Why I Left Facebook

In a previous post I spoke of how God was speaking to me in regards to an issue. I never mentioned what it was as I was not yet ready. I am ready now.

As you may have guessed from this post's title, I was talking about getting off Facebook- for good. A friend asked me if something bad happened and the answer is no. I chose to do this for many different reasons, but the biggest one was that I felt God was telling me to. I made up excuse after excuse of why I wanted to stay on Facebook, but I could not find an excuse to disobey God. I absoluetly love looking at pictures and checking status' was always nice to keep up with what's going on in my friend's lives, and I could talk to people that I probably would not have been in contact with had it not been for Facebook. BUT, again, I could not find an excuse for disobeying what I know God was telling me to do. It's a really neat thing when the Lord speaks to you, but sometimes it can stink!

Deuteronomy 13:4 "Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him."

I do think there are some dangers associated with Facebook. As with anything, you can become addicted. I know there are many people who spend hours on Facebook. Hours! It's easy to do. It can definitely be a time robber. I never spent that much time on it as I just didn't have the time with 5 children to tend to, but I did log on for brief periods throughout the day to update my status or check others. Sometimes I was glad to read someone's status when they were having a hard day and then I could pray for them and encourage them. Then there were times when someone would post something that had just a little TMI(too much information)! LOL! It was fun though. Technology is amazing!

I never did care for many of the ads on the sidebar of the page. I didn't need to see immodest women or advertisements for worldly books and shows etc.. I certainly didn't need my children looking over my shoulder seeing these things! I've also had to delete a few people off my friends list as either their language was not appropriate or they had scantly dressed photos of themselves. Not to mention both of these things were occuring with Christian people!

Psalm 141:4 "Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties."

I also felt almost as if I was prying into peoples lives. Now, I know that they dilerberately posted what they were doing on their status for all to see, but I kind of felt like I was being nosey. Does that make sense to anyone? Maybe I am not explaining it properly, but to me that' s what it seemed like sometimes.

Some people update their status continuously throughout the day. I mean, do I really need to know what my friends/aquaintances are doing every hour?? Do I really need to know what they're having for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or what time they woke up? I'm not meaning to offend anyone by this, as I would post such things as I just mentioned. It used to be women would spend too much time talking about this stuff on the telephone. Now, they can just go to their computer and know what all their friends are doing at once!

Another concern I have is the safety as far as male/female relationships go. I had both men and women as my friends on my Facebook, and occasionally I would comment on a guys status or vice versa, but that was it. I didn't make it a habit, but yet I believe it can be a cause for concern. Am I being overly cautious? Am I a crazy nut to think this can be dangerous? No, I don't think so. Satan is alive and well and will use any means to destroy realtionships, especially those of a husband and wife. For the most part, the people on my friends list were Christian, but I had some that weren't. That meant that I would see pictures sometimes of them possibly dressed immodestly or even with some of their friends at a worldly party etc.. Should I even be looking at those pictures? Do I want my children to be looking over my shoulder as I'm looking at them and something I don't approve of pops up? Of course not! Even some of the quizzes that people take that you see on the newsfeed page, are ridiculous, not to mention some of the graphics that go along with them.

What am I saying? First of all, be careful! Yes, we may be adults, but we need to protect ourselves from the wiles of the devil and we need to protect our children. Satan can use something that seems so harmless, such as facebook, to do his dirty work. I think that he can use Facebook as a time robber(especially for stay at home moms), a luer for teenagers to go down the wrong path, whether it be from pop up ads they may click on or a friend on their list that is not a good influence, or a temptation for that husband or wife that may be going through difficulties in their marriage and they end up innocently communicating with a female/male friend which can lead their heart away from their spouse. These are just a few of the ways I think that Satan can get to us. Don't underestimate him.

Eph 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Eph 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Now please don't get all mad at me or think I've lost my mind! And don't think that because you choose to stay on Facebook I will look down on you. I won't. This is my opinion and this is what God has shown me and told me to do. However, I ask that you prayerfully consider what I have said and be cautious.

1Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"