Protecting gates

Proverbs 4:20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

The word “heart” has different meanings in the Bible depending upon the context of how it is used; among those are your mind, emotions, and intellect. Think of this as the seat of who you are regarding how you feel and what you think. It is the core of you and has a significant impact on your life. The last statistic I read claimed 80 percent of our thoughts are negative and 95 percent repetitive. Strangely, the more negative an experience, the more we return to it. So the more successful you are at regulating your thought patterns, the better your chances of having a healthy emotional state.

This can be daunting, considering how many different ways our minds can be influenced by content. On the surface, social networks are convenient for staying in contact with distant friends and family members. The Social Dilemma is a 2020 American docudrama that dives into the psychological underpinnings and the manipulation techniques by which, it claims, social media and technology companies addict users. People’s online activity is watched, tracked, and measured by these companies, who then use this data to build artificial intelligence models that predict the actions of their users. Since your actions, which include emotional responses, can be predicted, they can also be brought about.

Since we are already seemingly predisposed to negative thinking, the last thing we need is for society to place enticements into our spiritual gates (eyes, ears, and mouth) that further lead us down that path. It is difficult to unsee disturbing images or ones that are highly sexualized. Once they have entered your gates, they can access your emotions and begin destructive tactics. A 2019 study of more than 6,500 12 to 15-year-olds in the U.S. found that those who spent more than three hours a day using social media might be at heightened risk for mental health problems. Another 2019 study of more than 12,000 13 to 16-year-olds in England found that using social media more than three times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens.

Now more than ever, we need to heed the wisdom of the Proverb above. Monitor and restrict what enters your mind via the ear and eye gates. Things that speak into your life play a significant role in the direction of it, so meditate on the Word of God. “Life” and “health” are at stake, so “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This states that wherever your thinking patterns reside, your life will also. Lastly, you can speak into your own life, so start declaring God’s promises over yourself.