Showing posts with label computers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computers. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

How to Avoid Technology Overload - Martin Wiles

technology overload
For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT

Too much of a good thing can be harmful.

Exercise is good, but too much can damage the body. More importantly, it might damage relationships with others.

One Krispy Kreme doughnut won’t harm me, but eating a dozen a day most likely will. Where what I eat is concerned, most doctors will say, “Everything in moderation.” Eating a little along and along is better than binge eating.

Our day is not much different in the moderation area than was Paul’s. Idolatry, sporting events, drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, gluttony. They were all available. So, Paul took the opportunity to remind first-century believers that their bodies were temples of God’s Spirit. He had bought them with the death of his Son. The least they could do was honor him with their bodies.

The current greatest “too much of a good thing” temptation is technology. An entire generation of digital natives is alive and well. Defined, they are the young people who have never known a time when the internet didn’t exist. Just as doctors once thought tobacco was good for us—and freely smoked in and out of the presence of their patients—but then discovered it was dangerous, so the same is now happening with technology.

Researchers have unveiled how much digital interaction, especially gaming, can damage our brains. The younger the brain, the higher the addiction rate and the more harmful technology is to the brain. Staring at and interacting with “screens” not only builds an addictive wall in our brain but also damages our eyes, leading to dry eye disease.

I use technology profusely and am certainly not an advocate against it. Through it, I can spread the gospel with one press of a button or touch of a screen. But I can get too much of a good thing like everything else. Moderation is necessary lest overload occurs.

Some suggestions to avoid technology overload: take a break from it every fifteen minutes, don’t give it to young children (It’s not a good babysitter), use it wisely, take it out of your bedroom at night (Analog clocks are still available), enjoy an analog activity (Board games are still sold), and go outside.

What’s one thing you can do to avoid technology’s overload?

Father, help me enjoy the good things you’ve created but not to be mastered by anything that steals my attention from you. 

Tweetable: Is technology overloading your brain? 


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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Fear Not - Martin Wiles

fear not
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. Isaiah 41:10 NLT

I stared at the button that read “Reset Settings,” thinking it might solve my issue. Fear, however, kept me from clicking it.

Computers seem to have a mind of their own. Sometimes, an update will change the way something performs. Or I may accidentally press a key combination and find my computer doing things never done before.

Once, mine stopped giving me prompts when I typed in words I’d typed in previously. Not a huge discomfort, but when I’m in a hurry, it’s easier to click on an email address than type it. I also save seconds by clicking on my name rather than typing it.

So, I had my IT friend take a gander. After trying a few things unsuccessfully, we came to the dreaded “Reset Settings” button. He said, “Click on it.” I feared what might change. He told me not to worry. If it changed something, he could fix it. So I clicked, and all my missing functions reappeared. I had languished in aggravation for a month when I could have stepped out in faith.

Fear may be a natural human emotion, but it often gets in the way when serving God. It has stymied God’s people on more than one occasion. Fear led Abraham to lie about his wife. Fear kept Moses from wanting to approach Pharaoh. Fear made Gideon ask for a sign assuring him of God’s presence. And fear made the disciples think they were going to die in a storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Fear has kept me at bay a few times as well. What would my friends think if I served God instead of the addictions they did? How would I pay my bills if I left everything to attend college and study for the ministry?

An old saying comforts me: “If God leads you to it, He will lead you through it.” Trite? Maybe. But true nonetheless. God never takes us where He hasn’t already been in His plans. He never asks us to do anything He won’t provide the means and sustenance for us to do. “Fear not” should be our battle cry as we move out into the unknown lands of God’s will.

Where does God desire to take you that fear won’t let you go?

Father, give me the courage to follow wherever You lead with the confidence You’ll go before me.

Tweetable: Is fear ruling your life? 


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Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Finding Quiet in the Turmoil - Martin Wiles

finding quiet in the turmoil
For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

Finding quiet in the turmoil of life can challenge the best of us.

Technology is great until it stops working. My mornings run on a tight schedule. Up at 4:30 a.m., on the computer, and writing within a few minutes. At least, that’s the way I plan it. But sometimes, my computer has other plans.

One morning, I didn’t see the low battery warning, so a blank screen appeared in the middle of my writing. Startups with an older operating system take time. When I restarted and opened the document, what I had written had disappeared. Then updates began installing, and I had to restart again. By this time, I had decided to dump my favorite writing computer.

My wife happened to have a newer model she rarely used. We decided to switch. Then came the task of saving all my documents to a thumb drive and transferring them to her computer. Somehow, I managed to maintain a quiet spirit through it all—a significant improvement from how I would have behaved in my younger years.

In the entire scope of worldwide things causing turmoil, a malfunctioning computer and an interrupted morning seem insignificant—and probably are. Yet this could have led to turmoil in my spirit.

Zephaniah’s time was tumultuous. The ancient Babylonians bore down on Judah. The end wouldn’t be pretty. Turmoil would reign, but he assured them God would bring quiet amid the rampage if they trusted.

Turmoil comes in various shades. I’ve faced it in broken relationships I thought would never end, financial upheavals that seemed to languish eternally, and health issues that didn’t look like they’d go away. Yet, through them all—when I responded with trust, God gave me peace during what could have caused turmoil. I expect him to do the same for whatever is in my future.

When we place our source of turmoil in God’s hands, we acknowledge his control over the situation. Trusting him, regardless of our emotions or understanding, leads to quietness of spirit.

What are some ways you can entrust what causes you turmoil to God’s control?

Prayer: Father, we trust You for peace when times are troubled. 

Tweetable: Have you found quiet in your turmoil? 


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Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Walk-on Wednesday - In and Out of Control - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. Hebrews 2:8 NIV

Once a week, I feel as if I’m out of control.

When I begin using my computer and things progress very slowly, I know updates are downloading. My cursor performs funny tricks—if it works at all. The internet moves at a snail’s pace—often freezing up. Yet, there’s nothing I can do short of waiting for the updates to download so I can install them. Things will get back to normal shortly.

But downloads aren’t complete without restarting the computer and then waiting on configuration. Though I’m in manual control of my computer, I feel as if things are out of control. My computer operating system—combined with the internet—appears beyond my control.

For a time, Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. During his earthly ministry, he voluntarily limited himself in using his divine attributes. But the story hasn’t ended. One day everything will be placed under his sole authority: angels, Satan, demons, nature, and humanity.

God created me with free will which allows me the liberty to do what I want within certain limits. Everyone else has the same privilege. When all of us do as we please—following our own selfish guidelines—we make a mess. Because of all the help I have, it’s easy for the world to appear out of control. Somewhat like my computer.

I finally surrendered to the update process. I’ve learned my fussing, complaining, and stewing won’t change a thing. My computer world won’t function properly until I let the updates install. After the updates are complete, I have control again. (I actually never lost it. I could have disconnected from the internet and stopped the process.)

Appearances can be deceptive. The world may look as if it’s careening out of control, but God has it firmly gripped in his all-powerful hands. Knowing this, I can face each day with optimism rather than discouragement and depression.

Acknowledge God’s control over your life, and live life confidently.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for controlling our lives and our world.

Tweetable: Are you in or out of control? 


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Monday, January 27, 2020

Confronting the Crash - Martin Wiles


For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, “Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.” Acts 27:23-24 NLT

I opened the lid. Nothing. I clicked the mouse, rubbed my hand across the touchpad, and tapped the power button. Still nothing.

As a schoolteacher, writer, and freelance editor, I depend entirely on a computer. Without a computer, I can’t make lesson plans, take attendance, or record lunches. Nor can I check emails from fellow teachers, parents, the assistant principal, or the headmaster. Neither can I connect to the overhead projector to display work for the students. While I once taught without a computer, the days of doing so have long past.

As a writer and editor, I can’t do anything without my computer. I can’t receive material from writers, I can’t post to websites, and I can’t keep up my personal writing. Yet, here I was with a dead computer. I had used it the day before and received no warning that anything was wrong.

I sat in the tent—my wife and I were on a three-day camping trip—and looked at the black screen, wondering what I was going to do. “Really, Lord,” I silently prayed. We were in a financial pickle, so I couldn’t afford to buy another one, and I had deadlines to meet and school to prepare for.

That’s when God seemed to whisper, “Email the executive editor of the website you manage.” So I did. Within two hours, she had purchased me a new computer and had it waiting for pick up at our local office store.

Life is filled with crashes. Paul faced one … literally … when the ship he was on encountered a storm, hit a sand bar, and broke apart. I tried to follow his example.

When the crash hit, I prayed with expectation. What better thing to do in the tough times than to go to the One who has everything under control. Paul prayed as well, for his safety and for that of his shipmates.

Then I did what God told me to do: emailed my editor, the one who had power to do something about my dilemma. Nor did I question God when he impressed upon me to email her. Doing so would have called my faith into question. God told Paul he wouldn’t perish on his way to Rome, nor would his shipmates if they didn’t try to escape, but headed for shore instead.

When my editor told me she had a new laptop waiting for me, I thanked her … and God. Paul, too, thanked God for saving him.

Don’t let life’s crashes crash you. With God, all things are possible.

Prayer: Father, we thank You that You are Lord over all of life’s crashes.



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