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Social Media as a Christian | 3 Things to Stop Doing!
Christian Life

Social Media as a Christian | 3 Things to Stop Doing!

March 15, 2021

I remember the day well, it was June 3rd, my birthday. A very special birthday in my mind. No, not because I was finally a teenager. Not because I was old enough to get a learning permit or to drink alcohol. Nope, I was turning 13 and I was SO excited to get my own Facebook account. Looking back I’m not sure why it was so important to me then. Maybe because all my friends were on it and we could chat whenever we wanted. Maybe because I could take pictures of my new braces and post them for people to see (no matter how much they make me cringe now). 

Suffice it to say, social media has played a big role in my life since then. I moved across the world, literally, when I was 15 and Facebook (then, later Instagram) was how I kept up with all my friends back in the states. 

Social media is bittersweet to me. It’s wonderful in the sense that you can connect with other people anywhere in the world, you can write something that someone else you’ve never met can read, and you can keep up with family and friends. But it’s also bitter in that it can take up a LOT of your time, too much sometimes. And it can be a very dark and discouraging place.

As believers, we need to honor Christ in every area of our lives, even in how we use social media. That’s why we need to stop doing these 3 things so that we can honor the Lord with our social media.

3 things to Stop Doing on Social Media

1. Stop Following Everyone on Social Media

There’s nothing inherently wrong with following lots and lots of people on Instagram or having thousands of friends on Facebook. But I think limiting who you follow on social media will help your walk with the Lord, here’s why.

Whether we realize it or not, what we read and see online has a profound effect on our thought life and, therefore, on our life in general. What we see on social media really can change our attitude, our outlook, our wants and our desires. 

This happens mostly because we want to be like what we see and we want to see ourselves as different than who we actually are. With all the filters, editing, and snippets of real life on social media, it’s VERY easy to think that your life is not good enough, that it needs to be different to better or that you are doing something wrong, just from what we see online.

As believers, we can’t get our self-worth or standard of living from other people on the internet. We need to find our worth, our whole being really, in Christ as our Savior. He is the one that died for us even though we were sinners (Romans 5:8) and we need to live in light of His sacrifice (Colossians 1:10).

Ultimately, we need to follow Jesus.

It’s because of this deep effectiveness that we need to be careful who we follow on social media. Because they are influencing us whether we think so or not.

That’s why you need to stop following everybody and their cousin on social media. Take a look at who you follow now and weed it down. You will have to use your own discernment in this area. At the end of the day, it’s not sinful to follow someone who is not a Christian or an account that doesn’t post about christian topics, but here are a few things to think through.

Is the influencer mom who claims christianity, posts a perfect Sunday photo with her kids all lined up, shares her Malibu and Diet Coke addiction in her stories, every post is an ad campaign… is she really pointing you to Christ? 

Maybe a mom you follow is suddenly into crystals and connecting with her aura. She’s telling you how witchcraft has changed her life, is that life-giving? Does that help you walk with the Lord? 

Maybe a mom is always complaining about how hard her life is, posts pictures of herself crying and not getting a break, and it makes you hopelessly commiserate the hardness of motherhood together. Is that pointing you to the hope we have in Christ?

Maybe it’s something as small as a mom that’s always gushing about her husband and you have a hard time not being jealous of that… unfollow her. 

Maybe there are some accounts that you’re not sure about. Unfollow them and see if you miss them in a week.

When I weeded through my list of accounts that I follow, it basically came down to this: Unfollow people who are not adding to your life and pointing you to Christ. 

Maybe that seems too narrow-minded to you, that’s fine! In this case, you do you. Use your own conscience to guide and direct your choices of who you follow. Remember that we are ultimately following Christ and we want to have His mind in us (Philippians 2:5)… that’s pretty narrow-minded anyway.

2. Stop Posting Without Reviewing

The next thing to stop doing on social media is posting without reviewing what you are going to post. 

Before you press that post button, take a minute to think about what you are saying. This is especially important when it comes to commenting on other peoples’ posts. It really doesn’t take that long to think through what you’ve written in that post box. So do it. 

When we post willy-nilly we run the risk of our posts coming to the edge of gossip or slander, or lying. As a representative of Christ, you must be careful to avoid these tendencies when posting. 

As a believer, you want to speak life into other people, you want to open avenues to share the Gospel, you don’t want to sin with what you post. The Bible says to “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:32)

So, the one question I encourage you to ask yourself is this: 

“Would I say what I’m going to post if we were talking in person?” 

This question should help you navigate away from major problems with your post. If you need to go deeper than that, ask yourself if it’s loving, biblical, accurate, helpful, and encouraging.

If your post doesn’t meet these qualifications, then don’t post it. 

Usually, the answer to that first question clears up any doubt I may have about what I’m posting. And, to be completely honest, whatever I post on social media is usually something I have already said to someone in person. Most of the time that someone is my husband, but other times it is a friend, my sister, or even my mom! 

It’s totally fine for your social media account to be a week “old” because everything you post has been said in person by you before or you’ve already had a conversation in person with someone about what you are posting. That’s exactly what I do. 

Having a filter on what you write (not just the photos you post) will greatly help you steer clear of a post you regret or end up deleting later.

And that filter on your writing will help you to honor the Lord with what you post.

Filter your words, not just your photos.

3. Stop Spending So Much Time on Your Phone

Now, we’ve talked about unfollowing people (which may help with this step too) and reviewing what you write. But now, the dreaded topic, stop spending so much time on your phone. 

Our phones are truly addicting, partly because they are just so helpful in our everyday lives! But that addiction is dangerous. I wrote a whole post regarding this because it had truly gotten out of hand in my own life. Head over to that post for the full story, but I’ll share a few more tips here to help you spend less time on social media.

  • Keep the Sabbath with your phone. Designate at least one day per week (I recommend Sunday) to not be on your social media at all. Not only will this show you that, yes, you can indeed live without social media, but it will help you focus your time elsewhere and help you live in the moment of the day instead of scrolling endlessly. I can personally attest to these things because I cut myself off from social media every Saturday and Sunday by totally deleting the apps from my phone.
  • Set a timer when you go to the park. This is especially for parents. There have been way too many times where I’ve been at the park and all I want to do is be on my phone the whole time. When you get to the park, set a time for when you need to start leaving. Make sure the volume is up on your phone! Then put it away. No need to check what time it is, it will let you know when you are leaving. Maybe pull it out for a fun photo, but that’s all you need. This can also work for walking or even being at the store.
  • Use your phone’s screen time settings. There are plenty of options on your phone when it comes to staying off of certain apps. Take advantage of those settings! Set a timer for the most distracting apps so that you can’t open them after you’ve used up the time. Turn on “Do Not Disturb” for a couple hours each day. Turn off all your notifications. Find what works for you.
  • Don’t charge your phone at night. This may not work for everyone, but if you are home most of the day like me, then don’t charge your phone at night. That will force you to charge it sometime during the day and, therefore, put it out of your hands for a while.

Try out those tips and enjoy the moments of silence you will have. Not silence from real noise, but silence from all the noise that social media can bring. You may be surprised at how many thoughts you actually have, they’ve been stuffed down by your scrolling. Or you’ll notice something about your kid that you hadn’t seen before. Or you’ll see how much you can actually get done during the day when you don’t look at any Instagram Reels (don’t worry, I’ve been there).

Bittersweet Social Media

As I said at the beginning, social media is bittersweet. Let’s stop doing these three things and start doing more off of social media so that it can be more sweet than bitter. And, more importantly, so that we can honor the Lord with how we use social media.

What’s your best social media tip? Let me know in the comments below!


Related Posts:

How to Manage Phone Time

How to Read Your Bible as a Busy Mom

The Best Planner for Busy Moms

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What You Need to Know About the Trinity | Important Doctrine

Welcome! I’m Deborah. So glad you’re here!

Here you’ll find encouraging, Scripture-filled posts and Bible study tips. Because theology is for every mom! Get to know me here.

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    Deborah Gandi
    (2/2) 3. PRAY THROUGH OBEDIENCE BOOTCAMP As you ar (2/2) 3. PRAY THROUGH OBEDIENCE BOOTCAMP
As you are focusing so much on obedience, do not forget to pray.

Including the Lord in your day-to-day life through prayer is one of the most encouraging things you can do as a parent. There’s never a reason not to pray. And, when you are in the trenches of Obedience Bootcamp is an excellent time to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonions 5:17).

Pray in your head before you have to discipline your child. Pray while you are speaking to them. Pray while you are playing with them. Pray for them when they go to sleep. Pray with them as they apologize for sin and ask for forgiveness. Pray for them to be forgiven. Pray for God to help them obey next time. Pray that they would have a heart of obedience. Pray for the Lord to save them. Pray for them to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray, pray, pray.

If you can’t focus on praying in your head, then just pray out loud. Your kids can hear your prayers and be encouraged as well as directed to God themselves.

Requiring obedience from our children cannot be done without the Lord’s help. He assures us that we should come before Him with confidence through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:16). So go before Him throughout these days of focused discipline training with your kids.

Being consistent is hard! We need God’s help to truly make changes in our own lives and in the lives of our children. So do not hesitate to call on Him when you do Obedience Bootcamp.
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I don't have all the answers, but praying through these steps and avoiding distractions has helped us this week! Be sure to check out my "Obedience" highlight where I'll save some more tips! To God be the glory. 💕
    (1/2) Obedience Bootcamp is just the simple idea o (1/2) Obedience Bootcamp is just the simple idea of a reset. My plan was to take a few days, change what I had been doing and really focus on requiring my daughter to obey right away, the first time, and with a good attitude. That’s it.

This is what I did to help myself discipline my daughter better and to require full obedience defined as: Obeying right away, the first time, and with a good attitude.

1. WARN YOUR KID(S)

Sit down your kids and tell them what’s going on. Confess that you’ve been lazy to your children and that you are changing how things are going in your house so that you can all better honor the Lord.

Because my daughter is only 3-years-old, this conversation was short and to the point. I told her that I would not ask her to do something twice anymore and that she would have consequences if she disobeyed the first time.

Once you’ve established that change is happening, make it happen!

2. CONSISTENTLY REQUIRE OBEDIENCE.

You have to be consistent. 

There’s no hope for this Bootcamp to work if you are not focused and consistently disciplining your children. 

Do not tell them to do something twice. If you’re telling them for the second time, then they are disobeying. Do not let them convince you that they don’t need to obey. If you’re having a discussion about whether or not they need to do what you told them, they are already disobeying. Do not let them have a bad attitude when they are obeying for that actually makes it disobedient. 

Be sure you make eye contact and use their name when telling them to do something. 

Whichever method you employ for disciplining, you must be consistent in the method. Every time your child disobeys, they need discipline so that they can learn to obey.

And remember that parents are a team. That means that you require the same things and discipline consistently together.

SOME THINGS THAT HELPED ME BE MORE CONSISTENT:

Stay off your phone. It is a big distraction and your kids notice. 
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Play with your kids. You'll have more opportunity to talk with them and discipline when needed.
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Stay home. Much easier to  discipline in the comfort of your own home.
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Stay tuned for part 2!
    Alistair Begg said, “I will never learn to disc Alistair Begg said,

“I will never learn to discipline my children properly unless I’ve learned to discipline myself. And if I am arbitrary in the way I deal with sin in my own life, then it will be inevitable that I am arbitrary in the way I deal with it in my children’s lives. When my children hear godliness from my mouth and they see wickedness in my life, then I point them to heaven, but I lead them to hell.”

Ouch! That struck a nerve. But he is correct, we must live disciplined lives if we are to expect discipline from our children. That doesn’t mean that we have to be perfect before disciplining our kids, we can’t be perfect (Romans 3:23). And God knows that we are not going to be perfect parents. But that does mean that we can’t hold our kids to one standard of discipline and obedience when we are not obeying God and being disciplined in our Christian walk. 

So, take time to confess sin and repent of your lack of self-discipline. God is always there to forgive (1 John 1:9). Then ask the Lord to help you move forward in your own self-discipline. Whether it’s spending more time in Bible study, confessing sin more often, praising God throughout the day, or whatever it may be, ask for the Lord’s help in being self-disciplined with your time and holiness (2 Peter 1:3, 5).

Having self-discipline in your life is the way to start disciplining your kids more consistently.
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#gospelcenteredparenting #trainthemup #christianmama #proverbs31mom #gloriousmotherhood #belovedlife  #christcenteredmama #inspiremotherhood #gospelcenteredparenting #documentlife #writeyouonmyheart #joyfulmamas #nothingisordinary #letthembelittle #honestmotherhood #gracebasedmotherhood #gracefilledmotherhood #motheringforchrist #gospelcenteredparenting
#godlymotherhood #beautyfromashes #shedelights #womenintheword
    Our hymn for the month of April is: All Hail the P Our hymn for the month of April is: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name. This hymn is extra special because it’s my husband’s favorite and we actually sung it at our wedding with all our guests! The lyrics are so encouraging and biblical. I’ve put them below, but if you’d like to join us in learning this hymn, you can download the free hymn lyric sheet at the link in my bio. Happy singing!
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All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name by Edward Perronet
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1. All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all! 
2. Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, Ye ransomed from the fall, Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. 
3. Let every kindred, every tribe, On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all! 
4. Oh, that with yonder sacred throng, We at his feet may fall! We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all. We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all.
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#hymns #hymnsofgrace #hymnal #singingtogether #familyhymnsing #learninghymns #ancientwords #theologymatters #singingtheology #christianmama #christianfamily #motherhood
    Parenting is no joke. It is hard work! I’m convi Parenting is no joke. It is hard work! I’m convinced that Deuteronomy 6:7 is just as much for parents as it is for children. “You shall teach [God’s laws] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” We’ve got to teach our children about the Lord constantly because we constantly need the encouragement ourselves.
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#christianmama #proverbs31mom #gloriousmotherhood #belovedlife  #christcenteredmama #inspiremotherhood #gospelcenteredparenting #documentlife #writeyouonmyheart #joyfulmamas #nothingisordinary #letthembelittle #honestmotherhood #gracebasedmotherhood #gracefilledmotherhood #motheringforchrist #gospelcenteredparenting
#godlymotherhood #beautyfromashes #shedelights #womenintheword #parenting #bibleverses #theologymatters #trainthemup #deuteronomy #deuteronomy6
    I took my own advice and read a devotional thought I took my own advice and read a devotional thought from Spurgeon before looking through my instagram this morning. And now I just have to share it with you! ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
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"'And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.'
—Luke 23:27

Amid the rabble rout which hounded the Redeemer to his doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in wailing and lamentations—fit music to accompany that march of woe. When my soul can, in imagination, see the Saviour bearing his cross to Calvary, she joins the godly women and weeps with them; for, indeed, there is true cause for grief—cause lying deeper than those mourning women thought. They bewailed innocence maltreated, goodness persecuted, love bleeding, meekness about to die; but my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn. My sins were the scourges which lacerated those blessed shoulders, and crowned with thorn those bleeding brows: my sins cried 'Crucify him! crucify him!' and laid the cross upon his gracious shoulders. His being led forth to die is sorrow enough for one eternity: but my having been his murderer, is more, infinitely more, grief than one poor fountain of tears can express.

Why those women loved and wept it were not hard to guess: but they could not have had greater reasons for love and grief than my heart has. Nain’s widow saw her son restored—but I myself have been raised to newness of life. Peter’s wife’s mother was cured of the fever—but I of the greater plague of sin. Out of Magdalene seven devils were cast—but a whole legion out of me. Mary and Martha were favoured with visits—but he dwells with me. His mother bare his body—but he is formed in me the hope of glory. In nothing behind the holy women in debt, let me not be behind them in gratitude or sorrow.

'Love and grief my heart dividing,
With my tears his feet I’ll lave—
Constant still in heart abiding,
Weep for him who died to save.'"
-- C. H. Spurgeon
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#christianmama #spurgeon #charlesspurgeon #spurgeonquotes #chspurgeon #crucifixion #gracealone #gospel #salvation #instaencouragements #dailyencouragement #morningandevening
    Hair and the Heidelberg Catechism. You see all th Hair and the Heidelberg Catechism.

You see all those little baby hairs around my face? There are a lot of them. I’ve lost a lot of hair in the last 3 years as a mama. Not only when I’d just had my daughter but also when I miscarried two times in a row. Even though I was only pregnant for a few short weeks both times, my body was in “pregnant” mode and therefore went through all the hormones that can make you lose hair. I lost a bunch. So I actually like these little baby hairs that were so noticeable today. They show that my body has restarted since my miscarriage that was almost a year ago, and for that I’m thankful. 

But, what does hair have to do with the Heidelberg catechism? Well, question and answer number 1 says:

What is thy only comfort in life and death?
That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

Did you catch that? “...without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head.” Oh, how sweet is that truth? God knows and loves us so much so that if even a hair falls from my head it’s not outside His will for me. He directs all of life, even the thin, postpartum hairs that fall. And if He knows about each hair, then He knows my deepest hurts or sorrows and took care of it all through Jesus’ sacrifice. After re-reading the answer, I was utterly encouraged that God takes such encompassing care over His children, over me, over you. He truly is our only hope in life and death.
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"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matthew 10:30
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#heidelbergcatechism #catechism #postpartum #postpartumbody #postpartumhairloss #postpartumhair #motherhood #reformed #christianmama #theologymatters #theology #miscarriage
    Because He lives we can face today. If it holds he Because He lives we can face today. If it holds heartache and hurt, bitterness and bruises, disappointment and discouragement. We can face it through Christ's power that was on display in the resurrection. 
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Because Jesus lives we can face today. Even if it is the Monday-est Monday ever, we have babies to feed, houses to clean, husbands to help, and somehow fit our own shower and Bible reading in the day. We can face it through Christ's power that was on display in the resurrection.
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Whatever you have before you today and everyday as God's child, you can face it because He lives. 💕
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"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58
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#resurrection #resurrectionsunday #easter #bibleverse #becausehelives #theology #theologymatters #christianmama #proverbs31mom #gloriousmotherhood #belovedlife  #christcenteredmama #inspiremotherhood #gospelcenteredparenting #documentlife #honestmotherhood #gracebasedmotherhood #gracefilledmotherhood #motheringforchrist 
#godlymotherhood #beautyfromashes #womenintheword
#deeplyrooted #wellwateredwomen #womenintheword #womenoftheword 
#homemaker #homemakerlife #homemakers #thankfulhomemaker
    The weather has broken this week here in England. The weather has broken this week here in England. The last couple of days have been full of sunshine, pleasant breezes, and birds twittering. It’s a brand-new season, a brand-new start, Spring.
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And this Spring, the reviving of the earth after a cold winter, makes me think of my own life.

There are so many times in life that I want to start over anew. Whether it’s a word I shouldn’t have said, a turn I regret taking, or a service I neglected, I would rather go back and change it. And if I could, start over and try again. 

This is true as a mom too. Maybe I snapped at a mom at play group, I wasn’t consistent in disciplining my daughter during the day, I resented my husband because he didn’t do things the way I would’ve… all things that I would go back and change if I could.

WHERE’S THE RESTART BUTTON?
The ultimate restart button was when Jesus died on the cross. He took my place, died for my debt, and made a way for all my “restarts” to be possible. When you believe in Jesus as your savior, you are washed completely clean of sin by His blood on the cross. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins area as scarlet, They will be as white as snow.”

Before Christ came to earth, we had no hope, no respite, no future. But He changed all of that. He bore our punishment in His death on the cross so that we could start over, so that we could restart.

And as we pursue holiness, we will fail. But our Father has given us a restart button. We can press it over and over again.

THE RESTART BUTTON IS CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE.
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We confess our sin by agreeing with God that what we’ve done is wrong. And then we repent of sin by turning away from it.
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John explained it well, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) When we’ve done wrong, made those mistakes and bad choices, then confess, He will always forgive because Jesus has already paid for all of our sins. That’s how we press the restart button.
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Pray in those moments when you are overcome with regret or guilt. Trust that Jesus sacrifice covers your sins. Then rest in the forgiveness that God has given you and try, try again to live in holiness. 💕
    “Those who think that a woman detained at home b “Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing, think the reverse of what is true. Scarcely can the godly mother quit her home for a place of worship; but dream not that she is lost to the work of the church; far from it, she is doing the best possible service for her Lord. Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty.” Charles Spurgeon
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#christianmama #proverbs31mom #gloriousmotherhood #belovedlife  #christcenteredmama #inspiremotherhood #gospelcenteredparenting #documentlife #writeyouonmyheart #joyfulmamas #nothingisordinary #letthembelittle #honestmotherhood #gracebasedmotherhood #gracefilledmotherhood #motheringforchrist #gospelcenteredparenting
#godlymotherhood #spurgeonquotes #spurgeon #charlesspurgeon
    Hi, I’m Deborah. While there are many things tha Hi, I’m Deborah. While there are many things that could define me, I am first and foremost saved by grace alone through faith alone in God alone. A few other descriptors would be: Wife to my sweet man, Herald; obsessed with tulips (the flower, but the theological acronym is cool too); theologian via naptime (although naps do not really exist in our house anymore and I’m not yet happy about it); excellent reader (though I try to read too many books at once); and daily walker/bike rider (gotta get the exercise in!). 

But one descriptor that I am so thankful for is this: Mother to my sweet little Aletheia (and two angel babies). Motherhood is hard and it really pushed me to the edge of myself and into the arms of my Savior. I am learning more about Him every single day on this motherhood journey and bringing you along in these little squares on the internet (what a day we live in, eh?). Here are 10 things I’ve learned by being a mom. Read them and then comment what you’ve learned in the stage of life you’re in!

1. How to shower, get dressed, and put on makeup in under 10 minutes.
2. Cuddling with your toddler is the only way to sleep in.
3. Gray hairs come on quick.
4. You have to write down the funny things your kids say or you will forget.
5. Toddler kisses are the best.
6. Getting outside everyday is a MUST, despite the weather.
7. Reading your Bible is essential.
8. You really don’t have to wash your hair everyday.
9. Parenthood is such an amazing gift from God.
10. We NEED good theology as parents. (Hence this account, my blog, and all my thoughts posted online.)

Okay, your turn!

#christianmama #proverbs31mom #gloriousmotherhood #belovedlife  #christcenteredmama #inspiremotherhood #gospelcenteredparenting #documentlife #writeyouonmyheart #joyfulmamas #nothingisordinary #letthembelittle #honestmotherhood #gracebasedmotherhood #gracefilledmotherhood #motheringforchrist #gospelcenteredparenting
#godlymotherhood #beautyfromashes #shedelights #womenintheword #deeplyrooted #wellwateredwomen #expatblogger #expatmum #expatwife #ukmoms
    Never let wonder of God fade with familiarity of S Never let wonder of God fade with familiarity of Scripture.
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We read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead before bed tonight. As we came to the page where Jesus's prayer is answered, the bystanders stand amazed, and Mary and Martha rejoice; Lazarus coming out of the tomb, I found myself wanting to rush past this page we've read 1000s of times so that we could get on with bed time. I was immediately convicted when my 3-year-old whisper-shouted, "A dead man was alive again!" 
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That hit me. Yes, Lazarus was really dead and Jesus really raised him back to life.
Another hit. Jesus was really dead and was really raised back to life.
And the knockout. I was dead in sin, and Jesus raised me to life in Him. 
That is a story I want to read 1000 times more.
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Never let wonder of God fade with familiarity of Scripture.
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#christianmama #proverbs31mom #gloriousmotherhood #belovedlife  #christcenteredmama #inspiremotherhood #gospelcenteredparenting #documentlife #writeyouonmyheart #joyfulmamas #nothingisordinary #letthembelittle #honestmotherhood #gracebasedmotherhood #gracefilledmotherhood #motheringforchrist #gospelcenteredparenting
#godlymotherhood #beautyfromashes #shedelights #womenintheword #womenoftheword #knowinggod #deeplyrooted #wellwateredwomen
    I cannot recommend this book enough! It truly chan I cannot recommend this book enough! It truly changed my life when I read it last year and opened my eyes to a doctrine I had neglected. Michael Reeves does an amazing job of pointing you to the glory of the Trinity spiritually. But he also points you to our Savior practically. Here's what He said about how the Trinity changes your Bible reading:
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"[The Trinity] dramatically affects why we open our Bible. We can open our Bibles for all sorts of odd reasons--as religious duty, an attempt to earn God's favor, or thinking that it serves as a moral self-help guide, a manual of handy tips for effective religious lives. That idea is actually one main reason so many feel discouraged in their Bible-reading. Hoping to find quick lessons for how they should spend today, people find instead a genealogy, or a list of various sacrifices. And how could page after page of histories, descriptions of the temple, instructions to priests, affect how I rest, work, and pray today?
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"But when you see that Christ is the subject of all the Scriptures, that He is the Word, the Lord, the Son who reveals his Father, the promised Hope, the true Temple, the true Sacrifice, the great High Priest, the ultimate King, then you can read, not so much asking, 'What does this mean for me, right now?' but 'What do I learn here of Christ?' Knowing that the Bible is about him and not me means that, instead of reading the Bible obsessing about me, I can gaze on Him. And as through the pages you get caught up in the wonder of His story, you find your heart strangely pounding for Him in a way you never would have if you had treated the Bible as a book about you."
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Find this quote and MANY more helpful lessons in Delighting in the Trinity.
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#michaelreeves #trinity #biblereading #bibletheology #bibledoctrine #biblicaltheology #theologymatters #readyourbible #bibleverses #bookreview #christianbook #christianbooks #christianbookreviews #reading #christianmama #delightinginthetrinity
    Without the Trinity, there would not be love. . I Without the Trinity, there would not be love. 
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If our God was only one person, who would He love? Only Himself. There would not be another person to give His love. 
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But our God is three distinct persons, the Trinity. And therefore, there is someone for the other to love. John 17:24 says that “[the Father] loved [the Son] before the creation of the world.” So even before our world existed, there was love. God’s love. The love of the Father for His Son.
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This is how John can say that God is love (1 John 4:8). His love has always existed in the Trinity. 
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Without the Trinity, we would not exist. 
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Paul says in Romans 8:29, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”
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The Father’s love for the Son radiated out so that God wanted His love to fill others and thus He created humans. Jesus, the Son, explains this best in His high priestly prayer: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:24-26).
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Without the Trinity, we would not have salvation.
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First John 4:8-10 says,”The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
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The ultimate, most extreme act of God’s love was the Cross. John 15:13 says, “No greater love has one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
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So the Trinity brings love, which brings humans, which brings the ultimate act of that love to save those humans, the cross and salvation. 
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Simply put, we owe everything to the Trinity.
    We will never be able to fully understand exactly We will never be able to fully understand exactly how God works. We can never plumb the depths of the mystery of the Trinity. 

And not only in regards to the Trinity, other aspects of God’s ways will never be totlally understood.

But that is as it should be. For if we were to totally understand God, wouldn’t that make us god and not Him? I love when God answers all of Job’s questions in the final chapters. Then Job declares that God’s ways are “too wonderful” for him and that he did not know them. 

That is how we should see God’s works. We will not totally understand, but that lack of understanding will cause us to glorify Him even more than if we knew all of the answers.

Please read Job 38-42 and bask in God's glory. You will see that God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9) and that should cause us to rejoice (Isaiah 25:1).
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#trinitarian
#isaiah25 #job38 #theology #toomarvelous #trinity #theologymatters #hiswaysarehigher #rejoicealways #faithfulness #readyourbible #christiantheology #christianmama #christcenteredmama #christcentered #theology101 #reformedtheology #reformed #reformeddogmatics #reformeddoctrine #knowledge #threeinone #theologian #naptimetheology #naptimetheologian #christianparenting #biblicaltheology #biblical #bibleverses #bibleverse
    What is the Trinity? The Trinity is three persons What is the Trinity?

The Trinity is three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — in one being: God.

Now, why such a specific definition? Because it matters! Let me explain. 

I use the word “person” because it designates the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as distinct and not three “modes” of God. 

And the word “being” is used because it is not the same as persons. Logically, you cannot have three persons in one person, that’s a fallacy. 

You can, however, have three persons in one being. 

To further explain “being” Gerald Bray, a British theologian, says, “To say that God is a ‘being’ is not to define what that being is but to emphasize that he is objectively there. He is not a figment of our imagination, nor is he some elusive idea that cannot be identified in any very precise way. He communicates with us in personal terms, but his voice is not a sound in a void; there is substance behind it.” [God is Love, pg. 138]

The Trinity is three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — in one being: God.
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#trinitarian #trinity #biblicaltruth #biblical #biblicalwomanhood #biblicaldoctrine #doctrine #sounddoctrine #reformedtheology #theology #bibleverses #bibletheology #deeplyrooted #everydaytheology #bibletheology #theologymatters #theologynerd #theologyquotes #christiantheology #systematictheology #biblicaltheology
    The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the hardest The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the hardest to understand, but also one of the most foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. It affects every other aspect of Christianity. Herman Bavinck, a Dutch Reformed theologian, says, “It is in the doctrine of the Trinity that we feel the heartbeat of God’s entire revelation for the redemption of humanity. We are baptized in the name of the triune God, and in that name we find rest for our souls and peace for our consciences. Our God is above us, before us, and within us. Our salvation is bound up in the doctrine of the Trinity; we cannot of course fully plumb the mystery of this knowledge; we are given all we need to call forth a true and sincere faith.” [Reformed Dogmatics, Abridged, pg. 27]
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Because trinitarian doctrine is so life-changing, the next couple posts will be all about it. 🎉
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📷: It's officially springtime in Oxford! 🇬🇧
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#trinity #theology #reformedtheology #reformeddogmatics #reformeddoctrine #trinitarian #bibletheology #reformed #everyoneatheologian #theologian #bavinck #reformer
    Creator and redeemer God, author of all existence, Creator and redeemer God, author of all existence, source of all blessedness, 
I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee,
for giving me reason and conscience, 
for leading me to desire thee;
I praise thee for the revelation of thyself in the gospel, 
for thy heart as a dwelling place of pity,
for thy thoughts of peace towards me,
for thy patience and thy graciousness,
for the vastness of thy mercy. 
Thou hast moved my conscience to know how
the guilty can be pardoned,
the unholy sanctified,
the poor enriched.
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Keep me always longing
for a present salvation in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings,
for spiritual graces and blessings,
for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.
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O God, make me worthy of this calling,
that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me and I in Him.
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A Present Salvation from The Valley of Vision
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#valleyofvision #prayer #puritanprayers #puritans #prayingtheology #praying #churchhistory #walkingworthy #deeplyrooted #Christianmama #deeplyrooted #womenintheword #theology #prayerlife #england #englishcountryside #expatviews #christcenteredmama
    Filter your words, not just your photos. . . . #so Filter your words, not just your photos.
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#socialmediaforgood #instaencouragements #socialmediause #socialmedia #ephesians4 #ephesians #proverbs16 #bibletheology #christianlife #sanctification #walkingworthy
    As believers, we can’t get our self-worth or sta As believers, we can’t get our self-worth or standard of living from other people on the internet. We need to find our worth, our whole being really, in Christ as our Savior. He is the one that died for us even though we were sinners (Romans 5:8) and we need to live in light of His sacrifice (Colossians 1:10).
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Ultimately, we need to follow Jesus.
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One way to cut down the noise on social media is to follow less people. I have personally found it very helpful to keep my follows to a minimum. By being selective with who I follow, I'm also being selective with what kind of messages they're sending my way in their posts. You will have to use your own conscience and discernment for weeding down your follows. But for me I simply asked, "Is this account or person pointing me to Christ?"
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As you go through your list there may be some accounts that you're not sure about. My advice is to go ahead and unfollow them. Then, if you still miss them after a week, rethink it. I did this with a lot of mom accounts I followed and I haven't missed them at all. 🤷🏻‍♀️
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I think you'll find that the ones that are actually encouraging are the ones you'll keep following and interacting with after this purge. If you purge and think you still have too many follows, then pick a number to stick with and weed down to that. The limit would help with any questionable accounts you follow. 
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I pray this very practical advice helps you to pursue Christ in all you do, even social media. 💕
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#christianlife #christianmama #socialmedia #sanctification #theologymatters #solideogloria #allglorytoGod
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