Stop the scroll of doom

Bob Russell June 24, 2025

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I've had more idle time than usual, and I've fallen into a bad habit—mindlessly scrolling through my phone's news feed. It's captivating to move quickly from one unrelated subject to the next:

"That dog looks so sad when corrected—hilarious!" "That toddler playing hide-and-seek is adorable!" "Wow, that's an awful fight in Walmart!" "Oops, that's an ugly word she just screamed at her attacker!" "That young woman is really scantily clad." "What a bizarre conspiracy theory about the attempted presidential assassination!"

Before I know it, thirty minutes—sometimes an hour—has slipped by, and I've accomplished absolutely nothing.

Scrolling mindlessly may seem harmless—it eliminates boredom and can even be informative at times. But it can also be spiritually corrupting and addictive. The term "doomscrolling" was coined to describe how people become hooked on an endless stream of content. Every idle moment is filled with another captivating video, dragging us deeper into distraction, darkness, and even despair.

James 1:27 contains a sobering challenge for Christians: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

That last phrase—keeping oneself from being polluted by the world—is a daily challenge!

We're constantly bombarded with filth, from the glorification of immorality in pop culture to the relentless negativity of the daily news cycle.

Add to that the mind-numbing effects of endless social media, risqué advertisements, and meaningless conversations, and it's no wonder our thoughts become tainted.

The world's poisonous influence stains our hearts and contaminates our souls. The last thing we need is to open the door even wider by voluntarily scrolling through social media for hours.

I saw a T-shirt that said, "Lead me not into temptation . . . I can find it myself." That's a painfully honest truth.

The enemy doesn't need to work hard to get to us—we hand him the keys to our minds through our screens, and we quickly become polluted and quench the Holy Spirit of God. We might pat ourselves on the back because we may not engage in obvious sins like adultery, substance abuse, or explicit content.

But Jesus warned that we are all stained from sin: "Woe to you… you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean" (Matt. 23:27-28).

We may appear godly on the outside but our minds are overrun with sinful distractions. We may be disciplined in our actions but undisciplined in our thoughts. We may honor God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him.

Romans 8:5-6 warns:"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."

The prophet Isaiah asked, "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare" (Isaiah 55:2).

For centuries, Christians have observed Lent—a 40-day period of fasting and prayer leading up to Easter. The tradition dates back to at least the third century. Many believers still use this time for intentional prayer, fasting, or abstaining from certain habits.

This year, Lent begins on March 5, 2025, and ends on April 19. Even if you don't typically observe Lent, consider giving up something truly harmful—like the habit of mindlessly scrolling through your phone every spare moment.

David prayed, "Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds . . . do not let me eat their delicacies" (Ps. 141:4).

May that be our prayer as well. And let's hold onto the encouragement of the Apostle Paul: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" (Phil. 4:8).

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Bob Russell became the pastor of Southeast Christian Church at just 22 years old. That small congregation of 120 members became one of the largest churches in America, with 18,000 people attending the four worship services every weekend in 2006 when Bob retired. Now through Bob Russell Ministries, Bob continues to preach at churches; conferences throughout the United States, provide guidance for church leadership, mentor other ministers and author Bible study videos for use in small groups. Learn More »

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