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I received a very dramatic mime act from a friend recently, regarding a phablet.

The story started with a very happy Indian family with high flying kids; a young boy of about 3 and an older sister of about 12. The sister always paid particular attention to the brother; holding his hands when going to school, and coming back from school; feeding him, studying with him, and retiring to bed with him. They were A+ pupils in school, and the family was very happy!  

One day, while studying with her brother, the father brought her a gift. When she opened it; she realised it was a phablet! 

Feeding time that day was a disaster! She could easily have put the food in the brother’s nose, because her attention was on the phablet! She finally threw the food in the plate and quit feeding the brother in exasperation!  She spent more time alone from then onwards, watching dances, drama and other things on the phablet; and would stay up late on the phablet! She would even be on the phablet while leaving for school, thus denying the Dad the goodbye wave he was accustomed to every morning. She didn’t even notice when her brother stretched out his hands to be held as he was accustomed to! She became very distant, and got impatient and easily irritated whenever the brother needed her help. 

Their performance in school plummeted to the extent that the young girl was not confident enough to show her report card to her dad at the end of the term; and when she finally did, she simply dropped it in his hands and rushed into the house in sadness! It was a tragic and heartbreaking!

She could not look the father in the face the next day when leaving for school; but midway to the gate, she returned to the father with heads bowed, held his hands and placed the phablet in his hands! The surprised father looked up, and met the girl telling him something with the signature Indian head bobble! I can only guess what she told him, but I know it will be something like:

“Please take this thing back! It only brought us trouble!”

Technology gadgets are two-edged swords! They have the very good side, and the very bad side too! What the mime revealed is just a peek into the deep abyss of evil that technology can unleash if not used properly and regulated effectively.

READ 1 Thessalonians 5:21

“Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:21)

By my practice, I work about 90% of the time on the internet, and I have come across things that shocked my four-decades-plus body to the bone! Things I cannot even mention here for the sake of the wide range of ages that read Testimony Devotional!

The internet is addictive; and there are people in Silicon Valley doing research everyday to make us more addicted to it! Addicted people are what they sell to the advertisers! So they put everything into it. While you think you are just watching YouTube videos, there are people researching how to make you keep watching, and not do anything else, or go anywhere else! While you think you are just interacting on social media, data is being collected on your every move; predicting the things that tickle your fancy and pumping more of those in your face! It’s all there to keep your attention till you click an ad, so they can collect money from the advertisers! 

Now that we know this, can you imagine how easy it will be for our children, with their fallow and fertile minds; who are yet to gain control of themselves; to get addicted?

The internet is as addictive as had drugs! In this Covid-19 times where everything has gone online, a lot of us have very good reasons to give our children gadgets. That is fine.

But when we give an online  gadget to a child without monitoring, coupled with time and content restrictions, then this is what we have done: We have put a huge book containing educational material, cartoons, games, x-rated content, paedophiles, kidnappers, LGBTQ groomers and advocates, pimps, practitioners of Satanism, all kinds of teachings (including how to kill others, and how to commit suicide), sexual predators, animated x-rated content, incest and many more; and we allow our children to have access to this book 24 hours a day!

Everyone is online, including the person you never wanted your children to talk to, because of their putrid ways! 

The greatest danger these days is not the neighbour you know; the one who knocks on your gate and you can trace! It is the online stranger you don’t know, who enters your home electronically

MEMORY VERSE

“Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:21)

QUESTIONS

1. Do your children have uncontrolled and unregulated online access?

2. Do you know you are exposing them to physical, emotional and spiritual dangers?

PRAYER TIP

Lord Almighty, You know everything. Please protect my children, and also guide me to know and do what is good and safe for them, in Jesus’ named

NOTE TO PARENTS:

Parents who want to do something about this can read about “Parental Control” settings regarding online gadgets. But don’t leave it in the hands of “Parental Control” settings. Check on what they are doing often. Check their gadgets often. Sneak in on them unawares, and see whether they are hiding, or will hide something. Showing interest itself is a deterrent!

Written by:

BENNY MALM

For:

TESTIMONY DEVOTIONAL

URGENT CALL

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God richly bless you.

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