Let’s face it. Facebook can be an awesome tool to evangelize, market, push causes, release relevant news or stay connected to family, close friends, co-workers, your favorite organizations, groups and such; but it can also be a place of great chaos, confusion, unbelievable division and great temptation for Christians. In some instances, it can even become a place of pride, narcissism, a point of addiction, gossip, a root of judgment and criticism, a weapon of shunning or even bullying.

While some see Facebook as a virtual community that is fictitious in nature, the reality is this: It isn’t. It has fast become the neighborhood that our present and rising generation is learning to live within and navigate. Long gone are the common neighborhood visits to the little old lady down the street as we have known it.

It is quite a disturbing and growing trend.

Facebook has, in many ways, truly developed into the neighborhood of the future. In 2008, Facebook reportedly had 101M active users with a growth rate of 305 percent a year (Arrington 2008). As of March 31 2012, Facebook boasted more than 835,525,280M users worldwide (MiniWatts Marketing Group 2012). An online article published on ZNET reported that “the social networking giant saw its users spend an average of 10.5 billion total minutes per day on the site in January 2012” (Protalinski 2012).

Of that number, we can only imagine how many of those users are Christian. You may be wondering what does all of this mean to me? Well, for the Christian who really loves and seeks after the message of Christ, we must settle in to these realities: (1) we should be good stewards of our time; (2) we should be excellent ambassadors of our faith on an offline; and (3) we must be realistic concerning what we hope to accomplish when entering social neighborhoods.

Remember! One of the keys to working out our soul’s salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord is to “guard our hearts” (Proverbs 4:23). It is from this perspective that I present this article. I am listing some practical things that we can “spiritually” consider as it relates to interactions on Facebook. The intent here is not to hit everything, but to touch on some points that we would be diligent and vigilant in remembering. Hello, Theresa… who is the first in line!

Determine why YOU are on Facebook. Be honest with yourself. Take some time and determine why you login to Facebook regularly. Consider why you created an account and what you hope to accomplish that is reflective of your walk with the Lord. Our motives are at the very root of how we act, respond and behave overall on social networking sites. (Proverbs 21:2) If you have a godly focus for being online, then your interactions will be deliberate and God-centered. You can actually set goals, and walk them out.

Determine why YOU connect with people, pages or groups on Facebook. What are your motives behind friending someone? (Philippians 2:3) Connecting with people with the right motive will direct your interactions with them.

Take care in who you follow. As you know our relationships and interests are constantly changing. If you’re not careful, what you watch or read could insight jealousy, competition, insecurity, discouragement, anger, disappointment, confusion, division, SUSPICION, paranoia, exclusion, introspection and a host of other unhealthy emotions that quite frankly – can be major distractions in your life. It can feed the mind and the intellect, and keep you in your flesh. Only follow those individuals or gorups that give life. Never let nosiness be your motivation. We do not need to see or hear everything and open up any place of temptation within us. Also, it’s not always a good thing to know who is interacting with whom, what everyone is doing or who they are doing it with – even if it is simple stuff. We can never be too careful concerning what we allow inside us. All it takes is a crack! (Proverbs 4:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:11)

Watch what you say. In my Facebook experience, I’ve put my foot in my mouth many times. Unfortunately, this is TRULY not the place to say just anything to just everyone. Make use of the “custom options” in the midst of posting and practice communicating via the Facebook messenger or chat if needed. This is far better than broadcasting publicly or even among friends. I also hide my likes and make sure new connections are not publicly visible. Not everyone needs to know who you are connected to or talking with on a regular basis. Not everything is public! (Job 6:24, Proverbs 10:8) I am led to type out Proverbs 29:11, A fool utters his mind but a wise man keeps it in until afterwards.

Beware of idolatry. Remember, Facebook can become an idol. There are people who live their entire lives through their interactions there. People of God, this is not the Father’s will for your LIFE. If you find yourself idolizing Facebook, cry out to God and Holy Spirit for a severing of this addiction as it has become your minister and the object of your obsession. Here’s a simple test: Shut it down from all your devices and see how long you can go without being tempted? (Matthew 4:10-11; Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Take note of your time. This one’s simple. Look at the time you spend in prayer, meditation and/or with your family and compare that with how much time you spend on Facebook (including the laptop, tablet or phone). (Psalm 90:12)

People of God, these are things I’ve learned and am now putting into practice. The protection of my “heart” is paramount to me as it is the place where God searches for himself “in me.” It is the entrance of His Word and the place where the issues of life are settled within us. Our ear and eye gates are not trashcans – places where we allow others to throw anything and everything in.

Have you experienced wounding even subtly just by reading a post by those you know? I know I have in the past. Well guess what? You don’t have to open yourself up to it! You can make the choice right now to navigate this social world differently, and spend more time involved in your own soul’s work.

Word of wisdom: If you’re going to navigate the murky waters of Facebook, do so with godly purpose, Holy Spirit led accountability and under the weight of his wisdom.

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Bibliography

Arrington, Michael. Morgan Stanley’s March Internet Trends Report: Social Applications Dominating. April 28, 2008. http://techcrunch.com/2008/04/28/morgan-stanleys-march-internet-trends-report-social/ (accessed March 1, 2013).

MiniWatts Marketing Group. Facebook Usage and Facebook Growth Statistics. November 20, 2012. http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm (accessed March 1, 2013).

Protalinski, Emil. 10.5 billion minutes spent on Facebook daily, excluding mobile. March 28, 2012. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/10-5-billion-minutes-spent-on-facebook-daily-excluding-mobile/11034 (accessed March 1, 2013).