If you’re a major fan of social media and find great joy in communicating within it, it’s wise to stay alert to the possibilities of catfishing in your neck of the scrolling woods. Of course, I’m not referring to the sport of catching that tasty seafood we often enjoy fried with a touch of our favorite sauce and perhaps a huge buttered baked potato and garden salad.
In our ever-expanding world of the Internet, the catfishing I’m referring to is the one where a person is lured into a relationship with a false personality, often undercover as a prank. There are many stories of people of all ages engaging in relationships with numerous identities, sometimes over years, never actually seeing the person behind the typewritten words. Some have delved deep into fantasies of love relationships while possibly communicating with anyone from age 19 to 90, male or female. Not to mention, some have been scammed for thousands of dollars because of being too naive or gullible regarding the possibilities of fictitious behavior on the web.
Today, I’m highlighting this topic as I recently pondered just how influential catfishing can be to someone’s life and the need to always discern the difference between virtual and authentic communication. Not to say one can’t communicate virtually with someone honestly, but that engagement must be proven to be a reality to be deemed safe.
I am urging you to keep in mind that the securest way to communicate with someone realistically is in person, face-to-face, not “almost” but entirely. That’s if you truly desire to know and be known by that person. Be aware that anything you encounter over the Internet should only be taken as factual if proven. Otherwise, it should be taken with a grain of salt. However, if there is greater interest, investigate its legitimacy.
Stay safe out on the World Wide Web! Sometimes, there’s darkness where we may only desire light.
“..When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.” (~Isaiah 26:9-10/NIV)
Upon reading these verses, I felt a little sad. Sad, because I realize that even in my own life, there have been times when I received a measure of God’s uncomfortable discipline, rather than His pleasant grace. I understood the truth of the matter; that sometimes we as human beings can be stubborn, prideful, and self-absorbed, wanting our own way in all things. However, God always has a plan to lead us along the correct paths as we submit to His direction and discipline. His ways are always better than our own, and we simply don’t always live our lives honoring them.
Oxford defines discipline as “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience,” while it defines judgment as “a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment.”
For the believer, I equated this topic to the correction of a toddler or puppy. Sometimes, a favorite treat or toy won’t bring about the good behavior we want in a situation, though occasionally it may. Learning the right conduct often may require some measure of discipline instead. Of course, it doesn’t mean we don’t love our toddlers or puppies, but we want them to avoid trouble and have the best existence possible. So, we teach them with all the healthy and effective methods of wisdom, knowledge, and correction we can provide.
Hebrews 12:11 teaches us that “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.” Yet we can find comfort in the fact that “Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
For those who may not yet have accepted Christ, they lack the Holy Spirit’s power to be successful in living for the Lord as He wills. Thus, consistently being open to spiritual attacks on their lives and painful judgment. However, we who choose to believe can rest assured that when we sin, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9/NIV).
It’s interesting how with all the wisdom the Bible provides regarding trusting the Lord for protection, it instructs us in the practical ways to live safely.
There’s a passage in Proverbs 2 that teaches us that wise choices will watch over us and understanding will keep us safe. This means we should seriously consider and pray about our options regarding any decisions we make in life. What might be the outcome and what are the related costs? Having a good understanding of all of the elements involved and their effect on our lives, along with seeking God’s will in each case, will provide protection from unnecessary, future distress.
This passage also teaches us that wisdom will save us from people who don’t mean us well and who use words that are unhealthy or distorted. Further, it indicates that these people turned from a right path onto a wrong one which leads to darkness and corruption. These are people who enjoy doing wrong and the perverted ways of wickedness. These are people who only bring problems to your life and should be avoided.
In this new year, we should make it our aim to gain wisdom and understanding for making godly choices in all areas of our lives. The Bible has more than enough information to help us gain all the wisdom and understanding we need. We just need to apply ourselves by taking some time during the day to read and pray. This needn’t be a lengthy amount of time, but just a consistency of time, so that we are successful in acclimating ourselves to God’s character and principles.
In this age of information technology, there are so many convenient resources available to us. Not to mention the traditional ways of learning via counsel from people personally, or through books or other forms of media.
Doesn’t it feel good to know you can be safe, avoiding unnecessary trouble and deception through wise decision-making? I’m so glad God has given us His very own word for assistance.
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Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. ~Proverbs 2:11-14/NLT
Many of us have heard and thought about God, but feel at a loss in seeking or getting to know Him. We’re accustomed to our ways of interacting with other human beings, but the thought of truly knowing a supreme being may appear to be out of our reach. We may even have a desire to worship such a person but don’t feel we have the tools to be successful in doing so. Yet we can be comforted in knowing that Jesus, “…the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10/NLT). Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:8/NLT, “For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” We can be confident that when we seek God with all of our hearts, we will find Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13).
The three ways I have sought and found God are through:
PRAYER
Prayer is simply communicating with God. We position ourselves to receive from Him when we, first, establish a relationship with Him by which we:
Acknowledge, Repent, and Submit to God. Our prayer should be one of acknowledgment, repentance, and submission, accepting His Son, Jesus, as the Savior by which we are reconciled to God. We understand the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) had made us guilty of sin, and worthy of death, after which our Heavenly Father provided atonement for our dire consequences. Repentance is our willingness to turn from our old ways of doing and being to God’s ways. By submitting, we yield ourselves to His authority and participate in baptism, where we express identification with the Lord’s death and resurrection, carried out via the Lord’s gifts discussed later.
As we communicate with God we also offer Him:
Thanksgiving and Praise. Gratitude, adoration, and worship for all that He is and does for us.
Supplications. Making our requests known to Him.
We can communicate with God at any time because the bible tells us He is omnipresent, capable of being everywhere at the same time. “Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth? says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24/NLT). However, it would be a good habit of discipline to schedule a time daily to meet with God consistently during periods when there are fewer distractions. We choose a time when we feel most alert and at ease to spend time with God, whether for 15 minutes or an hour or more.
THE BIBLE
In seeking God, the Bible is to be respected as the necessary guide for living a Christ-like life by the power of the Holy Spirit. It contains the history and future of God’s relationship with mankind and contains His attributes, character, and will for our lives. I’d say the Bible is the chief way of seeking Him; getting to know Him, and what He expects of us. Reading or studying alone, and/or with others, is crucial to strengthening our faith and growth. “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ” (Romans 10:17/NLT). Further, we know that seeking the Lord through His word is pleasing to Him. “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6/NLT).
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, the Body of Christ. “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself” (Ephesians 1:22-23).
As the Body of Christ, we have been given gifts. The bible names, these gifts in Ephesians 4:11/NLT: “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.” After seeking God for His will for our lives in the place He chooses, and availing ourselves of these gifts (of which we may eventually become ourselves) we mature, growing in our faith into those who resemble our Lord in word and deed. “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29/NLT).
Perhaps the most precious gift working with us today is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who has been described as our Counselor, Comforter, and Advocate, and endues us with power for godly living and ministry. “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26/NLT). “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8/NLT).
We have so many resources available to us as we seek God. He has given us various additional gifts to help us to be successful in glorifying God in our families, careers, local church ministries, and simply, everyday life. I’m remembering 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, and the nine gifts of the Spirit: the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Not to mention the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
All of this and more involves seeking God, and as we do, we get to know Him, grow, and function in His grace as His very own children, dearly loved.
Ms. Rita's Minute 