Girl- I’m so glad you’re here…and I trust that you are learning through this podcast series how you CAN use your phone as a tool to build your faith and to love God and others more and more.
What series you ask?
Well, if you’re new around here, here’s a big hug and an invitation to step into what we’re doing in the 40-Day REDEEM Her Phone-Time Challenge…and by the way, it’s never too late to join us. First you’ll wanna join the free REDEEM Her Time Community where you’ll find the challenge guide, free screensaver and lots of support from women like you who want to make changes with how they use their phone-time too.
Then, you’ll wanna go back and binge the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Series thus far, starting with Episode 105
As part of the challenge, we’re tracking our phone-time to be more aware of where it’s going, but if you wanna take a closer look at all the places your time is going in your day…and learn a simple system to rein it in…be sure to grab a 1 hour Schedule-Shaping Strategy Session with me. As soon as you book a time, I’ll send you a guide to take a look at where your time is actually going, then on the call together we’ll simplify where your time is spent by focusing on what matters most in this season and create a personalized ideal weekly schedule using my faith-based time- blocking strategy.
And the best part is that you’ll test out that schedule for 2 weeks with my support and we’ll do spot checks to make tweaks to make it work for you.
What if you had a plan for where and when you show up and what gets your attention… instead of leaving it all to whatever comes and wasting your precious time oiling the “squeaky wheel”?
Imagine…
No more time warps that leave you wondering what happened cuz you’ll have a purpose for where and when you show up that helps you not get so easily distracted. No more doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that cuz you’ll have a framework to be consistent in following through with what you say matters. No more feeling like you never have enough time and you’re always running to catch up, cuz you’ll have a system to focus on what matters most in the moment and ditch the overwhelm and obligations.
Women are loving this 1 hour session…and you will too. But I only have a few spots left this month so be sure to grab yours now.
Ok, now let’s get back to our phones…
Last time on Episode 111 (eleventy-one LOL) we got down and dirty with the 5 NO-Phone Zones that will help you put your phone down more…or better yet, not pick it up!
Today, we’re gonna work more on our heart and mind with some biblical principles that speak directly to our phone-time…we’re gonna dive into what God says in His word and then I’ll give you 3 questions to ask if you no longer want to be shaped by your phone, but be transformed by God instead. You here for this? I pray someone needs to hear this, even if it’s just me.
Your phone shapes you whether you realize it or not.
You’ve probably heard me say in the past- You are creating your results at every moment, whether you know it or not. I say it over and over cuz it’s true…and cuz we forget.
Every time you pick up your phone it shapes you- it shapes your ideas, your beliefs, your values, your friends, your actions…even your inaction. How?
Because your mind is formed by what it is set on.
That’s a good thing if it’s being set on God and the things of God…but watch out if it’s often being set on man and the things of this world….which sounds more like your phone-time lately?
Chances are you’re familiar with Romans 12:2 which says…
Do not be CONFORMED to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewal of your mind…
As those who have been saved and are now part of His Kingdom like we talked about on Episode 110, we understand that this world is not our forever home- we are headed to heaven one day to be with God for eternity. And that new identity in Christ and new purpose in life should change how we live AND think while still living in this world.
This verse tells us what to do and what not to do- let’s start with the NOT…
We are NOT to be conformed to this world (aka be shaped by it).
If you’re a mom or already to the grandma stage of life you have seen this played out before your eyes- the shaping of a young life. So many studies have been done to confirm what God already told us- that your environment shapes you.
Grow up in a family with anger, silence or even legalism and you are more prone to act in that way later in life. Grow up in a family with love, connection and humility and you are more prone to those characteristics. No, this is not a guarantee, but this concept of being shaped by what’s around us is everywhere.
The good news is, no matter what has shaped you in the past, God can transform you in the present.
First, what exactly is TRANSFORMING? Good question. I looked it up and here’s what it says…
TRANSFORM (v): to change the form of in shape, appearance or substance; to change the natural disposition of man from being apart from and against God to being close to and with Him.
That’s life-changing (or better yet, life-shaping) for sure. So glad this work is not up to me, but totally on Him!
And notice that it’s not about changing our outward actions that transforms us… what does Paul point us to as the source of that transformation? Our mind. And we all know there’s a direct connection between our hearts and minds, right?
That’s why being transformed starts with our salvation- God is the only one who can change our heart through a relationship with Jesus.
And then, once your hearts are changed on the inside, you start to see changes in your thoughts….and actions.
2 Corinthians 3:18 says,
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being TRANSFORMED into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Once the blinders are lifted (literally, cuz we can’t truly see the things of God before we are saved) and we intentionally behold (or look at) Him and His glory, we will be TRANSFORMED to be like Him, increasingly more and more. And I love the reminder at the end…this result only comes from the Holy Spirit- contrary to a lot of modern thought, it’s nothing we can manifest on our own.
Let’s not let it be lost on us the last part of Romans 12:2 that clearly shows us the result of being transformed by the renewing of our minds…
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Have you ever wanted to know God’s will? There you go- do not be conformed to this world but let Him transform you by renewing your mind…then His will will be clear.
Once your heart is transformed, your actions will be as well.
Check this out- in Colossians 3, Paul shows us what that transformation will look like- once we have been raised with Christ, we are to seek the things that are above where Christ is seated.
Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.
Why? Because our old self has died and our new life is now hidden in Christ with God. So of course we will think, act, feel and do like one who is TRANSFORMED.
And then he goes on to list what we are to take off from our old nature- “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness”…just gotta ask, do you ever see any of those things on your phone when you’re trolling and scrolling? For sure! That’s why what we look at matters…. The more we see it, the more it shapes us.
It’s always up to us to choose what we’re beholding (or setting our mind on)- will it be on God or man?
Now let me just say, this does not mean that we have to live with our head in the sand, or plug our ears and cover our eyes and pretend like these things aren’t all around us, or go back to pioneer days (although I will say, some days that sounds amazing to escape all the noise around us).
But it does mean we need to have discernment….especially with our phone, which these days is now the most open channel of what shapes us.
We all know that there are some places on your phone you just should not go as a believer…but what about the more respectable places that slowly open you up to the mindset of the world?
Take for example, the news. My hubby is a news guy- probably because he’s very security conscious and has been in many parts of the world helping others secure and defend their freedom.
Anyway, he’s not a social media guy, but he does like to watch his YouTube conservative news videos….there are some I can’t even stand to have on in the background cuz it sounds like a cacophony. (There’s a big word for ya- cacophony is a harsh discordant mixture of sounds…aka not easy on the ears). So I’ll lovingly ask him to use his ear buds because I find that it doesn’t matter what they are saying that very well may be good and true, I can already feel the anxiety and urgency rising up in me just at the sound of them. And that is most definitely going to distract me from what I was called to focused on.
What we listen to on our phones shapes us, right?
There are a few of his news shows I can actually listen to and not feel my insides getting stirred up, but what I find is that even if they have a conservative viewpoint, they are most often focused on man and what he can do, not on God and what He is doing. So I have 3 options… 1- I can listen along and let the voices of others shape me. 2- I can ask my hubby for the cliff notes and get his perspective…or 3- I can listen to voices that are looking at what God is doing in that current event or issue. Thankfully, I found a conservative Christian podcast that I mentioned a few weeks ago called Relatable with Allie Beth Stukey. What I Iove is that she raises my awareness of what’s going on in the world (when I’d rather be in blissful oblivion) and then gives Biblical responses to how we as Christians should think and how we can respond in a way that honors God and His purposes. Mind you, she’s still a human prone to sin, so I still need to be discerning as we do listening to any man or woman no matter how good a Christian they seem…but I’ve found that listening to her has kept me from conforming to the views of the world around me and renewed my mind with what God is doing in the world for His purposes. Go check her out. And just know- she does not shy away from speaking Truth!
So now that we have established that our minds are shaped or conformed by the world around us and we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind…
How can we use our phones to shape us in a good way?
I’m so glad you asked- let’s dive into the 3 questions to ask if you want to be transformed by God instead of most of what’s coming from your phone. Ready to jot these down?
- What voices do you listen to on your phone?
- How does your time listening to God compare?
- How will you listen more to God’s voice than man’s?
Real quick, let’s dive into a few thoughts on each one to help you better ask (and answer) them…Don’t rush through this, I challenge you to think and pray about each question.
- What voices do you listen to on your phone? Be honest- what pop star, movie star, or Tik Tok star do you have in your ear? What podcasters, newscasters, or toastmasters do you listen to? This does not just apply to voices you audibly hear on your phone cuz we all know “a picture says a thousand words” and “actions speak louder than words”…right? What are the images you look at saying? What kind of lifestyle choices are being portrayed?
If you’re up for it, make a list of the people you follow, look up or check out on a regular basis. What are their voices saying? Is listening to their voices or what they are intending to convey through their images and choices moving you closer to the Lord, to love Him and others more and more? It either is or it’s not- I don’t believe there’s a neutral. And the more you behold someone or something (aka look and listen to it), the more you are shaped by it.
Start by noticing who or what you may, or may not, be aware is shaping you. And then ask, how do you feel when you think about the influence the things of the world have on you? What is God saying to you in that?
- How does your time listening to God compare? I’m serious. It’s easy to see how much time goes to your phone if you look at your settings. But do you even know how much time goes into listening to God? I’m not talking about a check-the-box devotional you pull out in the morning to feel good that you did something or even an email subscription you open that has a quick verse and a nice thought. I mean really putting yourself in front of the Lord through spiritual disciplines like silence, reading the Word, mediation, prayer…even a walk outdoors. Now don’t get me wrong, quality is way over quantity here and it doesn’t have to be hours before the sun rises…but seriously, how much time do you really commit to listening daily to God through His Word and His Spirit? 5 min? 15 min? 30 min? An hour or two?
It’s not the amount that really matters- what I want you to do is to put that number up against your screentime number and notice- how do they compare? If it’s 15 min vs 2 hours you’ve got quite a discrepancy. Especially if those 2 hours were not spent listening to a podcast like this or praying through your list or using a Bible study app. If we say we are His, why do we give so much more of our time to the world? And why do we open ourselves up more to the things we are to put off, rather than what we are to put on?
Again, just notice how much you are letting Him speak and you are open to hearing His voice. And let the Lord speak to you in that.
- How will you listen more to God’s voice than man’s? This will look different for each one of us because we are all in different places, and to be honest, we all have different convictions about where our time goes. But chances are, you saw an undesired difference between the time you spend listening to man and the time you spend listening to the Lord, right?
So what is 1 step you will do to start changing that? You do not have to only use your phone for spiritual things, although that would not be wrong either if that’s what God is leading you to do. Maybe your 1 step has to do with something you’ll do less of on your phone to put off more of the world- perhaps limits on your social media time or removing certain apps or unfollowing certain people. Maybe your 1 step has to do with something you’ll do more of on your phone to put on more of Christ- perhaps following a biblically based podcast (ahem, hope you think this one is worthy of listening to), finding an app to help you study or pray or spending more time in the word and prayer before you look at your phone. Or maybe it includes some of both.
This time you need to more than just notice- you need to do something…and do it consistently. Ask the Lord to lead you in that.
I’ve been sharing my story with you about unplugging over the past several months and how refreshing it’s been to quiet the noise of the world and the things of it that I was pursuing and spending more time listening to than the Lord….and I don’t intend on going back, only forward to less and less of my phone and more and more of Him.
In light of that, the coolest thing happened in my Bible reading today in Leviticus- first of all, let’s be honest, that’s not most people’s go-to book, but in reading this year with eyes looking for the WITH-God Principle, I have a new appreciation that I will share on another episode.
Anyway, today I was reading about the Year of Jubilee.
Are you familiar with that Old Testament celebration? For an entire year, the Isrealites were to let their land rest and trust that God would provide. Not only that, any debt they had incurred would be forgiven (notice He did not say paid in full, actually forgiven), and any person who had sold themselves as a servant would be freed to return home. Talk about a celebration!
And here’s the thing, God actually told them to start the year before to get ready…so actually the land would rest for 2 years! And you know what He promised? That He would be enough for those 2 years…and what happened the 3rd year was that the land was so replenished that it produced even more than before so He abundantly blessed their rest and trust. That gives me God-bumps just thinking about it.
In their resting and trusting, they had to lay down the preparing, planting and tending. And remember- back then, they literally lived off the land!
I mean, I love my Tower Garden and all, but if God told me not to turn it on for a year, I would just put my greens and veggies on my Instacart order….they didn’t have that option. The only thing they could do was trust.
And God promised that if they listened to His voice and stayed close to Him that they would be blessed more than the nations around them.
Sounds like a no-brainer right? Yep, they didn’t always do it. They turned to the people around them and listened to their voices. But before we point fingers, we gotta ask…how often do we run to the voices of those around us instead of to His, especially with our phones? Way too often.
So back to what God showed me this morning…
Do you know when the Year of Jubilee was to be celebrated? Every 50 years. And the year of preparation started at year 49.
And do you know how old I will be in just a few months? 50.
And do you know when God led me to unplug more and more from my phone and even stop using social as the main way I was building my business? When I turned 49. He was preparing me for my Year of Jubilee.
All I can say is God- that’s how He works.
I didn’t even put the timeline together, nor had I thought about the Year of Jubilee for quite a while since I’m not usually hanging out in Leviticus. But He brought it all together today.
What if I had chosen to listen to the voices on my phone instead of to His this morning? I would have missed it.
I can clearly see how filling up with Him instead of the world has made a huge difference in not only my faith-walk, but also in my relationships with family and friends, in my podcasting and coaching, in my stewardship, in my physical and mental wellness, in pursuing the passions He’s put in me and in making my dwelling a place to welcome others.
His voice changes everything from the inside out. His voice shapes us into the likeness of His Son.
Why would we want to listen to any other voices- especially when the world at large is so against Him?
I don’t know what 50 will hold, but I can see what 49 has held as I’ve rested and trusted and…
He will bring an abundant harvest in my life and impact because it’s God who makes it all grow.
I had no idea asking God to transform our minds today would lead to this…but I am not surprised. This podcast is for His glory, not mine. And I truly believe someone else needed to hear that (even if you’re not about to turn 50).
Let me quick review the 3 questions in case you need to hear them again….
1. What voices do you listen to on your phone?
2. How does your time listening to God compare?
3. How will you listen more to God’s voice than man’s?
And more importantly, may I pray for you? Cuz I gotta feeling this is a God-thing…
Dear LORD-
We praise You. You are the one who transforms hearts. Thank you for cleansing us from our sin through the sacrifice of Your Son so that we can be in relationship with You. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit that leads us to put off the things of our old self and put on our new selves as we are made more and more into your image. Thank you that Your voice is always speaking to us through the Word, prayer, creation and even silence. Prompt our hearts to turn down or off the voices of the world and its ways and tune our hearts to hear Yours more clearly. Give us a deep desire for what truly satisfies from You more than a passing craving for a quick fix on our phones. Help us to pick them up less and less and pick up your word more and more. And when we are on our phones, we give you permission to tap us on the shoulder and remind us of what voice we want to shape us- Yours. You can and will do all these things and abundantly more when we rest and trust in You. May we be living in the Year of Jubilee even now as we stop plugging into the world and into You. This is all for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ooh, I’m feeling the Spirit today..I pray you are too. And you know what? I bet you have some friends who would be blessed (and challenged) by this conversation too- so help them listen to His voice by sharing this episode.
And I’ll see you on the inside of our community as we continue in our 40-day journey together to REDEEMING our Phone-Time to make the best use of it in this season and in light of eternity.
Thanks for joining me for this episode and until next time, remember…
You DO have ALL the time you need to do ALL He has called you to.
Be available to who + what matters most in this season and in light of eternity…
Cuz you are here for Such a Time as This.
Binge the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Challenge Series
Ep 105 No Time? The #1 Tip to Find 1-4 Hours in your Day for Better Time Management
Ep 106 Distracted by Your Phone? 2 Key Steps for Christian Women to Overcome Digital Distraction
Ep 107 Wish You Could Break-up with Your Phone? 3 Steps to Start Setting Healthy Screen-Time Boundaries
Ep 108 Don’t Live on Good Intentions. 4 Steps to Create a Personalized Phone-Time Plan to Prioritize What Matters
Ep 109 Wish your Phone wasn’t so Distracting? 5 Tips to Dumb-down your Smartphone to get more Time in your Day
Ep 110 3 Steps to Build the Kingdom of God with your Phone-Time as a Busy Christian Woman
Ep 111 Put it down. 5 NO Phone Zones for Better Time Management
Visit the REDEEM Her Time Website https://redeemhertime.com
> Join the REDEEM Her Time Community (did I mention it’s FREE?!)
> Get the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Guide + Screensaver
> Schedule a free 15 Min Strategy Session
>>> or DO ALL-THE-ABOVE!
P.S. And don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts to get your name in the drawing for $100 OFF the REDEEM Her Time Coaching Program…coming soon!
