Devotions with Pastor Holmes

There is a word in the English language which is dangerous as well as challenging, especially to the one who desires to be a Christ follower. The word is subtle.

The word in its simplest form simply means to make the use of clever indirect methods to achieve something.

I Peter 5:8 reminds us to “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert, your adversary the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

All too often that someone is a Christ Follower. Subtle sin is dangerous to those who profess Jesus as their Lord because of its very nature. Like a snake that sneaks and slithers slowly up and suddenly bites!
Subtle sin is seldom obvious, in fact most of the time it is difficult to detect or analyze. Let me be so bold as to say, far too many of God’s people are often bitten by social media. I have discerned many who promote and or buy into some aspect of social media are like a 400 pound gorilla behind a key board!

According to a recent Gallup poll, sending and receiving text messages is the most prevalent form of communication for adults under 50 years of age. Now, before you begin to throw rocks at me, let me confess that I send and receive numerous text messages daily. The text message is not the problem; it is rather the sender of the text message that poses the problem. Without accountability of personal one on one, in person, communication, subtleness has the opportunity to wreak havoc! The same could be said about e-mail, voicemail, and internet postings.

Does this mean we should forgo the use of social media technology? No, but what we should forgo is the use of social media as the chief means of communication. There is absolutely no better way to communicate than face to face. Emoji’s cannot replace the warmth of words or the authenticity of a message.

Christ followers, be careful in regards to social media because, “your adversary, the devil is going about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to destroy.”
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Pastor Holmes

PS. Yes, I realize you are receiving this message via social media. Please know I wrote it with a smile and a prayer trusting you will read it in context.