Guarding Your Family From Digital Danger | The Connected Life: Part 2

Summary

Podcast Summary:

Life.Church with Craig Groeschel
Episode: Guarding Your Family From Digital Danger | The Connected Life: Part 2
Date: November 2, 2025
Host: Life.Church
Speaker: Pastor Craig Groeschel and Co-Pastor

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Main Theme

This episode addresses the real and growing dangers that digital technology poses to families—especially children—and offers practical and biblical guidance for parents and individuals seeking to guard their homes and hearts. Pastor Craig Groeschel emphasizes the importance of becoming intentional gatekeepers in the digital age, recognizing both the blessings and the dangers of technology, and relying on God’s wisdom and strength to navigate the digital world faithfully.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Confession and Cultural Reality

• Parents did not set out to cause harm: Craig admits, “We didn’t plan it. No mom and dad ever held their newborn and thought, one day I’m going to hand you a device…” (00:33)
• Unintended consequences: Devices intended to help or entertain have led to anxiety, comparison, isolation, and addiction—affecting both children and adults.
• Quote: “We never dreamed you might click on pornography and be trapped and feel like you had no one to talk to.” (01:31)

2. The Blessings and Burdens of Technology

• Acknowledgement of positives: Technology enables connection, access to the Bible, ordering necessities, and safety tracking.
• But: Tremendous downside—time waste, comparison, exposure to harmful content (03:00-03:33).
• Quote: “The most obvious [downside] might be that you can waste literally years of your life scrolling, looking at people that you’ll never, ever see meet.” (03:28)

3. Spiritual Warfare: Warning for Parents and All Generations

• Pastor Craig stresses spiritual warfare in the digital realm.
• Quote: “Your spiritual enemy is attacking your kids. He wants to lie to your kids… He’s coming for your kids. I want to tell you right now, he’s also coming for you.” (04:54–05:07)
• Applies to Gen Z, Millennials, Boomers, and Gen X (“I’m from the generation—we made mixtapes like it was an Olympic sport.” 05:39–05:52)

4. Biblical Metaphor: The Gatekeeper

• Illustration: Just as ancient cities protected themselves with walls and gatekeepers, modern families must guard the new “main entrance”—devices.
• Pastor Craig asks: “How many of you lock the door to your house…? Why do you lock the door? To protect who you care about and what you care about.” (09:03–09:23)
• Main Point: The digital “gate” is more vulnerable than the physical front door today (10:27–10:55).

5. Nehemiah: Guarding Vulnerable Spots Together

• Story of Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls and stations families at the most vulnerable points (11:16–13:12).
• Modern application: “Stand guard over what they see. Stand guard over… the voices that will shape what they believe… Stand guard against the algorithms…” (13:24–13:33)

6. Practical Steps for Families: How to Be a Gatekeeper

• Assess the Gates (13:39–16:40)
  • Inventory all devices and external influences in the home (phones, tablets, consoles, smart TVs, VR devices, etc.).
  • Check what apps are installed; beware of hidden or secret apps and browsers.
  • Know all passwords; parents should have access.
  • Quote: “If you can’t answer these questions, your first assignment is to assess the gates.” (15:56)
• Strengthen the Gates (16:42–24:56)
  • Delay the Device: Wait longer before giving children their own devices; determine ownership (“If you paid for it, it’s your phone… you are letting your child borrow your phone.” 17:23–17:49)
  • Set Age Standards: Experts recommend waiting until at least 14 or 16 years old.
  • Utilize Parental Controls: Block adult content, limit downloads, track search history.
  • Ongoing Conversations: Don’t rely on one-time lectures—continually discuss digital temptations and consequences.
    • Memorable: “Don’t be dumb. That’s in the Bible. Don’t be dumb. It says be wise.” (20:23–20:33)
  • Set Limits and Rules: Define when, where, and how long devices can be used; model “no phones at dinner” or in bedrooms after a certain hour (21:21–21:52).
  • Model Healthy Habits: Adults must lead by example; kids often mirror what they see in their parents.
    • “They will often become what they see.” (22:02)

7. Personal and Spiritual Honesty

• Adults need to assess their own vulnerability to digital dangers: comparison, anger, lust, wasting time (22:30–23:51).
• “You are only as strong as you are honest.” (23:19)
• “Why would I resist a temptation in the future if I have the power to eliminate it today?” (24:20)

8. Encouragement and Hope

• Each person is called to “keep watch” over those in their care, but with God’s help.
• “The one who guards the gates of heaven and earth guards your home as well.” (25:55)
• Pastor Craig expresses hope in the next generation’s growing spiritual hunger, noting young people’s desire for authenticity and true connection (26:00–27:49).

9. Call to Action and Prayer

• Encourage everyone to ask God for their personal next step (30:00–30:26), whether deleting a game, app, or setting new boundaries.
• “My calling is too great to spend time looking at people that I can’t even connect with.” (30:13)
• Emphasizes the truth and freeing power of Jesus Christ:
  • “When you know the truth, the truth will set you free.” (29:08)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Parental Regret/Reality:
  Craig Groeschel (00:33): “We didn’t mean to do it. No mom and dad ever held their newborn and thought, one day I’m going to hand you a device…”

• Spiritual Enemy’s Attack:
  Craig Groeschel (05:01–05:04): “He wants to steal their joy. He wants to kill their innocence. He wants to destroy their lives.”

• Mixtape Humor:
  Craig Groeschel (05:39–05:52): "I’m Gen X. ...We made mixtapes like it was an Olympic sport. Double boombox. Press play and record at the same time… an art form.”

• Gatekeeper Metaphor:
  Craig Groeschel (09:23): “You lock the doors to protect those you love and what you value.”

• Peer Community in Parenting:
  Craig Groeschel (18:18–19:36): “If you’re afraid of your kid being a little weird, you’re afraid of the wrong thing. Be afraid of them being normal…You want to raise them in a Christ-centered community when your standards are different, at least we’re all different together.”

• Modeling Healthy Digital Life:
  Craig Groeschel (22:02): “They will often become what they see. And a lot of them are going to tell you you actually have a problem with this as well.”

• Solution for Temptation:
  Craig Groeschel (24:20): “Why would I resist a temptation in the future if I have the power to eliminate it today?”

• Personal Accountability:
  Craig Groeschel (30:13): “My calling is too great to spend time looking at people that I can’t even connect with.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Content | | :---: | :--- | | 00:33 | Confession about the unintended digital dangers for children | | 03:28 | The major downside of digital time-wasting & comparison | | 04:54–05:04 | Warning: Spiritual enemy targets entire family | | 09:03–10:33 | Metaphor: Locking physical doors vs. digital gatekeeping | | 11:16–13:12 | Nehemiah’s example—families guarding vulnerable spots | | 13:39–16:40 | Step 1: Assess the gates (devices, apps, passwords) | | 16:42–24:56 | Step 2: Strengthen the gates (practical boundaries & controls) | | 22:02–22:07 | Parents must model healthy tech habits | | 23:19 | “You are only as strong as you are honest” | | 24:20 | “Why resist temptation in the future…?” | | 25:55 | Encouragement—God guards your home | | 26:00–27:49 | The next generation's hunger for truth and authenticity | | 29:08 | “When you know the truth, the truth will set you free” | | 30:00–30:26 | Challenge: Pray and ask God for your next digital step |

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Overall Takeaways

• Christians must be intentional “gatekeepers” over what enters their (and especially their children’s) lives through digital means.
• Ongoing discussion, digital boundaries, mutual accountability, and modeling healthy behaviors are essential to protect hearts and minds.
• True freedom and hope are found not in digital connection, but in connection with Jesus.
• The current generation is desperate for authenticity and real hope—a prime opportunity for families and churches to lead.

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For listeners:
Expect direct, practical tips—delivered with Craig Groeschel’s trademark humor, candor, and heart—as well as a strong biblical foundation and encouragement to pursue change, not just for your kids, but for your own soul.

Transcript

[Life Church Host]

Welcome to Life Church. We're so glad you're here. Life Church isn't just something you listen to. It's a place where you can grow and connect. And we want to help you do just that. Visit Life Church PodcastConnect for a quick survey that will let us know more about you and the resources that would help you on your faith journey. Now, here's the message.

[Pastor Craig]

I want to make a confession to.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You, and it's one that I'm not proud of.

[Pastor Craig]

We didn't mean to do it on behalf of parents. We didn't plan it. No mom and dad ever held their newborn and thought, one day I'm going to hand you a device that seems normal and necessary. I can know where you are. You can stay connected. You can be entertained. I'll give you bluey to watch whenever I'm busy. We had no idea that one day you'd be scrolling on this device late at night, your mind racing and your heart anxious that you would compare with.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Others and feel left out, depressed and alone.

[Pastor Craig]

We never dreamed that you might click on pornography and be trapped and feel.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Like you had no one to talk to. We didn't take into account the algorithms.

[Pastor Craig]

That were designed to trap you, lie.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

To you, and addict you.

[Pastor Craig]

And honestly, somehow we became addicted, too.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

We didn't mean to, but we did. We're in a message series called the Connected Life.

[Pastor Craig]

And I just kind of want to acknowledge the tension as we talk about how do we navigate and manage wisely these devices, because they actually seem incredibly necessary. Would you agree? Like, almost. How do you live without one? There's so much good in it. We have to acknowledge it. Like, you can FaceTime grandma, which my grandkids do every single day.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

FaceTime.

[Pastor Craig]

Gigi, you got the YouVersion Bible app. You can connect with God's word, his living word. This act of powerful right on your device at any time, anywhere.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You can order groceries to your house.

[Pastor Craig]

To the glory of God.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That's an amazing thing.

[Pastor Craig]

You can watch Sermons on YouTube. You can know where your kids are every moment of the day. Those of you who are parents now, that wasn't a thing. Back in the day, we didn't have fine friends. If you wanted to find your kids, you had to find their bike at someone's front yard.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That's how you found your kids.

[Pastor Craig]

We would tell our mom and dad, I'm going to Timmy's house. Timmy would say, I'm going to Craig's house. We'd go to Cancun with no passport and be Back by midnight, they had no idea. I mean, we could go anywhere. And so you look at these things, and there are so many great advantages and blessings with them. And then there's the downside. The most obvious might be that you can waste literally years of your life.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Scrolling, looking at people that you'll never, ever see meet.

[Pastor Craig]

And so when I talk about this with Pastor, I'm gonna tell you right now, like, I know I am on.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

This thing too much, and I've tried.

[Pastor Craig]

To kind of tweak it a little bit, but I've realized that tweaking's not really working, that we need to be.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

A little bit more drastic if we wanna find freedom. And so if you do feel trapped or if you look around you and your loved ones appear to be trapped.

[Pastor Craig]

I wanna tell you right now, the.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Truth is we can find freedom in Christ.

[Pastor Craig]

We can find freedom in Christ.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

In fact, it was Jesus who said this. He said, so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

[Pastor Craig]

If you find yourself frustrated that so much of your life is wasted looking at a screen, there is a better way.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And we're going to ask God to help us find that. Holy Spirit, would you speak to us, your church, God, would you give us wisdom to say no to that which harms us and the wisdom to say yes to whatever could help us?

[Pastor Craig]

Holy Spirit, do a work in our.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Hearts and in our lives that we could be wise, innocent and wise. God, help us be free from anything that takes us from you and others. We pray this in Jesus name and everybody said, amen. Amen. Amen. Okay, let me talk to the parents first. Parents, raise your hands if you're a.

[Pastor Craig]

Mom or a dad.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Raise your hand. Parents, I want you to know this. Your spiritual enemy is attacking your kids. He's coming for your kids. He wants to lie to your kids.

[Pastor Craig]

He wants to steal their joy.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

He wants to kill their innocence.

[Pastor Craig]

He wants to destroy their lives.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

He's coming for your kids.

[Pastor Craig]

I want to tell you right now, he's also coming for you.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Every single one of you. The Prince of Darkness, the Father of lies, is coming for you, seeking whom he may devour. Every single one of you.

[Pastor Craig]

Gen Z, you're searching for something real. He's coming for you. Every millennial, you're trying to build your life and pay off student loans. I get it. He's coming for you.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Every boomer. Shout out to the boomers.

[Pastor Craig]

You're still crushing it on Facebook. He's coming for you.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Some of you are like, hey, Craig, aren't you a boomer? No, I'm not a boomer.

[Pastor Craig]

I'm Gen X. I'm from the generation. We made mixtapes like it was an Olympic sport. Double boombox. Press play and record at the same time. Right in the moment that the DJ played your song, it was an art form.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I'm telling you right now. I made the best mixtape for Amy on our first date.

[Pastor Craig]

It was unbelievable. It was anointed by God. She got in the car, I pressed.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Play Christian song, then Christian song, then.

[Pastor Craig]

Love song, then Christian song, then Christian song, then love song, love song, Christian song, love song, love song, love song.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And here we are, married 35 years later by the glory of God, from Gen X mixtapes. So we acknowledge there's so much good. It's a tool that can be a blessing or it can be a vessel.

[Pastor Craig]

That distracts you from the most important things and can even be a vessel.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That destroys your testimony in your life. And God's word warns us in 1st Peter 5:8, his word tells us this.

[Pastor Craig]

Be alert.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Church.

[Pastor Craig]

Be alert.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Be awake.

[Pastor Craig]

Be aware. And be of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. Be alert. Be of sober mind. Resist the devil. Because if you look at it objectively, you might agree he's gaining ground on our children. He's gaining ground on us. You look at this generation today, the most depressed, most anxious, most lonely, most suicidal generation of any recent generation, sucked into a life of distraction and despair. The statistics are incredibly alarming.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I'll show you three teens who spend.

[Pastor Craig]

Four or more hours on screens daily. This does not include schoolwork. Then the average teens spend seven hours. Teens who spend four or more hours daily are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression. They are depressed right now. They are lonely, they are hurting.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And they're feeding into it by looking.

[Pastor Craig]

At a screen as the devil just takes away their joy. On average, children are exposed to porn by age 12.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You give them a device early, you increase the odds they're gonna look at.

[Pastor Craig]

Something that's gonna distort their mind and rob them of the intimacy they crave so desperately. At age 13, over half, 53% of girls report being unhappy with their bodies. By age 17, it jumps to 78% as they compare and feel less than and left out. Be alert. Be sober minded.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for.

[Pastor Craig]

So in every generation, he's going to use whatever tools he can to get to the people of God, and this with all the good, is still a tool that the enemy is using to distract you from people, take you away from God and into things that will destroy your very soul.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

So what do we do? What do I do when I'm on it too much? How do we protect our kids? How do we protect ourselves?

[Pastor Craig]

What I want to do is I want to show you a biblical metaphor.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That I hope will both inspire you.

[Pastor Craig]

And equipment equip you to introduce the biblical metaphor. Let me ask you a question.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Everybody participate. All of our churches, you can type in the comment section as well.

[Pastor Craig]

How many of you lock the door to your house or apartment before you.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Go to bed at night? Raise your hands, type in the comment section. Yeah, I lock the door. Baby, why do you do that? Why do you lock the door?

[Pastor Craig]

Why do you lock the door? To protect who you care about and.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

What you care about.

[Pastor Craig]

Right? I want you to think about this. You lock the doors to protect those.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You love and what you value.

[Pastor Craig]

Someone comes in your house, you may not be very tough at all. You get out in your tighty whities, you get a lamp and you're gonna whack someone's head off because don't come in after the people that I love.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

So you try to lock out in.

[Pastor Craig]

The physical world everything that's dangerous, and yet you give your kids a device wide open into the digital world. And so the metaphor I wanna talk to you about is found in the Old Testament. It's what they call the gatekeeper. In every major city they would build walls and gates and the gatekeeper's job was to guard the gate. The gatekeeper would try to control what comes in and what goes out. We wanna keep what's good in and we wanna keep what's dangerous and a threat out. Today your home still has gates or they still has entry points, but the entry points have changed. I would argue that the front door is not the main entrance.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

The main entrance is now in your hands. It's in your pockets, it's under the.

[Pastor Craig]

Kids pillows at night. And the devil doesn't need to kick in your front door. He just needs to get access to your device. And let me tell you right now, Satan, the father of lies, who hates everything God loves. And God loves you. The enemy doesn't care how good your intentions are.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

If you leave the gate open, the.

[Pastor Craig]

Devil will walk right in. So your job, mom, your job, dad.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Your job, 17 year old.

[Pastor Craig]

Your job, 57, almost 58 in a month.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Your job is to protect the gates. And I'M going to show you a.

[Pastor Craig]

Story in the Bible that you may know. In the 5th century BC, when Jerusalem.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Was vulnerable, the walls were destroyed and the gates were burned.

[Pastor Craig]

And so God called Nehemiah an ordinary.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Man, to rebuild the walls and protect the gates. Scripture says this.

[Pastor Craig]

I want you to see just how.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Serious he was about protecting the vulnerable spots.

[Pastor Craig]

Nehemiah said this. He said, okay, there's some vulnerable spots. He said, therefore, I stationed in Nehemiah chapter 4. I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall, at the exposed places. Wherever the walls were most vulnerable to outside attack, I stationed some of the people. How did he post them? He posted them by families with their swords, spears and bows. The wall is vulnerable right here. Smith family, grab your weapons, get your nunchucks, get your brass knuckles and stand guard. Don't let the enemy in. The wall is vulnerable. Over here. Marin family, can you guys stand over here? Get your weapons. Don't let someone come in, and you're going to protect those that you love. Wherever they were vulnerable to attack, the families stood guard with whatever weapon they had to protect their loved ones. Nehemiah went on to say this. He said, after I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, don't be afraid of our enemies. Why? Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your families, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your home. Remember the Lord, our God, who is good, is powerful and is awesome. And stand guard at the most vulnerable points of the wall and fight for your families. In today's culture, we probably say it this way. Stand guard over what they see. Stand guard over what they hear. Stand guard over the voices that will shape what they believe about themselves, about God and about life. Stand guard against the algorithms which will conform them to the image of this dark and broken world instead of the image of Jesus.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

How do we do this?

[Pastor Craig]

If you're the gatekeeper, how do we stand guard? I'm gonna give you a lot of.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Practical things, and so I hope you're ready. Take some good notes.

[Pastor Craig]

The first thing we're gonna do is.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Let'S assess the gates.

[Pastor Craig]

Assess the gates. We're gonna identify what's coming in.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I'm gonna give you three assignments.

[Pastor Craig]

The first thing is this. You're gonna ask yourself, what devices are in your home? What devices are in your home? You need to know mom and dad. You're gonna say, well, I got a.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Phone and I got an iPad and a laptop.

[Pastor Craig]

Chances are You've got several other sources of external influence. You've got tablet, Perhaps a smart TV, you've got an Xbox, the PlayStation, the Nintendo smart home devices, VR headsets, all sorts of different ways that you may not even have an idea that, that your 8 year old can get into. You need to ask what different devices.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Do you have in your home?

[Pastor Craig]

Then you also want to ask what apps are on your child's devices, what apps are on there? For example, I'm not going to tell you which one of my six kids.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

But Sam.

[Pastor Craig]

He came to me after I was talking about how, yeah, we.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Don'T let our kids have Snapchat. And he said, dad, I, dad, I got Snapchat. And he was like 15 years, like.

[Pastor Craig]

What do you mean you got Snapchat? We had a meeting and said, we're.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Not gonna have Snapchat. And he go, I think I wasn't.

[Pastor Craig]

At that meeting or I wasn't paying attention.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I've been snapping for over a year.

[Pastor Craig]

And so I was very intimately involved in talking about all their devices and.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

What was on their phones.

[Pastor Craig]

And right there a kid was right.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

In my household snapping away and I had no idea. And a lot of you parents, you don't have a clue right now. You don't have a clue.

[Pastor Craig]

There are apps on your kids, devices.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That look harmless, that hide private chats, and there's messages that disappear, that can be chatting with strangers.

[Pastor Craig]

There's hidden browsers with secret folders and they can access anything with no real trace.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

There are games that look innocent, that push sexual themes, and they're allowed to.

[Pastor Craig]

Chat with strangers and they can get on an Explore page that shows unfiltered content with no regard for age or maturity at all.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And so you wanna look on there.

[Pastor Craig]

What are they looking at?

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And understand, you may have to do some homework.

[Pastor Craig]

Third question you're gonna ask is what passwords do you have access to? Many of you don't even have a.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Four digit code to open up the phones that your kids use. And I'm gonna tell you right now, that is a mistake. If you can't answer these questions, your first assignment is to assess the gates.

[Pastor Craig]

And chances are, even if you're pretty involved, I was very involved. There were things I didn't know.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

There are things you probably don't know. And so as a church, we're creating resources to help you assess the gates. As a parent, you got to be aware, you got to educate yourself. You have to.

[Pastor Craig]

Why?

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Because you can't protect what you haven't Identified. You can't defend what you don't understand.

[Pastor Craig]

You got to know where the walls are vulnerable. And then you stand guard against letting.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Evil into the lives of your children and yourself. The first thing is, you're gonna assess the gates, identify what you let in.

[Pastor Craig]

The second thing you're gonna do is.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You'Re gonna strengthen the gates. You're gonna determine what do you keep out.

[Pastor Craig]

And I'll make five very practical suggestions.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

To you about how you strengthen the gates.

[Pastor Craig]

The first thing is, and I apologize to all the kids who are gonna hate your pastor for now, you will forgive me because you have to.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

It's in the Bible. But I'm gonna tell you, the first thing is, you may want to delay the device.

[Pastor Craig]

You may not want to give them a phone or an iPad or a tablet when they're 8 years old or 10 years old or 12 year old. And you're gonna say, okay, Craig, how old? Before we talk about determining the age, let's first start with determining the ownership.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

If you don't hate me yet. Cause you're really gonna hate me. Now, here's what I would suggest.

[Pastor Craig]

You're gonna give your kid a device to use. Let's just ask who paid for it. If the kid didn't pay for it.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

It'S not your kid's phone.

[Pastor Craig]

If you paid for it, it's your phone. And what you're doing is you are letting your child borrow your phone. And since it's your phone, you set the rules. You can have my phone during these hours, then I get my phone back. You can have my phone. I get all apps, passwords, and I control it all.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

It's my phone.

[Pastor Craig]

Determine ownership.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Now, what age do you give it to them?

[Pastor Craig]

Well, the Bible says they should not.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

This is where we have to be wise, right? The Bible doesn't say. Experts now are basically raising the age almost by the year.

[Pastor Craig]

Some are saying, hey, don't let them have a phone before 14.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Some are now saying, 16.

[Pastor Craig]

I can't tell you what age, but.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Here'S what I can tell you is.

[Pastor Craig]

They'Re not gonna like it.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And they're gonna say, you're gonna make me weird.

[Pastor Craig]

And I'm gonna tell you right now.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I hope you do. Have you seen normal? I mean, if you're afraid of your.

[Pastor Craig]

Kid being a little bit weird, you're afraid of the wrong thing. Be afraid of them being normal. Normal is not knowing who they are. Normal is not knowing who they should be attracted to. Normal's not being able to define where they came from. Normal's not knowing who their God is. Normal's not being able to stand up for themselves and saying this is who God made me to be and this is who I'm. You don't want normal, you want it to be a little bit different, set apart. That's what the Bible we're to be set apart means we're a little bit different. And one of the reasons why we talk about being in a life group, in a community is because then you got a bunch of people that are weird together and it gives em a little power when they're weird together. People say like how did you do it with six kids faithfully serving Jesus? The answer is we didn't. We had a community helping us. I was helping their kids, they were helping my kids. And so a community of 10 like minded families. We literally raised our kids together. And so if we all had a weird standard, at least we were all weird, all of our parents are weird. Well that's, you know, at least they have some friends going by the same weird thing. So you don't just want to raise them alone, you want to raise them in a Christ centered community when your standards are different, at least we're all different together.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

So delay the device.

[Pastor Craig]

Second thing I suggest is that you use parental controls and filter adult content. Most of your.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Why would you give a kid an unfiltered device anyway? Get on there, control it. Most phones, you can limit adult content.

[Pastor Craig]

And then they can't delete their search history.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

So if they're searching for hot tamales.

[Pastor Craig]

Or whatever, it'll show that and it can't go away. And you can keep them from downloading apps or keep them from being able.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

To delete apps or whatever, but you.

[Pastor Craig]

Wanna be in control of what they're.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Able to do and use parental controls.

[Pastor Craig]

You're also gonna wanna have ongoing conversations, not one time lectures.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And this is really important because here's what many of you are gonna do.

[Pastor Craig]

And it's dumb, don't be dumb.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That's in the Bible. Don't be dumb. It's in there, it says be wise. Okay, so don't be dumb. It's the new Craig version. If you don't like that, there's an email address, you can send it to.

[Pastor Craig]

Craigdongiverip.Com don't be dumb.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

So what you wanna do is you.

[Pastor Craig]

Wanna have ongoing conversations. Don't go blow em up and go pastor Craig said this and from now on we're gonna do this and blah blah blah, they're gonna Sit back when you come in like that and they're gonna go give mom and dad three days and, and this whole thing will blow over. What you want is you want to have a normal, ongoing conversation that we are involved talking about the details of your life. We're talking about digital temptations and real world consequences. And it's not just a one time thing. This is something that we talk about just like your friends and just like faithfulness to God and just like being a bold witness and just like being in the word.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

This is a normal part of our conversation. Another suggestion I'm gonna make is this, that you set time limits and boundaries.

[Pastor Craig]

For when and where devices are allowed, right?

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

How long you want them scrolling on TikTok. We'll put a time limit on there.

[Pastor Craig]

How long you want them playing Roblox? Do you even want them playing Roblox? Maybe you don't let them do that. How long do you want to be.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Looking at the gram? You might set a time limit on your own phone.

[Pastor Craig]

You might set some rules at your household, like no phones at dinner. When we come to dinner, phones are down, our phones are somewhere else. Or since it's your phone and they're just using it, you may say, you can't use my phone in your bedroom after 9 o' clock or 10 o' clock or whatever.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You be prayerful, you be wise.

[Pastor Craig]

And again, if your whole community is doing it, you're all weird together. Most important thing probably is this. You want to model healthy tech habits yourself.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

They will often become what they see. And a lot of them are going.

[Pastor Craig]

To tell you you actually have a.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Problem with this as well.

[Pastor Craig]

As I said last week, we didn't just hand them the problem, we actually modeled it. And so if you are a parent.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You'Re gonna model healthy habits yourself. Some of you say, well, I'm not a parent. What I want you to do is just look real honestly and ask yourself, what challenges do you have?

[Pastor Craig]

Does this impact you negatively in any way?

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Is it causing you to compare, to be angry, to be lustful, to waste time, to be judgmental and then be.

[Pastor Craig]

Really, really honest about where you might be vulnerable. Are you looking at social media and finding yourself left out and jealous?

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Be honest.

[Pastor Craig]

Are you looking at news apps and just finding yourself angry? You got the spiritual gift of ticked off. It's not a fruit of the spirit. Are you, are you just looking at shop shopping apps and you're broke all the time? Or you're gaming and you're wasting your life doing stuff that Yeah, a little bit's okay, but it's not a little bit for you? Or have you been sucked into a.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Lustful addiction that you simply can't break?

[Pastor Craig]

I'm gonna tell you right now, you.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Are only as strong as you are honest.

[Pastor Craig]

You start with honesty. If you, like, poke yourself in the eye every day.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Oh, that hurts.

[Pastor Craig]

Oh, that hurts. What are you gonna do? If you're poking yourself in the eye and it hurts, what are you gonna do? Stop poking yourself in the eye? If there's something that's poking you in the eye on this thing, eliminate it, remove it, get it out of your ability to use it. I'll tell you right now, very publicly. And I've modeled this for my kids.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I have for years.

[Pastor Craig]

I block adult content. I don't have the ability to download apps to the best of my technological ability. I don't have any way to get into something that I wouldn't want to look at. Say, Pastor Craig, are you that vulnerable? Not really at this age. But I'm gonna tell you what right now, if I'm ever weak or vulnerable, I don't wanna have access to it. The way I say it is this. Why would I resist a temptation in the future if I have the power to eliminate it today? Don't poke yourself in the eye. Get wise enough to remove anything that's gonna make you vulnerable. So what are you gonna do? You might set time limits on your devices. You might share passwords with your spouse so you're not DMing somebody you shouldn't do. You might delete certain apps that take up too much time or cause you to compare or lust or feel left down or whatever. I know more and more people that are just getting dumb phones. Like, they're literally going, I'm not gonna waste my life on this thing. I'm gonna figure a way around it. We lived, believe it or not, for several thousand years without them. We could probably manage today. Bottom line is this. I've said a lot of different practical things.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

You're the gatekeeper. You're the gatekeeper.

[Pastor Craig]

You're gonna protect those that you love from the enemy getting in. Paul told the Ephesian elders this. He said, keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Keep watch over those that you love.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I want to keep watch over you. Why would I talk about the technology?

[Pastor Craig]

Because it's incredibly relevant today to manage wisely and to keep the enemy from leveraging it against God's people. You're called to Watch your flock. Those that are under your care starts with you. It's your family. If you have a family, it's your friendships. And the good news is you are the gatekeeper. And as a gatekeeper, you are not alone. The one who guards the gates of.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Heaven and earth guards your home as well.

[Pastor Craig]

And if he's with you, no enemy will get through.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And the good news is, I've been saying it, and I'm not exaggerating. I have not seen a spiritual hunger like we're seeing right now in our.

[Pastor Craig]

Nation, in our younger generation.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I'm telling you, like our Switch ministry.

[Pastor Craig]

Our students are so on fire, it's unbelievable. They don't want to be entered. They want to be on their faces worshiping, and they want to be praising God. They're getting early to seek God. Why? I'm going to tell you right now, I think the enemy's plan is about to backfire. Because these devices have promised more. More friends and more connection and more fun. But what they've delivered is more comparison, more distraction, more sin and more pain. And I'm telling you right now, there is a younger generation that's tired of fake, tired of fake connection. And they're done with shallow hope. And they're moving from despair to desperation. And in the middle of their desperation, they're saying, give me something real. I want face to face. And I want. I want to love and be loved and I want to know and be known and I want to be able to be myself. And I want to be free from anxiety and worry and depression. And in a world where you used to be able to say, well, I saw it with my eyes, therefore I know it's true, you can't say that at all today. You can see it with your eyes and it can be the fakest thing ever. And when all of a sudden everything seems like it could be untrue, somebody needs something that is absolutely true. And the truth will not be found in this world. The truth is a person and his name is Jesus. And that's why people are crying out, jesus, help me. If you're there, if you're real, I need you. Would you save me?

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

And there's a generation that's finding hope.

[Pastor Craig]

In Jesus and healing in Jesus and life in Jesus. And there's a different kind of boldness in them. It's like, I don't want to play around anymore and I don't want to be told what to do and I don't want to be told how to think. I want, I Want to. I want to know what God's word says. And I want to be who he wants me to be. And so if there's any part of you that recognizes, yeah, I've just been sucked into what is normal. Do you want normal?

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I'm sick of.

[Pastor Craig]

Makes me. My own.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Addiction makes me sick. So I'm deleting and I'm blocking and I'm barely gonna have access to use this because the most valuable parts of my life don't happen person to screen. They happen face to face in obedience to God and showing his love. God sent his son the incarnation to reveal who he was. His name is Jesus. He came for broken people, lost people, hurting people, sinful people.

[Pastor Craig]

He came for people like me.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

He came for people like you. And when you know the truth, the truth will set you free. And when you know the truth, the truth will set you free. And when you know the truth, the truth will set you free. So, Jesus, we thank you that you are the truth. And we ask God that you would speak to us. God, just can we be open to what you want to say and show us in these areas of our lives? God, convict us of any sin, any area that's just unwise, foolish, and lead us into life everlasting. Today at all of our churches and those of you online, here's what I'm going to ask you to do.

[Pastor Craig]

I'm going to ask you if you would just pray and I'm not going.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

To give you any specific assignment, but just pray and ask God to speak to you about what's your next step? I have two problems on my device.

[Pastor Craig]

One is a game that I play.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

When I'm bored and I get sucked into it. Another is one form of social media and only one that I still look at. I'm deleting the game and I think I'm gonna probably delete the social media. I don't need that. My calling is too great to spend.

[Pastor Craig]

Time looking at people that I can't even connect with.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I'm praying and I'm gonna take the next step. I'm gonna ask you, would you just for you, maybe for your family, just pray and ask God to show you what's your next step.

[Pastor Craig]

We don't have to revise the whole thing.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Just let him show you one thing. We pray and take the next step. If you'll do that today, would you lift up your hands? Just all over the room.

[Pastor Craig]

Lift them up.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Just lift them up, man. Thank God you're taking this seriously. Online, you can just say Yes, I will pray and ask God to show me my next step. And Father, we ask that you do. We know that you're a loving God. We know that your conviction isn't to make us feel guilty, but to draw us closer to you and to make us more like Jesus. So speak to us, God.

[Pastor Craig]

Show us.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

I pray, God, that we would have the courage to make whatever decision is necessary to live in the fullness of the life that you have for us. We're gonna pray. We're gonna pray. And God, whatever you show us, we will take that next step. As you keep praying today, nobody looking around. Here's what I know about a lot of you right now. You are tired of shallow and you're tired of fake. And you're tired of the kind, of the lies. And you might be tired of your own guilt.

[Pastor Craig]

Let me tell you about the truth.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That sets you free. His name is Jesus.

[Pastor Craig]

It's not just an idea.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

It is a person.

[Pastor Craig]

The truth is a person.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Person.

[Pastor Craig]

Jesus is the son of God.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

For God so loved the world, for God so loved you that he sent his one and only son, Jesus, who.

[Pastor Craig]

Was perfect in every single way. Jesus did not come for the religious people. He came for the sinners. He didn't come for the people that were healthy. He came for those that were broken and sick. He came to offer life and life more abundantly. He came to bring salvation from the brokenness of this world and from the lies of the devil and from. And to give us life everlasting. Because he was perfect in every way. When he died on the cross as our replacement, he paid the penalty for our own sins. And God raised him from the dead so that. Anyone. Listen to me. Anyone. And this includes you. It doesn't matter how broken you feel, how lost you feel, how dark your life feels right now. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord. You would be saved, forgiven, made new. You're not just different, you're new. The old has gone and the new has come. And there are those of you that you're here and you're watching at this moment because it's you. There's something drawing you to God.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

What is that?

[Pastor Craig]

That is the Holy Spirit of God. You're not listening. By accident. It's because he loves you and he's.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Ready to set you free.

[Pastor Craig]

You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Today at all of our churches, those.

[Pastor Craig]

Online who say, I'm tired of the lies, I'm tired of the guilt. I'm tired of my sinfulness. We're stepping away from our sin. We're repenting of our sin. We're stepping into the grace of Jesus. We're calling on him when we call on him.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

He hears your prayers. He forgives your sins.

[Pastor Craig]

He will make you brand new all.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Of our church as you say yes.

[Pastor Craig]

Jesus, I need you. Save me. Forgive me of my sins. I give my life to you.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now.

[Pastor Craig]

All over the place. Lift them up right here. God bless you guys. Right here as well.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Right over here.

[Pastor Craig]

Others of you right there. Oh come on right back over here. Others say yes Jesus, right here. I surrender to you over here in this section. Oh come on. By the glory of God others today, Jesus, surrender.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Be the Lord of my life.

[Pastor Craig]

Online type in the comment section. I'm surrendering my life to Jesus. Just type it. I'm surrendering my life to Jesus. In the presence of a holy God.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

That loves you, would you join your faith with those around you? Just pray.

[Pastor Craig]

Heavenly Father, take my life Jesus, save me.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Forgive all my sins. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so I could know you personally and so.

[Pastor Craig]

I could obey you faithfully.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Thank you for salvation.

[Pastor Craig]

Thank you for freedom. Renew my mind, Change my life.

[Co-Pastor or Church Leader]

Thank you for the truth that sets me free. I give all my life to you. In Jesus name I pray. Could you celebrate church? Can you worship God?

[Life Church Host]

We are celebrating with those of you who just made the decision to follow Jesus. Check out the show notes for helpful resources and next steps. Don't forget to take the short survey at Life Church PodcastConnect to tell us more about yourself. We'll see you next time for another encouraging message.