Let’s Be Honest… Your Phone Is Discipling You More Than Your Pastor

A brutally honest guide to surviving the internet without blowing up your spiritual life

I’m up way too early again, typing whatever my half-awake brain spits out. Why? No clue. I can relate to this guy 👇👇👇 👇

Night Owl Christian

Anyway. Here’s a picture of my co-author, Mello Puppers:

WhOs A GOod BOy

Okay sorry—ADHD is already doing cartwheels. Where were we? Oh right, this article.

Big stretch… arms out… palms up… fingers tucked… left hand holding the right wrist… phhewww. Alright. Grab your coffee, scoot up your chair.

It’s the Saturday Deep-Dive. Let’s begin.

This Is The Part Where I Gently Roast You (and Myself)

First things first: your phone knows you better than your pastor does.
Sorry if that stings, but you know it’s true.

Your pastor sees you for an hour on Sunday, maybe another hour if you go to Wednesday night service and pretend you’re not exhausted from work.
Your phone?
It sees you half-asleep in bed with drool on your pillow.
It knows exactly how long you “just scrolled for a minute.”
Most importantly, it knows exactly who you’re subscribed to on Substack. That better be me by golly.

KIDDING…..Or am I? Moving on…..

Your phone doesn’t judge you. It just records everything silently like a loyal FBI agent.

We tell people, “I’m being discipled by my church,” but if someone actually pulled the receipts on your screen time… yeah, no. You’re being discipled by your For You Page, your notifications, your browser history, and whatever chaos pops up between 11pm and “I really should be asleep by now.”

And look — you’re not alone because this is all of us.
We don’t have “the world in our pocket.”
We have a spiritual ambush portal with unlimited data.

This isn’t a “phones are evil” article. More like a “can we stop acting like our phone habits don’t shape our faith?” article.

Because they do. More than anything else in your life.

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Your Phone Is Your Most Faith-Shaping Relationship (Congratulations?)

Let me ask you something uncomfortable:
Who talks to you more — God or your notifications?

We check our phones before our brains are even fully awake. Our first thought isn’t Scripture — it’s, “Who texted me?” or “Why is this group chat already fighting?”

And yet Christians wonder why our spiritual lives feel like a cracked iPhone screen — technically functional, emotionally embarrassing.

What no one says out loud:

Your phone disciples you because it has your attention.

Think about it.

Attention = discipleship.
Time = discipleship.
Emotion = discipleship.
Habit = discipleship.

Whatever shapes your thoughts shapes your life — and your phone shapes a LOT of thoughts.

Your screen time is a mirror — and sometimes the reflection is rude.

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The Algorithm Is Not Your Friend (But It Knows Exactly How to Tempt You)

Let me introduce you to the most dangerous youth pastor in the world:
the algorithm.

The algorithm doesn’t care about your purity.
It cares about one thing and one thing only:
keeping your eyeballs on the screen.

And it will use ANYTHING to do it.

You watched one harmless gym video?
Enjoy the avalanche of thirst traps.

What about one sarcastic relationship meme?
Great — here’s a hundred more, plus a sprinkle of bitterness from people who haven’t healed since 2014.

We treat temptation like it’s random, but it’s not random — it’s engineered.

When Paul wrote about “the schemes of the devil,” he didn’t have an iPhone in mind, but let’s be honest… he could’ve.

The enemy doesn’t need to knock on your front door anymore.
He just needs you to unlock your phone.

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The Internet Has One Goal: Keep You Addicted to Stimulation

Photo by Thom Holmes on Unsplash

Do you know how many apps are designed to help you focus?
Pretty much none.

But do you know how many apps are designed to steal your focus?
All of them.

Every notification is saying:
“Hey, stop thinking about God.”
“Come back to the chaos.”

Your phone may seem neutral, It’s definitely not. It robs you of your time and steals your identity.

And the scary part?
Your brain LOVES it.

Your brain is like a toddler in Walmart — grabbing anything colorful, sugary, or loud. If it’s distracting, stimulating, or emotionally convenient, your brain is all over it.

This is why people fall into sin late at night:
Temptation isn’t strongest at night — boredom is.

When your mind wanders, your phone jumps in like:
“Hey, want to ruin your testimony real quick?”

We treat our phones like tools, but they’re more like weapons.
And most of us are out here sword-fighting spiritually without even knowing we’re holding a blade.

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The Lie Your Phone Loves Telling You: “This Doesn’t Affect You Spiritually”

This is the biggest lie in the digital world.

We’ll watch something questionable and say:
“It’s not that big of a deal.”

We’ll scroll for two hours and say:
“It didn’t hurt anybody.”

We’ll waste a full evening on nonsense and say:
“Whatever. I’ll do better tomorrow.”

But the truth of the matter is:
Small spiritual compromises add up faster than you think.

Small compromises don’t stay tiny. They stack up, turn into habits, and eventually start driving your life like they’re paying rent.

And don’t kid yourself — your online choices are part of that. The content you keep going back to changes how you think. The stuff you linger on changes what you want. The things you laugh at or crave or argue about start digging their way into your character.

This is why Jesus didn’t say, “Guard your browser history.”
He said, “Guard your heart.”
Because the stuff you keep letting in eventually lives there.

And your phone has key access.

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Let’s Talk About Lust (Because Your Phone Definitely Is)

Look, we’re adults here.
We all know the elephant in the room: most temptation today shows up on a screen.

And, It’s not because technology is some evil villain lurking in the shadows - no - It’s because it delivers temptation faster than your brain can register what’s happening. What used to take planning now takes two bored thumbs and a weak moment.

You don’t even have to go looking for it anymore. It shows up in your feed, slips into your explore page, or pops up the minute you stay up too late. Half the time, you don’t find temptation — it finds you.

And here’s what people overlook: lust isn’t just about the content. It’s about how easily you can reach it. That’s the real danger. Instant access. Zero friction. Total privacy.

Lust grows in easy access.
Shame grows in silence.
Your phone gives you both without even asking your permission.

And if you don’t set boundaries around it, your phone will keep negotiating with your purity like it’s trying to close a sales deal.

You’re not weak for being tempted.
But avoiding boundaries around the thing that tempts you most?
That’s where the real trouble starts.

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Your Phone Is a Discipleship Device — Whether You Like It or Not

Think about it:

• You check it when you wake up.

• You check it before bed.

• You check it when you’re happy.

• You check it when you’re sad.

• You check it when you’re lonely.

• You check it when you’re bored.

• You check it at red lights even though you swear you don’t.

Your phone doesn’t just sit in your hand—it molds you.
It nudges your emotions, pulls at your attention, stirs up your wants, and even rewires how you think when the room finally gets quiet.

What else in your life has that much influence?

Not your pastor.
Not your worship playlist.
Not that quiet time you squeeze in once a week.
Not the devotional app you tap on every third Saturday.

Your phone is your primary discipler.

The question is:
what kind of Christian is it discipling you to be?

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How to Have a Holy Phone (Without Becoming a Weird Hermit)

Okay, now that I’ve roasted all of us equally, let’s get practical. And seriously, subscribe before your phone distracts you with something less holy. Now—here’s how to actually use your phone without letting it spiritually cook you alive.

1. Turn Off Every Non-Essential Notification

Your phone should not get to interrupt God.
Or your thoughts.
Or your peace.

2. Keep Temptation One Layer Away

Delete apps that keep handing you sin on a silver platter.
Yes, delete them.
You know which ones.

3. Keep Your Phone Out of the Bedroom

Nothing spiritually helpful happens on a phone in bed at midnight.
Absolutely nothing.

4. Use Your Bible App More Than Your Social Media Apps

If your “YouVersion Streak” is lower than your “TikTok Screen Time”… yeah.

5. Set a 10 PM Phone Curfew

Your worst decisions happen after this time.
I don’t need data.
We all know it.

6. Get Accountability Software

You’re not being weak. You’re being smart. Practical. Rational.

Truple is what I use (No, I don’t get paid for this).

7. Treat Your Phone Like a Tool — Not a Lifeline

Tools help you.
Lifelines own you.

8. Don’t Scroll Without Purpose

Scrolling without purpose becomes scrolling with temptation.

9. Replace Digital Noise With Silence

Your soul needs quiet more than it needs content.

10. Give God Your Attention Before Your Phone Gets It

This single habit will change your entire faith life.

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Conclusion: Your Phone Isn’t the Enemy — Your Passivity Is

Your phone is strong enough to help your faith or quietly sabotage it. It can point you toward God or pull you off track, depending on how you use it.

The problem isn’t the device.
It’s how much influence you hand over to it.

And that part?
That’s on you.

Your phone only shapes your spiritual life if you let it. You’re still the one holding it. You’re still the one choosing what gets in. You’re still the one deciding whether it leads you closer to God or distracts you from Him.

God’s not pacing heaven, stressed about your screen time. He just wants to be part of the spaces where you spend your attention.

Remember: this isn’t about shame — it’s about responsibility. It’s realizing your digital habits and your spiritual habits are tied together, whether you admit it or not.

Your pastor gets a sliver of your week.
Your phone gets the whole thing.

So be intentional. Make sure the thing that has your attention also has your surrender.

Because here’s the truth: your phone will disciple you. You just have to decide what direction it’s pushing you in.

Join Our Subscriber Chat

If you’re walking this battle and need a safe space to talk, pray, or find encouragement—join our Subscriber Chat on Substack.

We pray, talk honestly, and remind each other that freedom in Christ is possible.

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Christian Hotline & Prayer Support

If you’re struggling or need someone to pray with you, please reach out:

National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988
Focus on the Family Prayer Line: 1-877-771-4357
The 700 Club Prayer Line: 1-800-700-7000
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: 1-888-388-2683
Chatnow (24/7 Christian Chat & Prayer):

https://chatnow.org

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Call to Repentance

If you’ve been trying to earn your way into heaven, it’s time to stop striving and start surrendering. Today can be the day everything changes.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Don’t wait for a better moment. Turn from your sin, believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and receive the gift of eternal life.
He is calling—respond to Him today.

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Call to Action

If this message spoke to your heart, don’t keep it to yourself.
Share it with someone you love — and make sure to subscribe so you never miss more biblical truth, encouragement, and hope.
Let’s walk this journey of faith together.

We’ll talk soon.

The Narrow Path Collective

-Mark