Why You Can’t Stop Scrolling

[David]

Most people do not think of scrolling as a serious issue. It feels normal because everyone does it. You pick up your phone to check a few things, and before you know it, twenty or thirty minutes are gone. You may feel a little heavier afterward, more distracted, more irritated, or more unsettled, but it is easy to brush it off as nothing.

But the real question is not just whether scrolling wastes time.

The deeper question is why it is so hard to stop.

Scripture gives an answer that cuts deeper than the phone itself: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” ~James 1:14.

That verse shifts the issue from the device to the heart.

The phone is not innocent, but it is not the root problem either. It connects to something already inside us. Desire. The desire to know what is happening. The desire to feel informed. The desire to escape stress. The desire to avoid boredom. The desire to stop thinking about things we do not want to face.

That is why endless scrolling works so well. It keeps feeding desire, but it never satisfies it. It gives a little hit of information, emotion, outrage, humor, fear, curiosity, or distraction, then immediately offers more. The heart keeps reaching, but it never lands.

That is why a person can scroll for a long time and still not feel settled.

Scripture describes a pattern that sounds very familiar in a world full of constant content: “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” ~2 Timothy 3:7.

We have more access to information than any generation before us, yet people are not becoming more grounded. Many are more restless, more anxious, more confused, and more easily led by whatever headline, video, or opinion flashes in front of them next.

That is not just a technology problem. It is a truth problem.

Endless input can keep a person from stopping long enough to ask what is actually true. It can also keep a person from facing what is going on inside their own heart.

That is why the Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God” ~Psalm 46:10.

Stillness is hard when the mind is used to constant noise. Silence feels uncomfortable because it removes the distraction. It forces us to face what scrolling often helps us avoid.

And Scripture does not flatter us about what is inside: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” ~Jeremiah 17:9.

That is why external changes alone will not fix the issue. Yes, reducing screen time may help. Putting the phone down may help. Turning off notifications may help. But none of that reaches the deeper question of why the heart keeps reaching for distraction in the first place.

Scripture points us to something better than more content.

It points us to truth.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” ~Psalm 119:105.

The Bible is not like the endless stream of fast, fragmented information people consume every day. It is stable. It is clear. It does not flatter the flesh. It does not entertain our distraction. It speaks truth about God, sin, desire, the heart, judgment, mercy, and the way of life.

That is why it is often easier to scroll for an hour than to sit quietly with Scripture for ten minutes.

But that difficulty tells us something.

If a person cannot be still long enough to read even a short passage of Scripture, that is worth examining. It raises a simple question: what am I avoiding?

The next time the urge to scroll comes, pause before reaching for the phone. Open James 1. Open Psalm 46. Open Psalm 119. Read slowly. Do not rush. Do not skim. Do not look for a quick religious feeling. Ask what the text actually says.

Not what you assume it says.

Not what someone told you it says.

What it says.

The issue is not merely distraction. It is the condition of the heart and what the heart is chasing.

And if Scripture is right about that, then scrolling is not as harmless as people think.

 

[bobinfaith]

Hello David;

My sister in law was watching a couple of games shows on cable and I commented to her, "hear the excitement of the audience on these shows? Imagine if we expressed the same enthusiasm for Jesus?"

This would cause most scrollers of tv, cell phones and the internet to respond to what I said as a party pooper. "Relax! It's just a game show, it's just multiple texts or it's just a video on social media."

Its very simple. By getting into the habit of saying a prayer before turning on a device is like saying a prayer of thanksgiving to God before eating. But we're the ones who make it a hard habit so it's not so simple. It's the constant gratification of self.

I remember years ago, watching an AOL commercial and the actor said his email was like getting a Christmas present. lol!

My sister in law is a good listener, a Godly woman but has to receive these little reminders. We all do.

If we had the same kind of intense excitement by praying before we do, reading the Bible, sharing our testimony, talking Jesus or singing a praise song can bring about a joy, a quiet joy, it can happen!

So what are we avoiding? Is following Jesus a daily drudge? Or is God, first, an exciting anticipation of what He is going to? I encourage us all to approach the latter.

God bless you, David, and thank you for sharing.

Bob

 

[Yesua888]

Hello David;

My sister in law was watching a couple of games shows on cable and I commented to her, "hear the excitement of the audience on these shows? Imagine if we expressed the same enthusiasm for Jesus?"

This would cause most scrollers of tv, cell phones and the internet to respond to what I said as a party pooper. "Relax! It's just a game show, it's just multiple texts or it's just a video on social media."

Its very simple. By getting into the habit of saying a prayer before turning on a device is like saying a prayer of thanksgiving to God before eating. But we're the ones who make it a hard habit so it's not so simple. It's the constant gratification of self.

I remember years ago, watching an AOL commercial and the actor said his email was like getting a Christmas present. lol!

My sister in law is a good listener, a Godly woman but has to receive these little reminders. We all do.

If we had the same kind of intense excitement by praying before we do, reading the Bible, sharing our testimony, talking Jesus or singing a praise song can bring about a joy, a quiet joy, it can happen!

So what are we avoiding? Is following Jesus a daily drudge? Or is God, first, an exciting anticipation of what He is going to? I encourage us all to approach the latter.

God bless you, David, and thank you for sharing.

Bob

So agree with you Bob : )
As long as we create our own reality, and get excited about Scripture that we read, can visualise being with Jesus, can visualise our "reality" is good. Some may say we are in a bubble ...
As I see it we are not this body, we are Spirit ...
Anyone wanting to ignore this FACT, needs to think about the forces of electricity, microwaves, atoms etc ... what is unseen is REAL.
We have Scripture and the Power granted us, to ward off evil, and to create our future in the way we want it (choice).
I was thinking last night, what would Heaven be like ... I really do not know, but what I do believe is that we will still have "free will" ... it can ONLY be better than this physical reality here on at this time on Earth.
Yes, I so agree with praying before reading, watching and doing ...
When negative thoughts enter my mind now (after praying for HS to alert me when this happens), I notice the "alert" and do my "It is written statement/s ... and drive the negativity away.
We create our Reality, no matter what, good or bad.
We have free will and freedom of choice.
The reason it is taking so long for Jesus to return, is that humanity is not ready, and God will NOT force His will ... He is hoping that more and more will come Home to Him.
When "ALL the lights are on, He will be there" ...

PS how good it is to share on this amazing forum; I give Thanks for all the Beautiful People who are so sharing, humble, patient, and loving!

 

[bobinfaith]

So agree with you Bob : )
As long as we create our own reality, and get excited about Scripture that we read, can visualise being with Jesus, can visualise our "reality" is good. Some may say we are in a bubble ...
As I see it we are not this body, we are Spirit ...
Anyone wanting to ignore this FACT, needs to think about the forces of electricity, microwaves, atoms etc ... what is unseen is REAL.
We have Scripture and the Power granted us, to ward off evil, and to create our future in the way we want it (choice).
I was thinking last night, what would Heaven be like ... I really do not know, but what I do believe is that we will still have "free will" ... it can ONLY be better than this physical reality here on at this time on Earth.
Yes, I so agree with praying before reading, watching and doing ...
When negative thoughts enter my mind now (after praying for HS to alert me when this happens), I notice the "alert" and do my "It is written statement/s ... and drive the negativity away.
We create our Reality, no matter what, good or bad.
We have free will and freedom of choice.
The reason it is taking so long for Jesus to return, is that humanity is not ready, and God will NOT force His will ... He is hoping that more and more will come Home to Him.
When "ALL the lights are on, He will be there" ...

PS how good it is to share on this amazing forum; I give Thanks for all the Beautiful People who are so sharing, humble, patient, and loving!

Good morning, Yesua888;

You wrote a very good post and thank you for sharing. What encourages me is you're thinking about God, Spirit, Jesus and Scriptures.

While scrolling, I've been dealing with my own questions to God. I pray for the peace talks between the USA - Iran, Taiwan - China, Palestine - Israel, Korea - Philippines and their charismatic cults that draw thousands of followers, and other issues around the world.

While scrolling, it seems there's no end in sight. It's always one thing after another and a sense of a rebellion attitude from within myself is formed and directed at God.

In the book of Job he endured so much suffering, loss of his children, his physical body and more that it affected his faith. God heard Job and responded only as God can in chapters Job 38-41. As God spoke, I shutter every time as if He's speaking BACK at me. This reading serves as a wake up call for me, everytime.

God understands our seasons of doubt, grievances, the world conditions that can weary us. God also takes our understanding (lack of) and reveals His promises as He did with Thomas, David, and Elijah who all expressed profound doubt, confusion, despair and unbelief, yet God met them with patience and guidance while revealing His complete control rather than anger.

In Mark 9:24, 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - NKJV

God bless you, Linda.

Bob

 

[Yesua888]

Good morning, Yesua888;

You wrote a very good post and thank you for sharing. What encourages me is you're thinking about God, Spirit, Jesus and Scriptures.

While scrolling, I've been dealing with my own questions to God. I pray for the peace talks between the USA - Iran, Taiwan - China, Palestine - Israel, Korea - Philippines and their charismatic cults that draw thousands of followers, and other issues around the world.

While scrolling, it seems there's no end in sight. It's always one thing after another and a sense of a rebellion attitude from within myself is formed and directed at God.

In the book of Job he endured so much suffering, loss of his children, his physical body and more that it affected his faith. God heard Job and responded only as God can in chapters Job 38-41. As God spoke, I shutter every time as if He's speaking BACK at me. This reading serves as a wake up call for me, everytime.

God understands our seasons of doubt, grievances, the world conditions that can weary us. God also takes our understanding (lack of) and reveals His promises as He did with Thomas, David, and Elijah who all expressed profound doubt, confusion, despair and unbelief, yet God met them with patience and guidance while revealing His complete control rather than anger.

In Mark 9:24, 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - NKJV

God bless you, Linda.

Bob

This is Very Beautiful Bob, Thank you : )

Job 38-41​

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.​

‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

‘Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb?—
when I made the clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,
and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped”?

‘Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be shaken out of it?
It is changed like clay under the seal,
and it is dyed like a garment.
Light is withheld from the wicked,
and their uplifted arm is broken.

‘Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.

‘Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern the paths to its home?
Surely you know, for you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!

‘Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?
What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

‘Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a way for the thunderbolt,
to bring rain on a land where no one lives,
on the desert, which is empty of human life,
to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground put forth grass?

‘Has the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
From whose womb did the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to the hoar-frost of heaven?
The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen.

‘Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
or loose the cords of Orion?
Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
or can you guide the Bear with its children?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?

‘Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, “Here we are”?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?

‘Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?

‘Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?
Can you number the months that they fulfil,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
when they crouch to give birth to their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open;
they go forth, and do not return to them.

‘Who has let the wild ass go free?
Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass,
to which I have given the steppe for its home,
the salt land for its dwelling-place?
It scorns the tumult of the city;
it does not hear the shouts of the driver.
It ranges the mountains as its pasture,
and it searches after every green thing.

‘Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your crib?
Can you tie it in the furrow with ropes,
or will it harrow the valleys after you?
Will you depend on it because its strength is great,
and will you hand over your labour to it?
Do you have faith in it that it will return,
and bring your grain to your threshing-floor?

‘The ostrich’s wings flap wildly,
though its pinions lack plumage.
For it leaves its eggs to the earth,
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
forgetting that a foot may crush them,
and that a wild animal may trample them.
It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own;
though its labour should be in vain, yet it has no fear;
because God has made it forget wisdom,
and given it no share in understanding.
When it spreads its plumes aloft,
it laughs at the horse and its rider.

‘Do you give the horse its might?
Do you clothe its neck with mane?
Do you make it leap like the locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrible.
It paws violently, exults mightily;
it goes out to meet the weapons.
It laughs at fear, and is not dismayed;
it does not turn back from the sword.
Upon it rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground;
it cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
When the trumpet sounds, it says “Aha!”
From a distance it smells the battle,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

‘Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
and spreads its wings towards the south?
Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes its nest on high?
It lives on the rock and makes its home
in the fastness of the rocky crag.
From there it spies the prey;
its eyes see it from far away.
Its young ones suck up blood;
and where the slain are, there it is.’
And the Lord said to Job:
‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?
Anyone who argues with God must respond.​

Job’s Response to God
Then Job answered the Lord:
‘See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but will proceed no further.’​

God’s Challenge to Job ...​

 

[Yesua888]

This is Very Beautiful Bob, Thank you : )

Job 38-41​

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:​

‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?​

Gird up your loins like a man,​

I will question you, and you shall declare to me.​

‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?​

Tell me, if you have understanding.​

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!​

Or who stretched the line upon it?​

On what were its bases sunk,​

or who laid its cornerstone​

when the morning stars sang together​

and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?​

​

‘Or who shut in the sea with doors​

when it burst out from the womb?—​

when I made the clouds its garment,​

and thick darkness its swaddling band,​

and prescribed bounds for it,​

and set bars and doors,​

and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,​

and here shall your proud waves be stopped”?​

​

‘Have you commanded the morning since your days began,​

and caused the dawn to know its place,​

so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,​

and the wicked be shaken out of it?​

It is changed like clay under the seal,​

and it is dyed like a garment.​

Light is withheld from the wicked,​

and their uplifted arm is broken.​

​

‘Have you entered into the springs of the sea,​

or walked in the recesses of the deep?​

Have the gates of death been revealed to you,​

or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?​

Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?​

Declare, if you know all this.​

​

‘Where is the way to the dwelling of light,​

and where is the place of darkness,​

that you may take it to its territory​

and that you may discern the paths to its home?​

Surely you know, for you were born then,​

and the number of your days is great!​

​

‘Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,​

or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,​

which I have reserved for the time of trouble,​

for the day of battle and war?​

What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,​

or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?​

​

‘Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain,​

and a way for the thunderbolt,​

to bring rain on a land where no one lives,​

on the desert, which is empty of human life,​

to satisfy the waste and desolate land,​

and to make the ground put forth grass?​

​

‘Has the rain a father,​

or who has begotten the drops of dew?​

From whose womb did the ice come forth,​

and who has given birth to the hoar-frost of heaven?​

The waters become hard like stone,​

and the face of the deep is frozen.​

​

‘Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,​

or loose the cords of Orion?​

Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,​

or can you guide the Bear with its children?​

Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?​

Can you establish their rule on the earth?​

​

‘Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,​

so that a flood of waters may cover you?​

Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go​

and say to you, “Here we are”?​

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,​

or given understanding to the mind?​

Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?​

Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,​

when the dust runs into a mass​

and the clods cling together?​

​

‘Can you hunt the prey for the lion,​

or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,​

when they crouch in their dens,​

or lie in wait in their covert?​

Who provides for the raven its prey,​

when its young ones cry to God,​

and wander about for lack of food?​

​

‘Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?​

Do you observe the calving of the deer?​

Can you number the months that they fulfil,​

and do you know the time when they give birth,​

when they crouch to give birth to their offspring,​

and are delivered of their young?​

Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open;​

they go forth, and do not return to them.​

​

‘Who has let the wild ass go free?​

Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass,​

to which I have given the steppe for its home,​

the salt land for its dwelling-place?​

It scorns the tumult of the city;​

it does not hear the shouts of the driver.​

It ranges the mountains as its pasture,​

and it searches after every green thing.​

​

‘Is the wild ox willing to serve you?​

Will it spend the night at your crib?​

Can you tie it in the furrow with ropes,​

or will it harrow the valleys after you?​

Will you depend on it because its strength is great,​

and will you hand over your labour to it?​

Do you have faith in it that it will return,​

and bring your grain to your threshing-floor?​

​

‘The ostrich’s wings flap wildly,​

though its pinions lack plumage.​

For it leaves its eggs to the earth,​

and lets them be warmed on the ground,​

forgetting that a foot may crush them,​

and that a wild animal may trample them.​

It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own;​

though its labour should be in vain, yet it has no fear;​

because God has made it forget wisdom,​

and given it no share in understanding.​

When it spreads its plumes aloft,​

it laughs at the horse and its rider.​

​

‘Do you give the horse its might?​

Do you clothe its neck with mane?​

Do you make it leap like the locust?​

Its majestic snorting is terrible.​

It paws violently, exults mightily;​

it goes out to meet the weapons.​

It laughs at fear, and is not dismayed;​

it does not turn back from the sword.​

Upon it rattle the quiver,​

the flashing spear, and the javelin.​

With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground;​

it cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.​

When the trumpet sounds, it says “Aha!”​

From a distance it smells the battle,​

the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.​

​

‘Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,​

and spreads its wings towards the south?​

Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up​

and makes its nest on high?​

It lives on the rock and makes its home​

in the fastness of the rocky crag.​

From there it spies the prey;​

its eyes see it from far away.​

Its young ones suck up blood;​

and where the slain are, there it is.’​

And the Lord said to Job:​

‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?​

Anyone who argues with God must respond.​

Job’s Response to God​

Then Job answered the Lord:​

‘See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?​

I lay my hand on my mouth.​

I have spoken once, and I will not answer;​

twice, but will proceed no further.’​

God’s Challenge to Job ...​

Wow! David, the "encouraging" symbol is AWESOME, thank you : )

 

[Richard Aberdeen]

View attachment 443

Most people do not think of scrolling as a serious issue. It feels normal because everyone does it. You pick up your phone to check a few things, and before you know it, twenty or thirty minutes are gone. You may feel a little heavier afterward, more distracted, more irritated, or more unsettled, but it is easy to brush it off as nothing.

But the real question is not just whether scrolling wastes time.

The deeper question is why it is so hard to stop.

Scripture gives an answer that cuts deeper than the phone itself: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” ~James 1:14.

That verse shifts the issue from the device to the heart.

The phone is not innocent, but it is not the root problem either. It connects to something already inside us. Desire. The desire to know what is happening. The desire to feel informed. The desire to escape stress. The desire to avoid boredom. The desire to stop thinking about things we do not want to face.

That is why endless scrolling works so well. It keeps feeding desire, but it never satisfies it. It gives a little hit of information, emotion, outrage, humor, fear, curiosity, or distraction, then immediately offers more. The heart keeps reaching, but it never lands.

That is why a person can scroll for a long time and still not feel settled.

Scripture describes a pattern that sounds very familiar in a world full of constant content: “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” ~2 Timothy 3:7.

We have more access to information than any generation before us, yet people are not becoming more grounded. Many are more restless, more anxious, more confused, and more easily led by whatever headline, video, or opinion flashes in front of them next.

That is not just a technology problem. It is a truth problem.

Endless input can keep a person from stopping long enough to ask what is actually true. It can also keep a person from facing what is going on inside their own heart.

That is why the Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God” ~Psalm 46:10.

Stillness is hard when the mind is used to constant noise. Silence feels uncomfortable because it removes the distraction. It forces us to face what scrolling often helps us avoid.

And Scripture does not flatter us about what is inside: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” ~Jeremiah 17:9.

That is why external changes alone will not fix the issue. Yes, reducing screen time may help. Putting the phone down may help. Turning off notifications may help. But none of that reaches the deeper question of why the heart keeps reaching for distraction in the first place.

Scripture points us to something better than more content.

It points us to truth.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” ~Psalm 119:105.

The Bible is not like the endless stream of fast, fragmented information people consume every day. It is stable. It is clear. It does not flatter the flesh. It does not entertain our distraction. It speaks truth about God, sin, desire, the heart, judgment, mercy, and the way of life.

That is why it is often easier to scroll for an hour than to sit quietly with Scripture for ten minutes.

But that difficulty tells us something.

If a person cannot be still long enough to read even a short passage of Scripture, that is worth examining. It raises a simple question: what am I avoiding?

The next time the urge to scroll comes, pause before reaching for the phone. Open James 1. Open Psalm 46. Open Psalm 119. Read slowly. Do not rush. Do not skim. Do not look for a quick religious feeling. Ask what the text actually says.

Not what you assume it says.

Not what someone told you it says.

What it says.

The issue is not merely distraction. It is the condition of the heart and what the heart is chasing.

And if Scripture is right about that, then scrolling is not as harmless as people think.

We can all stop scrolling; it's just a matter of putting away our connected devices. A good idea is to leave your phone at home when you are out in public, unless you absolutely need to have it for work. Another good idea is to never text. If someone can't talk to you instead of texting, they are probably not a very good friend.