The War of the Soul on the Digital Frontier
Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.
We are in a war of the soul, fought on the digital frontier.
King David had his battlegrounds. And we have ours against cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil (Eph 6:12). We are assaulted by the ancient foe who hates image bearers with all his scales. The world, our flesh, and the devil have formed a coalition against us. And the conflict is growing on the black mirrored screen we all carry.
As I meditated on David’s language for war, I was struck by his personal and precise choices—hands and fingers. King David knew the skill needed for the precision fling of a sword. He knew the required grip strength for drawing the bow. David knew his battles, what it takes, and who trained him for them all—God, his rock.
The war of the soul is not too different.
We need training on how we use our hands and fingers to “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:11). Training indicates more than figuring it out as we go. Training doesn’t just happen. It’s focused time, attention, and sweaty effort. Training for godliness is the same (1 Tim 4:7). We need God’s help in fighting for holy lives. And God cares about our lives all the way to the tips of our fingers. He wants to strengthen our hands.
It’s nearly impossible to think of our hands and not think of our phones. Holding phones, texting on phones, searching on phones, swiping on phones, videos on phones. And, we would do well to assess our training when we are phone-in-hand. Shockingly, they are with us everywhere, every hour, every day. For good and evil.
Physical discomfort, anxiety, stress, depression, and eroding relationships are all connected to screens.1 Teens are even turning to AI for friendship.2 A recent study has show that reliance on AI is weakening our brainpower.3 Screens are straining our bodies and souls because of what is presented or promised to us. Think about how much temptation is presented and sin committed with our hands and fingers on these devices.
We are jealous of another’s success
We assemble and launch angry words at a stranger
We linger in lust
We scratch our greed
We daydream from discontentment
We pry into the business of others
We make light of sin with memes
We waste time
We need God to train our hands for how to handle digital life.
The index finger needs to able to swipe away at the speed of the light of the world. Video gone, app closed, phone locked. When temptation arrives—to be envious, lustful, angry—we must assess our typing and swiping. It’s good to examine your reaction and response.
Am I slow? Am I enjoying sin ? Why did I linger? Why did I respond to that anonymous person that way? Why did I let some silly tweet tempt me in this way?
We need training to desire what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and anything worthy of praise—“think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). This text presents a helpful framework for renewing our minds on the digital frontlines. Fight the drag of being entertained by lies. Don’t permit what dishonors others. Be against what is impure.
And when the devil’s schemes are presented on screen, remember your training, the training God has given your hands for this war. Christ is “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:12). The risen Jesus is training us to renounce what is against godly living. Our Lord trains us through Scripture and Spirit. Reading, meditating, believing—“thinking on these things”—will renew our minds and hands. The Spirit applies God’s truth to our souls, bearing fruit. Gospel renewal awaits in biblical spirituality. So, grip the sword of the Spirit, the Scriptures. Straighten the helmet of salvation so your vision is clear. Show up for training and pray for God to increase your reflex speed, to train your hands for holiness.
“Excessive screen time is a growing concern in modern society, with the proliferation of digital devices contributing to increased sedentary behavior and potential hazards to physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. This article explores the potential health and mood deterioration caused by excess screen time. In particular, the article examines how excessive screen time can affect physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. The physical hazards of excess screen time include eye strain, neck and shoulder pain, and back pain. Mental health hazards include increased levels of depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Overall well-being can also be impacted by excessive screen time, particularly when it comes to social relationships and cognitive development. The article concludes by recommending the limitation of screen time, particularly for young people, and the incorporation of physical activity and face-to-face interaction into daily routines.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10852174/
“The study divided 54 subjects—18 to 39 year-olds from the Boston area—into three groups, and asked them to write several SAT essays using OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s search engine, and nothing at all, respectively. Researchers used an EEG to record the writers’ brain activity across 32 regions, and found that of the three groups, ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and ‘consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.’ Over the course of several months, ChatGPT users got lazier with each subsequent essay, often resorting to copy-and-paste by the end of the study.” https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/