1
00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:07,480
Speaker 1: Life Audio.

2
00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,920
Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you

3
00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:18,560
Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is how to unplug digitally

4
00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:23,520
Speaker 2: to connect with God spiritually. Will return with the devotional

5
00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:40,239
Speaker 2: after a brief message from our sponsors, Unplugged to Connect

6
00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:45,199
Speaker 2: with God, written and read by Whitney Hoppler. Then, because

7
00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,240
Speaker 2: so many people were coming and going that they did

8
00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,320
Speaker 2: not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,

9
00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,960
Speaker 2: come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and

10
00:00:55,000 --> 00:01:00,400
Speaker 2: get some rest. Mark six thirty one and ib An

11
00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,520
Speaker 2: on stage. Speaker was presenting important information that all of

12
00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,600
Speaker 2: us attending an editorial conference needed to know. But as

13
00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:12,080
Speaker 2: I listened and took notes, I wondered why so many

14
00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,440
Speaker 2: other people around me and the audience were on their

15
00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,120
Speaker 2: mobile devices instead of paying attention to the speaker's message.

16
00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:22,560
Speaker 2: We had all traveled to New York City at our

17
00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,600
Speaker 2: own expense to attend the conference. I didn't want to

18
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,200
Speaker 2: miss a word of what all the speakers had to share.

19
00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,240
Speaker 2: After that session, someone asked me if she could take

20
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,440
Speaker 2: pictures of my notes. She admitted that she had been

21
00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,560
Speaker 2: so distracted by what she was doing online that she

22
00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,720
Speaker 2: had no idea what the in person speaker had said,

23
00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,759
Speaker 2: living in a society that pressures us to be constantly

24
00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:50,960
Speaker 2: connected online, it's challenging for us to take digital breaks,

25
00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,240
Speaker 2: but it's important to do so. God didn't create us

26
00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,960
Speaker 2: to be constantly dealing with information coming at us. He

27
00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,320
Speaker 2: created us to maid rest for our well being. Our

28
00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,520
Speaker 2: minds work best when we have time to focus well

29
00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,880
Speaker 2: on one message at a time, and to reflect regularly

30
00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,919
Speaker 2: on all the information we're learning. In Mark six point

31
00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,360
Speaker 2: thirty one, Jesus looked at his disciples, who were so

32
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,440
Speaker 2: busy helping people that they didn't even have time to eat,

33
00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,360
Speaker 2: and invited them to come with him to a quiet

34
00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,320
Speaker 2: place and get some rest. Jesus knew that the noise

35
00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,800
Speaker 2: of the crowd could eventually distract them so much that

36
00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,639
Speaker 2: they couldn't hear the messages God was sending them. If

37
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,480
Speaker 2: Jesus needed to pull his friends away from the few

38
00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,960
Speaker 2: distractions of the first century, how much Lord, do we

39
00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,800
Speaker 2: need him to pull us away from the many digital

40
00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:46,200
Speaker 2: distractions we're dealing with right now. Unplugging regularly from our

41
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:51,200
Speaker 2: digital devices like cell phones, laptops, and tablets is really

42
00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:56,040
Speaker 2: a spiritual necessity. Every notification and all the time we

43
00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,680
Speaker 2: spent scrolling places demands on our attention. When our attention

44
00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,200
Speaker 2: is fragmented into lots of different pieces by our devices,

45
00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,680
Speaker 2: we lose the ability to sit still and listen to God.

46
00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,960
Speaker 2: We find it hard to pray for more than two

47
00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,200
Speaker 2: minutes without wondering if we missed a text, or to

48
00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,280
Speaker 2: read and reflect on a Bible passage without our minds

49
00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,200
Speaker 2: wandering back to a work email or social media comment.

50
00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,880
Speaker 2: As a result, we can miss out on hearing from God.

51
00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,480
Speaker 2: But when we choose to unplug, such as by taking

52
00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:32,920
Speaker 2: a walk in nature without our phones or enjoying family

53
00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,960
Speaker 2: dinner conversations without any devices in the room, we make

54
00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,440
Speaker 2: room in our lives to hear from God. It's in

55
00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,360
Speaker 2: those quiet, unplugged times that we can pay attention to

56
00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:49,320
Speaker 2: what's most important, the messages God is sending us. The

57
00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,320
Speaker 2: more we notice God's presence with us, the more we

58
00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,040
Speaker 2: can realize the value of spending time paying attention to

59
00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,280
Speaker 2: what God has to say and renewing our minds as

60
00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,000
Speaker 2: we rest with God. It can be uncomfortable at first

61
00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,720
Speaker 2: to build a habit of unplugging regularly, but if we

62
00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,040
Speaker 2: push through that discomfort, we'll find that God has been

63
00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,600
Speaker 2: waiting for us in the quiet. God isn't competing with

64
00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,400
Speaker 2: our screens. He's waiting for us to lay them down

65
00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:20,240
Speaker 2: so he can refresh us. So let's take God up

66
00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,960
Speaker 2: on his invitation to go with him to a quiet

67
00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,120
Speaker 2: place and get some rest. Then we'll be able to

68
00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:31,560
Speaker 2: hear the important messages God is always sending us intersecting

69
00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,640
Speaker 2: faith in life. As you consider how to unplug digitally

70
00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:41,039
Speaker 2: to connect with God, spiritually reflect on these questions. When

71
00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,599
Speaker 2: you first wake up. How long does it take before

72
00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,520
Speaker 2: you check a digital device? How do your digital habits

73
00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,320
Speaker 2: affect your ability to pay attention well during the day.

74
00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,360
Speaker 2: Does the thought of turning your cell phone off for

75
00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,200
Speaker 2: a few hours create a sense of anxiety or peace

76
00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,960
Speaker 2: for you? Why do you think you feel that way.

77
00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,200
Speaker 2: Where is a quiet place in your home or neighborhood

78
00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,920
Speaker 2: that you can go to be alone with God without

79
00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:10,799
Speaker 2: any digital distractions. What are the crowds in your digital life?

80
00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:15,360
Speaker 2: The apps or social media platforms that most often prevent

81
00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,400
Speaker 2: you from hearing God's voice. If Jesus we're sitting next

82
00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,680
Speaker 2: to you right now looking at your screen time, what

83
00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,320
Speaker 2: do you think he would lovingly invite you to let

84
00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,440
Speaker 2: go of so you could spend more time with him

85
00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:34,839
Speaker 2: further reading Psalm forty six', Ten matthew eleven twenty, Eight

86
00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:40,640
Speaker 2: psalm sixty two, Five luke five, Sixteen isaiah thirty.

87
00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:48,920
Speaker 1: Fifteen thanks for listening to today's. Devotional if you liked

88
00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:50,880
Speaker 1: what you heard, today we want to make sure you

89
00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,680
Speaker 1: know about our sister, podcast Your Daily. Prayer when you

90
00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:58,360
Speaker 1: follow your daily prayer in your favorite podcast, app you'll

91
00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,440
Speaker 1: get a brand new prayer and devotion each, day so

92
00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,200
Speaker 1: your days begin in conversation With. God if you're looking

93
00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:07,880
Speaker 1: to grow in prayer or start your day with your

94
00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,840
Speaker 1: heart focused on the right, things search for your daily

95
00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,159
Speaker 1: prayer in your favorite podcast app and be sure to

96
00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,040
Speaker 1: follow the show so you get a new prayer delivered

97
00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:23,640
Speaker 1: straight to you each morning