“What is the secret to great living? Entire separation to Christ and devotion to Him. Thus speaks every man and woman whose life has made more than a passing flicker in the spiritual realm. It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts.”
– Amy Carmichael
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”
1 John 2:15-16
The numbers are in. In 2025, the average American spent:
3 hours a day watching TV
5 hours a day on their smartphone (Gen Z clocks in at 7-9 hours)
1-2 hours a day playing video games
2 hours a day on social media
70 minutes a week watching porn
7.2 billion dollars on Onlyfans
2 hours a day in leisure and sports events
That’s big pile of screen time and entertainment.
Meanwhile, according to a Barna survey, the average pastor spends five minutes a day in prayer while the average Christian spends one minute a day in prayer. To whatever extent this is true we’re allowing the world to have way too much of our attention in comparison to the time we give God.
Screens are portals to the world and its messages which include hatred, anger, bitterness, arrogance, lust and sexual depravity, the demonic, recklessness and always, lies. Sure, there is some content of redeeming value, but there’s a lot of the world and its corruption out there, even with something as simple as a news website.
We do well to consider if our exposure to the world and its messages is significantly higher than our time invested in growing deep roots in our relationship with God, especially in prayer. How we spend our time reveals if our walk matches our talk. A life of hours binging on entertainment and several minutes of prayer will be far more influenced and driven by the world and it’s lies than one that is prayer and Holy Spirit-driven.
Some might say okay, how much time can I have online or with entertainment? The answer is as much as you want – and this question misses the mark. Rather, we should ask, “How can I fill as much of my day as possible with God and prayer so I can keep my flesh speared, be Spirit filled, and make my very short life count for eternity?”
Some might say that religious entertainment is okay. AW Tozer (1897-1963) gave a startling perspective on religious entertainment that goes against the grain of what we often hear today in Christian circles today.
“Let’s pray that God will bring conviction on the world. Religion has become so popular now that it is shown in theaters, sung over radio and in barn dances. Just one more form of entertainment. We fundamentals and evangelicals just will not believe the truth about ourselves and the kind of people we are. So we have a popular religion, but very little power because we have very little conviction, very little repentance and very little sorrow.
For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was — a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability. For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god of entertainment that she may as well join forces with him and make whatever use she can of his power. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of Heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God.”
Tozer wrote these words more than a half century ago, long before the advent of the smartphone and social media.
As I have immersed myself in prayer, I’ve discovered that my desire for the sirens of this world, including religious entertainment, has been shriveling up. My hunger for God and prayer have grown while the want (or lust) for the cheap substitutes has subsided. Today I regret that I wasted so much time in years past watching movies or being engaged with other forms of entertainment.
Hours online or spent in entertainment are a prayer killer that numb the soul. The next show in a series, Christian or not, becomes of far more interest than an hour in prayer, the main powerline of the Christian life. Then we go to church with the speaker system on full blast that feels like a rock concert with God-words that can seem more like entertainment than worship. Corporate prayer during a modern church service? Spending hours in prayer has become counter cultural even in many churches. Or should I say, Rogue.
Amy Carmichael said it well: those who make a significant eternal impact in this life are All In with God and waste little time in “trifles,” religious or not.
“The saddest thing one meets is a nominal Christian.”
– Amy Carmichael
“Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Galatians 5:17
“No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.”
2 Timothy 2:4
We live in a time where events are spinning out of control. Turmoil, chaos, evil, strife, and lies on top of lies are the norm. Read Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation and it is clear we’re not far from the tribulation.
Which means dabbling with God won’t work. It’s critical that we grow deep roots on a daily basis with Christ so we can withstand the fierce storms ahead and not fall away as so many are today. This is the wrong time for a lopsided walk with God where the world has far more influence than God does.
“I’m concerned about the way this present darkness is casting its shadow over many churches and over many Christians. Too many people in our community of faith are trying to blend the light and the darkness, trying to achieve a sort of grayness. That doesn’t work. It’s a devilish lie to believe we can be Christians without being different and distinct from the world.”
– David Jeremiah
So we must go All-In with God and break up with the world, my friends.
There is no middle ground, no fence to ride and much is at stake. As Joshua put it, we must “choose who we will serve.”
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
Don’t waste your life. Make it count. You don’t want to breathe your last breath in regret that the sirens of this world distracted you from investing your life in the eternal.
“There comes a point in every maturing Christian’s life where we must decide to turn our back on the world and all of its indulgences, distractions, intrigues, corruption, and blasphemies… if you do not turn your back on the world, you will find your intimacy with Jesus slipping away.”
– John Eldredge
