Laying It Down to Long for More
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious…”
— 1 Peter 2:1–4
When Conviction Hits
There comes a moment in every man’s walk with Christ when the Holy Spirit puts His finger on something we’ve tolerated for too long. For me, that moment came with social media.
What began as a useful tool for connection and communication became a subtle but powerful source of distraction, distortion, and discouragement. I wasn’t just interacting with it—I was being shaped by it.
What 1 Peter 2 Calls Us to Leave Behind
Peter opens chapter 2 by urging us to put away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. These are not small or abstract sins. They are deeply relational and corrosive—especially in the age of social media.
Each scroll, each comment, each post can invite these very sins into our hearts without us even realizing it. And the Bible doesn’t say to manage them—it says to put them away.
This Isn’t About Giving Something Up for Nothing
This passage isn’t just a call to subtract—it's a call to replace.
God doesn’t just ask us to stop feeding our souls poison. He invites us to long for what will truly satisfy: the pure spiritual milk of His Word.
When we put away the old, it’s not for legalism or asceticism. It’s so something holy and healing can grow in its place. It’s so we can grow up in our salvation. It’s so we can build on the solid foundation of truth in Christ.
“But Social Media Has Good Things…”
Yes, it does.
And this is where many men get caught.
Some follow godly pastors. Some listen to solid podcasts. Some use it to stay connected or even share the gospel. But we must ask ourselves: Is that really the majority of what we’re consuming? Or are we using those good things to justify our addiction to the feed?
Here are the common defenses I hear:
“But I follow pastors who preach truth.”
“I get encouraged by Christian reels.”
“I use it to build community.”
“There are great podcasts I listen to.”
And all of that can be good. But the deeper question is this:
What is the fruit of your time on social media?
Does it draw you to deeper hunger for holiness?
Does it push you to obey God's Word more fully?
Does it challenge your pride, kill your selfishness, and renew your mind?
Or does it numb you, distract you, and quietly stir up fear, envy, lust, passivity, or spiritual apathy?
The Algorithm vs. The Word
Social media doesn’t just offer entertainment—it feeds us a tailored form of emotional and spiritual compromise. It delivers curated feelings instead of eternal truth.
It gives us:
Fear
Envy
Pride
Selfishness
Jealousy
Sadness
Shallow happiness
Numbness to real pain
And all of it is often delivered with a smiling face and a catchy song.
The question is not can you handle it?
The question is why would you want to keep feeding yourself something that weakens your spirit instead of strengthening it?
This Isn’t Legalism—It’s Longing
I didn’t give up social media because I wanted to impress God. I gave it up because I missed God.
I longed for:
A life not dominated by likes and clicks
A heart shaped by the Word instead of the algorithm
A mind sharpened in silence and prayer, not dulled by scrolling
A spirit fed by the Spirit—not by stimulus
Taste and See
Peter writes, “If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good…”
That’s the question. Have you tasted the goodness of God?
Because once you do, the junk food loses its flavor.
Once you’ve been filled by the Word, you’ll stop chasing the world.
I’m Laying It Down
I’ve tasted. And I want more.
That’s why I’m laying it down. That’s why I’m reaching for the Word.
Because I want to grow up into the man God has called me to be.
Because I’m done scrolling through substitutes.
Because I’ve seen what it’s like to come to Him—a living stone, chosen and precious.
And I want you and I to build our lives on Him.
