in my free time.
Be encouraged my friend! The fact you struggle with it means you do care and the Holy Spirit is working to help you!
It's when there is no struggle you we all should be concerned
iz thefaithful thank you
well done bane for how far you have come! bless you mate!
I have the same struggle and have relapsed again and again. I trust in the Lord and have asked Him for true Fear of the Lord which is wisdom (Job 28: 28). James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Psalm 51: "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." Fear of the Lord, as I understand it, involves recognizing God's Sovereignty, His Holiness and His Righteousness with a response of total surrender, submission and worship. Luke 12:5: ". . . fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" Remember, too, that we have been called to a hope (Ephesians 4:4), and our God ". . . delights in mercy" (Micah 7 :18). Finally, I would recommend 2 Peter 1: 1-11 and Proverbs 3: 5-8. I hope that through the grace of God this is helpful, that it will exhort and encourage you.
would it be wrong to enjoy reading books ? Not so much unless they disrupt our lives, entertainment was never evil in the Bible, but we claim that it is wrong to be happy, will this produce wisdom
what is it we should be doing ? We should be learning to be kinder, more compassionate and good for the sake of everyone, beginning with but never limited to our families, friends, even our pets (Proverbs 12:10)
if we can improve our hearts and minds, and similarly our actions, we are guiding our lives by ways shown to us through the Scripture's teachings
let's remember to keep trying to be kind and good, in all matters, even improving our tone and mannerisms regarding how we interact with our families and friends
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
(Micah 6:8)
"we must experience a miracle to delight in God more than we delight in the entertainment of the world"
From my experience God's love is always winning over any entertainment in this world. Seek and we will find. I had surgery 5 days ago. I'm weak but he is strong. I'm finally ready to loose my chains and meet my pastor at the community pool at almost 62 years old I'm feeling in need to get Baptised. Glory to God. I'm free indeed. Prayers for all the world and its leaders 🙏 ❤️ 💙
Amen♥
Man, sometimes I just get reminded that God has his hand on my video recommendations. I needed this.
*"[...] we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ".*
2 Corinthians 10:5
I used to never ever think that my faith or religion would Trump or take priority over my affinity for high quality films and shows.
But slowly, I have found the balance shifting.
The best I can say to anyone, as someone who has transformed from "barely a Christian" to someone who is on a walk of sanctification...is to just start.
Once you start with any consistency to make time for the word. For any video, for any service, for any time reading or hearing the word...once you open that door and continue to make any time for it...slowly the balance will shift.
I find I am becoming more interesting in reading my Bible beginning to end. Hearing more of the word from Pastor. Having more questions answered and more advice explored through the lord. I find it easier and easier to save my time and money and cut huge chunks of entertainment and shows out of my life.
I feel there is time for entertainment and relaxation...but I do find that the balance of "time dedicated to Christ and faith" and "time for entertainment" is shifting more and more. The more time I give to faith and Christ and my Bible, the more I find I WANT to do so.
Please believe me, as someone who NEVER thought my faith would triumph over my passion for film...I can absolutely say that it can. If you allow the opening of the door faith can and will come crashing through.
The power of it is shaking me and rocking me. It is overwhelming sometimes but also awe inspiring and encouraging.
I love Pastor John. He has a gift from God for explaining scripture. Unfortunately my church doesn't get into the deep things of the Lord. I get more out of a 4 minute video from pastor John than from 2 hours in church. I am not idolizing him or do I think that he he has the corner on truth. But he is a special and gifted teacher. Thank you Pastor John
Raymond Nieliwocki I pray you have found a new, biblical focused, church. It is dangerous to be spiritually starved at a church. 💜💗
Praise God that you are blessed with the teachings of pastor John brother! Everyone is gifted, but not everyone is gifted with the same things. God bless you more abundantly brother! Love you!
Agreed, completely. I’m so grateful for pastor johns gift in explaining scripture and answering questions with a principled approach.
I haven’t played video games in four months and I thank God for His mercy on my life.
CONGRATSSSSSS 🥳🥳🥳
Amen brother
Your decision my friend
Awsome pray for for me too
Yeah, social media has been a HUGE distraction in my life and every time I waste hours on the internet, I just feel hollow afterwards. Now I find these short, insightful APJ videos a huge satisfaction and now it's become my new entertainment. The truth is wholesome and good :)
Yes me too.I listen to these and sermons.Feeds my soul ☺️
Agreed. Pastor John is that “author” who speaks words of life that stir a love of the gospel of Jesus Christ and fill my heart with a desire to worship God more fully.
Amen!
Get rid of wifi in the home that way you have to go weather it be a coffee shop or a library or somewhere else
Great topic! the entertainment culture can so easily become a false idol!
i also find it helpful to listen to these instead of watching a whole TV show that will rope me in for more when i need a break during the day.
If I have unresolved offense/hurt and unforgiveness, that will immediately cause me to not want to spend time with God and distract myself instead, with entertainment. Life’s a battle. Keep fighting the good fight brethren!
I'm literally feeding myself with YT videos on bts. To the point when my 5year old daughter already asked me why I love this boys. I said just an admiration. But there was that guilt feeling because she should be seeing me reading God's word and praying and not binge watching. Sometimes the Lord gives us a tap on the shoulder and tells us get back on track. Same goes with disappointments in life. To whom can we run to except Him..
Better change my profile Pic.
"where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". I play soccer, watch sports, do art....but it does not consume my time and life. I dont bet on games, i dont get all grumpy if my team loses, i dont watch horror/sexualized movies....I agree nothing good comes out of hollywood, because they program people to think like the world. But art/music/sports can be healthy if used properly. Its a conscience decision, what's wrong for you its not necessarely wrong for me. Depends where you are spiritually and i would not judge you.
The other day I found a comment about the band KISS and this guy was saying that satan knows how to appeal to the flesh, and rock n roll music sounds good and makes you want to dance but gospel music is boring and hard to listen to all of the time. But I commented and told him that I understand how he feels and that some of that gospel music can really start to grow on you if you listen to it enough. But I was just doing the best I could to help him out and help him to wanna grow deeper in God. I don't know if it will help but atleast the seed has been planted
I feel like my hobbies and entertainment, like music, help me to grow with God at times.
It very much depends on what you're doing. Anything that promotes sin or allows sin in it is bad. If a song or media you consume has these things, then dont consume them. If what you consume challenges and tests your faith and brings to light what you could do better then by all means, just dont pick content that will drag you down.
Excerpts
1. Ask the Lord to direct you to an unbeliever/young believer/ fallen believer so you can share with them what it is about God that should draw them back.
2. Think through what type of downtime you need and what forms of downtime would be pure and not a contradiction of your holiness.
3. Find somebody- author (dead/alive) who speaks or writes about God as one who had really tasted and seen that God is glorious and beautiful and satisfying and writes about it in such a way that when you read it, you taste it.
Thank you God for the gift of choosing you over entertainment
Perfect timing. I was just jamming to my music instead of praying. Then this popped up on my feed.
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:17
Love not the world neither the things that are in the world, for if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life...." And these are not of the Father 1 John 2:15-17
@@zebulunkehndo42 like entertainment WAY less than you Love the Lord
Put anything that is in the world as your second
TH-cam should never take place of spending time with God or the word but man I LOVE watching Bible content, sermons and other Christian teachings like these and TH-cam has helped me grow tremendously and made me want to read my bible more.
But isn’t watching that stuff consider spending time with God?
@@Homie-yi5fy I'd say it's not "formal" time with God like it would be when you personally focus your heart on God for worship, prayer, and reading his word. But you can most certainly glory God while watching them and I guess you could technically meet God while doing anything. Which is an excellent practice to help you grow in awareness of him at all times. His word/the bible and spending that "formal" time with is what is what's really going to transform us and help us grow the most.
Thank you! A very good soul-searching question indeed to ask myself: what is keeping me from enjoying God? May the Lord open our eyes to truly see His awesome beauty, & make us long for Him more than anything else in this world.
I had a good start this year, but i feel like I'm slipping back into constantly needing to be entertained @.@
Me too. I took a break from tv and deleted my games (I was addicted). It REALLY helped. I now know they dont mean much
This advice is rich. I've found myself at varies times practicing all three recommendations and they each work in their own way. However, that practice has been ad hoc and inconsistent. To hear this advice broken down in Pastor John's signature manner bolsters my motivation to keep at it. Thank you!
I earnestly Think about the LORD GODFATHER in CHRIST Most of the time Everyday, the Reason Why i Greatly LOVE HIM more than Anything in this World.Be Prayerful Everyday, and Think about HIM, HIS GOODNESS, HIS LOVE and MERCY Most of the Time Everyday and Your Love to HIM will Keep on Growing Continually Everlastingly.
Through a very hard season of doubt and confusion I realized that entertainment is not for me at all. It sounds crazy but my only entertainment is kingdom stuff. Its not anything I did but God gave me His desires and I cannot conform to the world in any way
I have been looking for a video like this for a while !!!! God is good !!!! Thank you john piper and desiring God ministries
Great question and great answer. Really appreciated the advice to find a 'less spiritual' person and communicate the Greatness and Goodness of our God revealed in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This gives confirmation of our faith in Him and His marvelous work at the Cross.
Suffering brought me to a place where I love time with God more than the trappings of the world.
Amen. May the Lord continue to bless Pastor John, continue to give him more knowledge and wisdom to help him give believers helpful advice, and continue to use him to reach out to and help many other believers in Jesus' name, amen.
Great wisdom to be found here.
Always seek God, and His help, to do His will. He keeps His Word.
So be faithful to Him, and trust Him: not to be half-hearted, but genuinely seek Him.
Something that's helped me: reading the Bible more slowly while having the Blue Letter Bible website open to the chapter I'm at, and writing down notes (even just typing in exactly the verses I'm reading!). You can learn a lot, and spot a lot, that you otherwise would miss if you were just 'grazing over' the matter.
I've a long way to go.
We must continue living, their is a time for everything, having said that when you put God first everything else seems frivolous .
I have been struggling with this and it is truly a blessing to have listened to this podcast. God is great, and he is using people in my life right now to overcome this. Thank you
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom is another great and interesting read if you have down time. I was really encouraged by her faith.
Great great book!
Yes, a notable and commendable book indeed.
David Wilkerson sermons are 🔥. Biblical truth dispensed by someone who truly loves Jesus, is filled with the Holy Spirit AND is engrossing. I just heard a sermon YT recently, that I listened to several times… it was straight from the throne room of God called: “The Incredible Blessings of Being in Christ” it’s not what u think. Guarantee u will file it to ur faves or listen to it again the next day. All glory to the only Living God, our Savior and King and First Love, Jesus Christ 💙🙏🏽! Shalom brothers and sisters!
So true... God guide us and give us a willing Spirit!
This might be one of the best and most complete answers Pastor John has ever given and most helpful to society as a whole
So much compassionate wisdom! ☺️❤️
I have been struggling with this a lot this week. I spent the whole week binge watching movies. I still spent at least two times a day reading the Bible but it was more so to cross off a box on my to do list.
If God dwells in us, everything we do He does with us. We are communing and enjoying everything with Him. And we are learning about everything with Him and learning about everything from Him as we dwell in Him.
Can I have prayers for strength and forgiveness please my name is Preston Edward Murphy Please pray for me . God bless
Invade Mobile I prayed for you
Thanks Brother
Invade Mobile of course! That's who we are , we love the family of God! The bothers and sisters!
ok mate!
Prayer for you brother. God bless you
Pastor John, thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord and for speaking a word so filled with who the King is. How convicted I am, but how glad I am to be convicted by the Lord speaking through you, for through your voice God spoke to my own ears directly and how GLAD I am that the King Himself would reach out to me personally. Pastor John, I speak these words to encourage you, not to feed pride into, but you are that man who speaks and I am completely disarmed when you speak the word of the Lord. Thank you for being a messenger of the Lord, for the blessings I've received from your obedience has completely overwhelmed me. Please pray that He will lead me and I will stay consistent in my following in my combat against the pleasures of this world and I give praise to the Lord Almighty for you and for Him speaking to me personally through you. May the Lord bless you with a gift so overwhelming that no words may be able to contain the goodness He does for you not just here, but in the eternal life.
Great question and a greater answer. Piper's advices are really feeding my faith and helping me to keep on. Thank you.
I agree with talking with an unbeliever. I was backsliding in the sense that God was not a priority in my life. I was quite a workaholic and just crossing things off my bucketlist. One of those things was to play with a band on stage, a childhood dream. So I was talking with my bandmate, and she mentioned that she was 'spiritual'. I read the bible a decade ago so I know it mentioned demons and such, I even had a medium classmate in the past, but I didn't think there was any power in that, or at least not in these days. So as I talked to her, I started doing more researched and realized demons are actually working full time and creating havoc these days, they may even be the cause for some mental illnesses. And while she didn't know it, I told her she is leaning towards New Age beliefs, and that the things she was interested in (ie. Tarot card readings, she's been to a psychic before, had a dreamcatcher in her room) are of witchcraft origin and are opening portals for demons. She still thought it was innocent or just her finding truth within herself, but I asked her questions to dwell on too, like 'how can you trust yourself or think you're a god when you were created and haven't been here for long?' As I did more research and came across more videos, it made me realize how serious this is. No one ever told me about Spiritual Warfare, so I didn't realize how important prayer was. I saw it as just a way to maintain your relationship with God but didn't realize it's necessary to fight spiritual battles for others as well. After knowing all this, I've been on fire. I did try sharing my faith with other friends...they all know I'm Christian (I grew up keeping the Sabbath [SDA] so it would always come up when I'm not available Saturdays. I'd also tell my gay friends early on that I don't agree with that and I'm not an ally, but I'd still treat em like everyone else), I assumed others were Christian cause of their families but I was wrong. Most shut me down pretty quickly when I wanted to speak religion 😅 She was open to discussion though, so I had hope for her. She grew up kinda in the church, moved around a lot, seen different denominations, so she had questions and clearly the wrong impression of Jesus. She was able to see the darkness in the world and how messed up the LGBT community is in that people don't want to accept their real selves, so while she didn't seem open to converting for the first few months, I guess I was able to clarify things and show her the light and the truth. Before long, she dusted off her bible. She said it was a catholic bible, so that same weekend, I got her a new bible along with some other books from the christian store. I got quite a collection for myself the last few months. If I'm not watching Christian videos like this as I'm working, I'm reading something, or listening to a Christian podcast. There's so much I didn't know and I'm just obsessed with learning all I can about God as we near the end~
Huh...is true, one time, after I sinned, God gave me the grace, that an unbeliever asked me a question about God not long after, so that I had to tell them why God is worth it all the while I felt horrible about myself, and it will convict me always...
I large part is learning More about God on the Web. I also am Not going
Down rabbit holes of useless
'Entertainment'. The last 3 years of
WUHAN have crippled and isolated
The Majority with FEAR .
But The Enemy LOSES !
Raise your Eyes to the Hills where
Our Salvation Comes !
Glory to God
Well, it's the first 5min which decides what I get hooked on to. First 5min of listening to this kind of content will create enough inertia to keep it going. That's the fight I feel when deciding what to watch everytime I come on social media
Listening to Pastor John on Desiring God is my technique #3
Amen... Thank you LORD
Omg literally stopped watching some detail Troy TH-cam to follow God and this was the first godly vid in my feed literally two seconds later. God is sovereign and good.
Allow yourself to at least once, before going to the entertainment, you say: before that I will take a time hearing the word of God.
This is the same issue I'm going through at the present. Thank you God for leading me to this video.
Craig, The problem can also be due to forgetting the second commandment of the 2 Jesus said were the greatest commandments: "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself". Many Christians, yes, even non-Christians (spiritualists, etc) gauge their "love" for God or interaction and devotion to the Lord by how they much, how long, how intense is their communion with God. But the Lord is clear by the teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that devotion to the Lord MUST ALSO BE gauged by how much we delight to assemble with the saints, how much we love to serve them and others, how much we love and enjoy spending time with people who want to know more about our God. Mission work, community Good works alongside the saints and joined with those who want to do God's work are some of the most joyous experiences you'll ever want or need. So don't be one-track-minded about our devotions with the Lord. There is an end result to our personal time with the Lord--it's going out in His Spirit and the Holiness He imparts in our devotions so we can get out there to serve our fellow Brethren and to reach out to others as a team. I've come to understand how God many times will not fully reveal Himself to us until we are in assembly with the saints/the church. There have been struggles I've had, questions that I've asked God and "waiting" for him in private devotions. But the answers did not always come through those quiet times. They came through a sermon, a fellowship outing, a mission to reach the community, etc. Wow. No wonder Jesus was not fooled into providing that one commandment as an end all--like the Pharisees and scribes wanted. Our God is a God whose will is for all the world to come to Him. And we are His ambassadors and high priests. Of course He knows not everyone will repent. But isn't that what Jonah thought about Nineveh, or the saints believed about the Christian murderer Saul-later called PAUL by the Lord --that they would never repent? God wants us to find out who will or will not repent. The outreach must be without bias. So, the Lord wants us to enjoy fellowship with Him and with the church and others whom the Lord brings our way. Speaking of entertainment, I love watching Christian films. I love listening to sermons on TH-cam. Sports. Uplifting TV shows. I especially love doing these with others! There's nothing like loving others as we love ourselves because God loved us!
Amazing advice, thanks a lot.
The first step.
For example, you just decided
(maybe as you often do, in the time you often do)
to watch television
(or to play video game or any social media time or another entertainment),
but before you doing so, you choose to read the Word of God instead.
Perhaps you will spend a nice time with His word and you will see that you used great your time. And than you will say: wow, it's so good, it's better than spending time with that entertainment I was going to do. I shall do it more often than to the entertainment I always do.
And maybe you will use more your time with the Word of God (hearing or reading), preachings, worship time with God (signing and or playing instruments to Him), and so on.
*Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded* - John Owen (book at 9:05)
Almost all of us prefer entertainment over time with God the only difference is you're honest, thank you for that. I was so severely battered traumatized and abused as a child I have no natural affection. I can't even love people let alone God. Also I have no idea what the phrase "time alone with God" means. Again, thanks for being honest, believe it or not that's encouraging.
Thank youfor this i needed this because i an struggling to give God more of ny attention i don't want to disappoint him anymore
More and more, I hope to see titles like "How to love God more than Netflix." I say that in earnest. It's a different world. Binge-able shows get more attention than our God - so that needs to be addressed. How to love God more than video games - show the good in video games, talk about the psychology of why we like video games, then show that it's only a cheap bandaid when put into the wrong place in our lives. As a hobby, fine. As our 'escape' from reality? I don't know. What do I know?.. I just think, to say the old saying, that modern problems require modern solutions - but grounded in ancient wisdom.
Especially as someone with ADD, I struggle with this a lot.
Man bruh If I'm haveing to watch a video about how to love God more then entertainment then I'm a messed up selfish person bruh. Like bruh I should already love him, just by for all of the things he has done for me. Bruh
He loves you man. Christ makes us perfect by His sacrifice and guidance through The Holy Spirit. You're in a good place feeling bad about it, and He's close to you. Draw near to Him, and He'll draw near to you. He is so Good!!
Yup to both of you
For real bruh
Plz pray for me. I feel like my soul is in danger and I need to be willing to repent/be more committed!!
So good and convicting!
John Piper helps me "taste" God's glory
John is a gift from God in his self!
I needed this today 😢
And thank you for letting God guide you.
If you like entertainment, just remember to not like it too much. What they are basically saying in this video is that you can have your entertainment, but you must love god more. Because god has created that entertainment. And he has created everything else as well. But one of the ten commandments says, "Do not make for yourself a carved image."
John 8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Simple you can love Him after He sets you free from sin.
"We speak that we do know & testify that we have seen - and ye receive not our witness.
If I have told you earthly things & ye believe not - how shall ye believe if I tell you of Heavenly things?"
(John3: 11-12).
I wish I could be totally 100% sold out for God, you know? Talking, dreaming, thinking, pondering him 24/7 becuase his awesome honeslt i WISH i was like that. And although I think about him alot I still like watching secular movies becuase christian movie dont cut it for me lol. I hope God can change all out desires to be inclined to him and his glorious treasure box of wonders and good God study and facts. Amen? Amen. His super super awesome, i wish I can know him more deeply and my beautiful Jesus ❤✝️
If it were up to me, I would get rid of all of the TVs in our house and after my phone is paid off I’m seriously considering going to a flip phone. I’m praying the Holy Spirit will help me have the fruit of self-control and I think that is a fruit that, a lot of people struggle with, but I trust him.
I know fully well that reading comic will kill me. I mean first I would read safe comic, then a little bit compromise and extremely worldly comics (sexual immorality then porn, then fall fall fall). 😭😭😭.
Help me, Lord 😭😭😭
Nothing is Impossible for God, He is chain breaker
I've had this habit for years where I watch a TH-cam video or throw on Netflix while I eat yo br entertained. But now, I try to throw on a video that glorifies God or a sermon while I eat. So when I physically eat, I spiritually eat too. I hope this helps someone.
Thank you so much for this 🥹🥹🥹
Downtime that is pure. As a Christian that struggles with this very thing. I go back to movies or TV shows I’ve seen already. I stay away from vile stuff as much as possible. I don’t really watch new movies. The deviant scenes pop on the screen before you can look away.
I play games allot. I dont think it interferes with my time with god simply because theres only so much i can do. I love hearing the word when i can understand it. I gave up porn for god even though i fail him sometimes still. Im better then I was and I know god is working on me and will finish his work in me as long as I keep my eyes on him. I dont love the world. Infact i hate it but i do have things that numb the pain and make life worth living and thats family, games, and above all God. If God calls on me then I will answer. But i will always feel im not doing enough no matter how much i surrender. I know change doesn't happen instantly and im still a child of god. I wish I felt i was doing the right thing. I have autism and OCD, and major depressive disorder so idk if its my mental ilness getting to me making me feel worthless.
We all struggle with this. It’s a portion of our lives that we will always need guidance for and from. It’s the amount that we allow ourselves to take in that ultimately leads us back to the relationship with Christ that we so deeply desire. If that desire is fading and you find yourself struggling to seek him? Do what pastor John said, test you’re faith. God is waiting for you to rise to the occasion of whoever may need to know of his divine love for us. At that point you will feel the Holy Spirit override you’re consciousness and deliver you back into the love and divine promise of Jesus Christ’s love for you and whoever you maybe leading to him. Trust in the desire that led you to Jesus in the first place. He’s always waiting for you to return to his divine love and prosperity.
I agree all his said. The world is crazy now.
God loves you
Great question and response.
Just because you love someone or something doesn't mean you love God any less
No, but anything that we are willing to tell God “no” to get is an idol. Anything we prefer over Him is idolatry, that’s this listener’s concern is He spends more time on entertainment than reading the Bible or praying or enjoying God.
I just don’t want to, but I understand that it’s a fight worth fighting
How do I get over the fear of man and not be ashamed of Jesus. I have faith and have grown my relationship with God but now it's clear he wants me to spread the gospel. I know works is not what gets you into heaven but faith without works is dead. How can I show my faith and thanks to God to others and God himself???
Thank you for this!
I personally know a family memeber, who is a believer (and would tell you he absolutely is!) who gets so incredibly excited about recreational activities, football, music, making money or extra money, working out, wine, beer and the list goes on and on. I have never seen any excitement toward God and the things of God, as much as he is drawn to these other things he finds exciting. And he wonders why he can't make better decisions about his life, has little to no credibility or respect from his family, and is extremely stressed out feeling stuck in his job that he doesn't like. May God open my friends eyes---would you join me in praying for him.
Hello Thank-full my name is Tudor I am from Romania and I want you to know that I have prayed for you(your friend).
Please continue to read your bible and pray daily. Please remember:
Matthew 11:28-30 --> 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Anyone who sees this. Pray for me please. I want holiness. I want righteousness. I hate that I see my default go to something that's not godly and not spiritual. I want to see Jesus in all new light. I want to taste his glory and grow in him. Please, if you need prayers as well I'd love to pray for anyone. Please, if you need prayers, post a reply.
We all do - I'd appreciate it.
Are you any doing better now? 🌿✝️
Please pray for me my name is sumanta
sumanta sha prayed for you. God bless you
may God bless you in jesus mighty name
Amen
I have that exact same question and I appreciate someone asking it in a way that makes sense. However, I didn't find that answer very helpful unfortunately. I'm not sure why. I will pray and ask the Lord for wisdom and understanding and hopefully find another source of information and inspiration on the subject.
Idk if it’s okay but when I face lust i tell myself that I am too superior and that I don’t need that because I have Jesus, also 2 Corinthian 10 says he that glorieth let him glory in the lord
Thanks this really helped and encouraged me
Please pray for me I feel like there are other things that are more entertaining then time with the Lord
Idk how to love him. I love him. But I don’t think I am succeeding at loving him more than other people or things. If I died right now, I don’t think I’d go to Heaven for this very reason. Please pray that I can conquer this.
" Even If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."
1 John 3:20
Would you think it strange if a young lady whom you didnt know walked up to you and told you that she loved you and would want to marry you?....You probly wouldnt believe her simply because she doesn't know you... she has never spent any time with you or understands your personality or your past life... the three tools that the lord gave us to spend time with you our prayer Bible reading and going to church fellowshipping with other believers as well as listening to the pastor preaching.. when you stay consistent and those things all of a sudden the Lord Jesus will become real to you and then you won't see him like some type of impersonal story written thousands of years ago... I know the answer may sound generic or may feel like it doesn't work but somehow it really does work you do your part and God will do his part and make himself real to you. and all of a sudden you begin to love him like he was a real person..
And I forgot to mention that once you start connecting with him through prayer Bible reading and attending church and he becomes more real to you then all of a sudden you will have a greater desire to actually be obedient and listen to what he says..that is why he says "if you love me you will obey my commands"
l am a christian but l feel like l am not enough , l feel like l need to do more but l dont know how
We’re not enough but God still loves us anyway
Rome 8 : 38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love.
Thank you so much💛💛💛🐻
Thank you so much.
Amen and Amen!