Our mobile phones – tools or idols?

Mobile phones have become everyday essentials in our digitally connected world. They can also become obsessions that we invest much of our hearts and time into. How do we know if we have not been unknowingly worshipping at the altar of the Internet and become phone addicts? Nomophobia is a syndrome that is prevalent across the world and it is growing.

(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 我们的手机－工具或偶像？ | 繁體中文 > 我們的手機－工具或偶像？)

 

Nomophobia is defined as the irrational fear of being without our mobile phones or being unable to use our phones for some reason, such as the absence of a signal or running out of minutes or battery power.

A tool or an idol?

A tool is something we use to fulfill a temporary need.

An idol is anything we hold on to fulfill our deeper internal needs, over and above going to God. Idols become a source of our identities, security, purpose, enlightenment, and comfort.

Not that long ago, our idols were made of stone clay and wood. Today, they have morphed into multimedia formats and possibly soon, holographic. They promise to give us all our answers and meet all our needs, but starve us spiritually and separate us from God.

Deuteronomy 4:28-29 ESV  And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

The inner needs we use our phones to fulfill 

Phone addicts or worshippers may not be aware that what they are really seeking is a sense of fulfillment or security. Mobile phone addiction often involves instant (but temporary) gratification to deeper underlying issues that we feel “stuck” with. Mindless surfing is a way to retreat and hide from the pressures we feel inside us. We “switch off” from the real world and enter a “virtual world” filled with titillating ideas and imagery. Addictive phone usage, however, creates an invisible barrier in relationship and life. In families, phone users isolate themselves from their parents, spouses, and children.

As an ex-phone addict explains, “It’s a one-way interaction where you are in total control. You can switch in and out of it without having to explain anything or consider other people’s emotions. You are 100% in control of what pleases or displeases you. It lowered the disappointment I had in interacting with people. There was no waiting, listening or disagreement. ”

Different people have different reasons for their phone addiction. Here are some examples.

Identity	“My phone gives me the opportunity to find out who I can be, as I compare myself to other people.”
Purpose	“It feels good to be productive on my phone. It gives me a sense of purpose and value.”
Comfort	“My life is a little too messy and stressful for me to handle. My phone gives me a discrete way to escape and avoid pain or conflict.”
Value	“I want to connect with other people to give me a sense of value and worth.”
Security	“I feel safe being connected to something. If I don’t check my phone, I am afraid I could miss out on something.”
Control	“My life feels out of control. My phone gives me something that is predictable and controllable.”

We probably idolise our phones in our hearts if we tend to:

1. Use up our best energy online and leave what’s left over for God
2. Think of our phones, instead of God or other people, the first thing we wake up
3. Feel the need to constantly check our phones, even during sermons, walking or driving
4. Get nervous when our phone batteries run low
5. Become annoyed when we need to stop looking at our phones to pay attention to other people
6. Be tempted to check our phones as we study the Bible
7. Not hear other people call us when we are online

How grieved God must be when we turn our mobile phones into our idols. He warns that any idol we set before our faces can become “stumbling blocks” that lead us to sin against Him.

Ezekiel 14:2-3 ESV  And the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? 

Removing the invisible chains to our phones

1. Turn back to God

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to love God first.

Luke 10:27 ESV  And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

The Bible warns us against being seduced by the things of this world that feed our lusts, appetites, and pride, and distract us from God’s will for our lives. This is a form of subconscious rebellion against our loving Father who is kept waiting for us to return to Him.

1 John 2:16-17 ESV  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Let us repent to our Heavenly Father for creating idols out of our mobile phones. God is patient and kind. We can openly tell Him our inner frustrations, fears, and worries. He will help us overcome them all.

2. Identify our unfulfilled inner needs through godly counsel

Next, we need to take a somber look at the reasons why we love our phones so much and ask the question “Why am I so attached to my phone?” The Holy Spirit may show us that we are driven by an inner voice that tells us lies or an inner frustration that has not been surrendered to God.

John 16:8 ESV  And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

Where necessary, we should seek God-fearing counselors to help us process and understand our subconscious drivers. At the same time, we can invite godly friends to keep us accountable for developing new online habits. Each time we reach a new milestone towards recovery, we can celebrate our victories with them.

Proverbs 12:15 ESV  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 11:14 ESV  Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

3. Set up filters and boundaries

Our Internet choices should not be dictated by algorithms programmed by Google, advertisers’ budgets, or our friends’ likes and dislikes. When we fail to filter what we feed our minds, we can be easily ensnared by Satan and captured by him to do his will. Let us “come to our senses” as the Bible says, and set up healthy electronic and time filters based on the guidelines we find in Philippians 4:8. We can also physically set aside our phones so we don’t see them all the time.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 ESV … God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Philippians 4:8 ESV  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

4. Develop new habits

This period of change is an opportunity to develop new hobbies or to learn something we haven’t gotten around to yet. In addition, we can change what we do online. For instance, we can set a reading plan for the Bible, refer to online devotionals, listen to worship music, refer to family counseling materials, watch personal testimonies etc.

It is also important to find other ways to de-stress. This could involve taking ourselves out of stressful situations, going on walks, and finding some quiet alone time with God to tell Him about our struggles and our needs. He sympathises with all our weaknesses and promises to help us in our times of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

5. Beware our triggers

It is also important to recognise the thoughts that trigger our online additions and re-train our own minds with new thoughts. When we are tempted to turn to our phones to medicate against stress, pain or boredom, we need to remind ourselves about our commitment to be renewed through the Holy Spirit and mentally switch over to our new habits instead.

Certain people, places, and circumstances will tend to draw us back to old habits. We ought to set boundaries to protect ourselves from unnecessary exposure to them. Just as it is not helpful for a recovering alcoholic to sit in a bar, it is also not helpful for a recovering phone addict to be surrounded by people surfing the Internet without a book to read as an alternative activity, for example.

6. Communicate

Often, we don’t realise that we have been hurting and disappointing those around us by “ignoring” them and prioritising our phones over them. Others may not know that their behaviour is driving us to turn to our phones instead of interacting with them. This is an opportunity to understand one another’s needs and restore healthy relationships. We may have to explicitly set some boundaries and realistic expectations on both sides.

7. Fast, pray and memorise Scripture

As we detox from our online addictions, it is very helpful to pray and fast. Submitting to the Holy Spirit through a fast releases our bondage to fleshly desires. See The significance of fasting. We also need to fill our minds with God’s Word so we have the truth about who God calls us to be embedded deeply into our psyches.

Galatians 5:16-17, 24 ESV  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. … And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Isaiah 58:6-7 ESV   “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

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