Clicking for Love in All the Wrong Places

I've heard that there are folks out there who are even much more computer-obsessed than I am. You might be one of them if you've discovered you can't let a TV commercial pass without checking your email. If you can turn your keyboard upside down and shake out enough food crumbs for a seven-course meal, I'd say you're dangerously close to web-obsession. If mousework persistently wins out over housework, or if you realize you haven't left the house since the last big sale at Best Buy, you just might be a compulsive clicker. When your only muscles are in your fingers, or when you find yourself heading for bed (finally) and tell your spouse that your screen saver is about to kick in, it's probably time to think about a 12-step program.

No matter what stage of web-compulsion we're experiencing, it's always good to remember that it's easy to "get beached" surfing the net. There are sneaky sites lurking, waiting to pounce. God's Word says to "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8-9, NIV).

We need to be ready to unplug - to run, even sprint, from the worldly things that seek to pull us down. In 2 Timothy 2:22, the Living Bible says to "Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts." There is safety and life when we learn to run from evil influences and run to Christ. 

"The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life." (Proverbs 16:17, NIV). There are wonderful opportunities and amazing abilities stemming from our entrance into the Computer Age.  The information highway has proven to be a powerful tool for sharing God's Word. We simply need to make sure we stay on the upright highway and use our computer power for good and not evil. Proverbs 16:17 says, "God's people avoid evil ways, and they protect themselves by watching where they go." (CEV)  We can avoid evil and protect ourselves by watching where we go - and by watching where we go on the net. We need to make sure the time we spend (and the amount of time we spend) on the computer is God-honoring.  And if we get to the place where we've never seen any of our best friends' faces, it might be time to rethink the 12-step program idea.

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Contributed by Rhonda Rhearrhea@juno.comRhonda Rhea writes for dozens of great Christian publications and speaks at conferences and events across the country. You can find her new book, Amusing Grace, at your local Christian bookstore. Rhonda's husband, Richie Rhea, is a pastor in Troy, Missouri. You can reach them through her Web site atwww.rhondarhea.net