It is written
a call to deepen your intimacy with God's Word
Satan is cunning but he is not creative. His work today is not much different from his conversation with Eve1 and his attempts to tempt Jesus2. He still desires to enter into the hearts of man as he did Judas3.
As Jesus modeled for us in scripture, our best defense against Satan is God's holy and eternal Word. It is imperative that those who desire to live as disciples of Jesus Christ not only know what is written in scripture but have understanding of scripture intimately and beyond surface level.
Why? One reason, in particular in this time that we live in is the onslaught of soundbites that sound like scripture, that sound like Christianity, but are merely a self-centered gospel created to distract, deceive, and/or create a false sense of provision of spirituality.
There is no replacement for your personal study of God’s Word and then engaging in scripture teachings in your local communities.
Soundbites
What do I mean by soundbites? Soundbites are short messages, words, videos used for the purpose of catching the attention of the viewer or listener. They often lack context, are incomplete, inaccurate, or created for the purpose of entertaining, distracting, or misleading. In the context of what I’m talking about, soundbites are used as a replacement for God’s Word and your personal study of His Word. They sound good, make you feel good (or even convicted at times, but it doesn’t lead to change because sustained transformation and growth comes from the Lord not just a feeling of being convicted) but you don’t follow up with fact-checking against God’s Word, seeking Godly counsel, or going deeper than the soundbite.
We live in a world that soundbites scripture to the point that people know cliches about the Word more than what is actually written. It is easy to think because you listened to someone give their thoughts or share an impressive sounding message that you have dined on the bread of the Word. But not so. What I am witnessing among people who identify as Christian/followers of Christ is an empty diet of soundbites that leaves them hungry, all while believing themselves to be full.
I liken it to this. Imagine walking by a bakery early in the morning when they are preparing fresh baked goods for the day. You walk by, the door is open, and you smell the aromas of the bread and keep walking. Your stomach is still empty, but your sense of smell has been engaged, satisfied even. And you keep walking thinking that the aroma of the bread will do the same thing that eating the bread would do. Not so.
We must be careful that we are not dining on a diet of internet soundbites, a quote shared, one verse shared, a 30 second to 3 minute reel, that we forward to a friend and consider ourselves having dined on the Word because some scripture references or "Christian" phrases were used.
It is God's Word that makes us wise and we must live by it4.
It is God’s Word that gives us life.
This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your Word has given me life. Psalm 119:50
My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings, Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22
It is God’s Word that gives us instruction on how to live this life5. We must value it and hold it in the highest esteem such that we live hungry for understanding His Word daily. We must be thirsty to know more about Jesus Christ and His will for our lives (which is found in His Word).
Jesus Christ is our life
The internet will have you believe that God was created for you and not the other way around.
The truth is God's will is greater than your dreams, your wants, and your desires. And, the more you abide in Him and His Word, the more your desires will align with His will for your life.
You were created to be a part of His plan and soundbites will have you think that the goal is to make God a part of your plan. He is not a part of your plan, He is THE WAY6, He is THE plan. And dissecting Him down to “one part” of your life is anti-scriptural7.
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:33
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:3-4 (emphasis added).
Jesus is not a piece of the puzzle, He is the puzzle, He is not an ingredient in your life, He is the entire dish. We must see the Lord for who He is and it is impossible to do that without an intimate relationship with His Word8 and a fervent desire to study His Word, engage with His Word, and seek to know more about what His Word says to you/us.
We must see the Lord for who He is which helps us to see ourselves as we are. These words are an invitation to check your diet to ensure it's not high in internet soundbites, things that sound like God and His Word but are not. Does what you hear cause you to open your Bible and study, or does it, in itself, satisfy you?
Cunning but not creative
Are you giving ear to words that are diluted, that don't give you scriptural context, and don't lead you to desire to read scripture for understanding and growth?
Has your gospel become self-centered versus the Kingdom of God centered?
Beware. Satan knows scripture too. Satan will twist God’s Word so that the scripturally unsound will think its word when it is not. He's used this tactic since the very beginning.
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5. What God said—”but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:17.
Satan—”you will not surely die.” The Lord God—”you will surely die.”
The more you feast on the fumes of self-centered gospel messages (your blessing is on the way, God wants to bless your business, you, you, you), the more your appetite grows for them. You will lose your taste for the wholesome, healthy, milk and meat of scripture that consistently reminds you that you are called to be a living sacrifice, daily choosing to die to self.
But if we continue outsourcing our responsibility to study the Word for ourselves, reading your Bible will not be as appealing as watching a YouTube or reel, you'll take someone else's word over God's (in part because you won’t know His Word to weight it against). If what you're listening to and consuming doesn't lead you back to God's Word to study, you're relying on the wrong thing.
Even here. I write with the intent and hope that you will open up scripture and study, reflect, engage, have conversation with me or those in your community about what I share here. It is always an invitation for you to abide in His Word, seek the Lord for guidance, insight, and illumination into His Word and what He is saying to you within it.
Be careful of diving in the shallow end. I want to encourage you to go into the deep, the depth of God's Word starting wherever you are today. Leave the shallow and superficial because it feeds the flesh, not the spirit. Make sure your daily bread comes from the bread of life and not aromas that smell like bread. A form of godliness but no power, no substance, nothing that sustains and leads to God-led transformation. The result of living off of soundbites, best case scenario, is that you try to live this life on your own strength and not the Lord's.
Shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer.
But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. 2 Timothy 2:16-17
If Satan can keep you empty while making you think you're full, his will will be done.
If he can distort God's Word because He knows that you can't say with confidence and boldness, "it is written...." his will will be done.
Satan doesn't mind that you know a few scripture and he surely doesn't mind you intaking soundbites because it keeps you weak, while giving you the illusion of being strong.
This is a call to deepen your intimacy with God's Word and being engaged in a local church and community that teaches God's Word with accuracy and honesty. The shallow end continues to widen while there is so much room in the deep. And the truth of the matter is the things that you are looking for are in the deep end. The answers you're seeking, the guidance, the clarity, the direction, the confidence, the love, the desires, the everything that is worth desiring is found in the depths of relationship with God and His Word.
Spend more time in the bible study versus the tweet or thread that summarizes it. Let those who are scripturally sound lead you to the Word, not become your replacement for it. And be mindful of soundbites that leave you thinking more about your worldly desires than the Lord and His will.
Be mindful of the self-centered "gospel" that is being spread. God is not the author of it. And if you're curious who is the author, remember that Satan was kicked out of heaven because he wanted to be the center of attention, he wanted to ascend higher than God, he wanted to be like God, not in holiness or righteousness, but in power and status.9
I see an "internet gospel" spreading that message like cancer. One that leads you to be god of your own life, that makes you think that God's greatest concern is that your dreams come true and NOT that His will be done. A message that has scripture flipped upside down.
But I want to remind that it is impossible to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness10 outside of His Word. No reel, no post, nor these words that I write here are a replacement for seeking the Lord with diligence daily in His Word, in prayer, and in community with members of the body of Christ. Be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-12 who received the Word (not entertainment, opinion pieces, and the like) with all readiness and THEN after receiving the Word searched the scriptures to see if it were so.
And if you do not know where to begin or you find reading scripture daunting or challenging please reach out to me. Another good place to begin is here with this 14 Day study. My desire is to see your appetite for God's Word grow so that we all can better understand Job when he said, “I have not departed from the commandments of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” Job 23:12.
His Word is more necessary than food. My prayer is that you allow the hunger for His Word to grow and that you strive daily with diligence to satisfy that hunger with His Word.
Thank you for taking time out to read these words of reflection. My name is Shunta (shun-tay) and I write and reflect on God’s Word. If you’re new here I would love to invite you to start by walking through my 14-Day devotional designed to help you prioritize time in God’s Word in your every day life. You can get started here!
Genesis 3:1-6.
Matthew 4:1-11.
Luke 22:3.
“[F]rom childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15 NKJV.
2 Timothy 3:16.
John 14:6.
See also, Colossians 3:1-4 (Christ is our life); Matthew 10:39.
John 14:15.
Isaiah 14:12-15.
Matthew 6:33.