Identifying Technology Addiction: Stop Letting It Steal Your Precious Time with God
- RD Montgomery
- Aug 1
- 5 min read
Recently, I received a question from a young lady who enjoys spending time with AI creating clean fictional stories. Her question was whether this activity was appropriate for a Christ-follower.
It sounds harmless enough, right? There is no specific Scripture I can think of that specifically warns us to avoid reading or creating creative fiction. It would be easy to tell her it was okay and send her on her way.
But that wasn’t my answer. I told her to take a break from it for a week or two and see how much she misses it. These and the other instructions I gave her inspired this post.
Technology addiction is real
In today's digital world, our attention is worth a lot of money. Tech companies are constantly competing for it. They design their games, apps, websites, streaming video, and AI interfaces in ways to manipulate us into using their products and services more than we should. They use what has been learned about human psychology to create a sense of withdrawal or missing out if you are away from their game, service, or entertainment.
Part of the deception of keeping you engaged is the feeling that you are accomplishing something, and you may be. The common thing I hear about social media is that it is a good way to keep up with people. A Christ-follower may use it to share Bible verses, encouraging messages, promises of prayer, etc. We use it to spread the word about the Walk in The Truth blog. But these tools also represent danger. While the study of psychology has created this problem, psychologists who have studied the resulting addictive behavior will tell you it is linked to mental health problems. Just as we would a chainsaw or a kitchen knife, when we are aware of the danger and practice safety (guard our minds and heart), the tool will not hurt us.
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone Matthew 14:23
Even if we use technology as part of our ministry, you need to remember that for our spiritual health and overall effectiveness, it's essential to have genuinely quiet time alone with God. Just as Jesus showed by often withdrawing to solitary places to pray and connect with His Father, we too need to step away from the noise and screens of our daily lives. This intentional stillness creates a sacred space where we can more clearly hear God's voice and guidance, allowing for deeper connection, more focused prayer, and dedicated time studying His Word.
Taking a break
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
I am not immune to the problem. I have seen myself come under the addictive spell of certain technologies too. I can even remember a time I watched too much of this old technology called television. Taking a break from something is one of the best ways for me to test how it is affecting me. By doing this, I can now recognize when it starts a little faster. I have learned to add activities I think are useful to my ministry back into my routine for short periods of time and then withdraw again to keep it safe. There are other activities that I avoid completely.
When you take a break, I suggest a minimum of two weeks, but a month or more is better. I started doing some of this during the time Catholics practice Lent, but I do not suggest waiting.
Identifying activities you may want to test
Here are some questions that may help:
Have you ever been so caught up in an activity that you lost track of time, missed appointments, didn't do chores, or stayed up too late because of it?
Does this activity use up most of your free time and mental energy?
Do you find yourself planning your day around doing the activity?
Do you often feel a strong need to do this activity, even when you know you should be doing something else?
How taking a break from certain activities can help us
You need to test it to bring the problem into the light: If there is something that you do daily or you spend a lot of time doing in a week, taking a break from it may help identify if it has a hold on you. The activity may be a problem if you take a break from it and:
You are counting down the days until you can do it again or resume it as soon as you are “allowed.” This can mean you are surviving the loss of activity instead of thriving in your spiritual life with the free time you have gained.
You are still indirectly doing it. Let’s say you give up your gaming system for a few weeks; if you are online doing research about the game or watching other people play the game, you have not given it up.
It still occupies your thoughts. If you are thinking about it or planning the first thing you will do when the break ends, you are not free from it.
You find a substitute. If you give up social media and you watch more streaming videos, you are coping. That is not a healthy sign. It might even show that you are uncomfortable with quiet time.
You are experiencing cravings, depression, low patience levels, or any other sign of withdrawal. If this persists, you may need to find a Christian counselor.
Having more time to spend with God: Stepping away from our usual "noise"—whether it's entertainment, constantly checking devices, or daily hobbies—creates a quieter space for us to hear God's voice and guidance. The more we spend time enjoying God, the more we will hopefully prioritize and protect this time going forward.
We cannot be effective disciples if we allow optional activities to take up the time we should dedicate to God. He should get more than the scraps of our day, the ten-minute devotions, the quick prayer at bedtime, and an hour on Sunday. The scraps lifestyle is what the enemy wants us to have. We need to take a step back from some of our activities and make sure we can use them wisely and safely and get rid of any we find too addictive.
Scripture used or considered in the writing of, "Identifying Technology Addiction: Stop Letting It Steal Your Precious Time with God" By RD Montgomery. All Scripture quoted above is in ESV unless otherwise specified.
Psalm 1:2
Psalm 119:15
Proverbs 4:23
Proverbs 25:28
Isaiah 58
Matthew 6:16
Matthew 6:33
Matthew 13:22
Matthew 14:23
Matthew 19:16-22
Mark 1:35
Luke 5:16
Luke 6:12
Luke 9:18 & 23
1 Kings 19:11-13
Romans 12:2
1 Corinthians 6:12
1 Corinthians 7:5
1 Corinthians 9:25
1 Corinthians 10:31
Galatians 5:22-23
Philippians 4:8
2 Timothy 2:4
Hebrews 12:1
2 Peter 1:5-6
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