The Big Time Stealer
By Steve Ensley

When I sit down to write these articles, the ideas come from all over. The concept for this article came from our Webmaster here at AFO, Ron Shank. I must also say that it is not my intent to make every article negative and depressing, but somehow it seems I don't have to talk as much about the good things on the Internet as I do about some of the dangers that cause us concern for you and your families.

Everyone seems to already know the good things on the Internet and if they don't there are plenty of other writers telling about all the "neat" things you can do. However, I really feel called to help challenge our readers. To make sure you are aware of the worldview we must have as Christians when we enter into the Internet, the world "owned" by the enemies of Christ. That is why when Ron mentioned this topic to me, I really felt compelled to share it with you, our faithful supporters and subscribers. Please know that I cherish each and every one of you and please take this in the spirit that it was intended, the spirit of love for you and your family.

We have a lot of distractions in our culture. Being the most affluent nation in the world, we do not lack for things to do and yet we are not necessarily very good at making the best use of our time and resources. The Internet is the perfect example regarding questionable use of that valuable resource called time. Here are some examples.

Internet in the Workplace:

Internet is big for business. It is used for sales and marketing, sources of information, technical support, online sales and much more. For this reason almost 80% of businesses have some sort of access to the Internet. With this ready access to the Internet and in a lot of cases, very little accountability, many employees are guilty of wasting company time on the Internet. In a sense it is a form of stealing. As employees, if we are using the Internet on company time for personal benefit or pleasure, we really have to admit that we are stealing from our employer. Now that may seem little harsh and you may think we have many other serious moral issues in this country to deal with, but isn't respect for the property and resources of others (like our employer) one of those big moral issues. What may seem little becomes very big! It bears consideration. The question we must ask ourselves is how are we using the Internet when we are on company time. If our activity is not assigned by the employer and not productive for the employer, then are we stealing from our employer. This is not minor, it is one of the Ten Commandments.

Internet in The Home:

Have you ever had this experience? You sit down at your computer at home say at 9:30 in the evening, sign on to the Internet and the next thing you know it is 1:00 AM and you have to go to work the next morning. Have you ever heard your children say "Mommy I'm hungry" or "Daddy I need help with my home work" and realized that you just spent a large amount of time on the Internet with very little to show for it? I am not even talking about the serious cases of neglect and child abuse by parents who are addicted to the Internet. I am just speaking about the average Christian mom and dad who care very much about the welfare of their families. Without our knowing, sometimes the Internet steals precious time from our families and that is very big!

Then there are the cases of true neglect. A parent is so addicted to the Internet, that family church and work becomes secondary to the need to interact on the Internet with other Internet users. Time that should be devoted to nurturing a marriage or a child or serving the church is spent in frivolous discussions and games or other time stealing Internet activities.

Children get addicted to the Internet as well. How many children are struggling academically or socially right now because they spend all their time on the Internet, time that should be devoted to studying, exercise and other nurturing or healthy activities. In a sense Internet has become the new TV or couch potato activity (except that we still have TV). It is stealing our youth from our children and that is big!

What Draws Us To The Internet:

What drives us to spend and waste so much time on the Internet. I personally believe the very nature of the Internet is addictive. Because it is a two way activity, it draws us in. You cannot be passive on the Internet. You do or enter something and the Internet responds (usually). Wow! Do something else and you get another response! Wow again! Find another person on the Internet and you have the opportunity to connect with someone (see my article on chat rooms). It is convenient, it is open to all, it is relatively inexpensive and it is fun!

It can be used to find information to help reach your goals, get information that may bring more peace to your life and it can be the right way to find out things you need to know. It has all the elements of TV, radio, drama, town hall and community to draw us into it's grasp. It is addictive and like any medicine that is addictive, we need to treat it with respect.

What Do We Do About It:

Just like any other thing we use to serve us, we need to treat it with respect. We need to acknowledge the power of the Internet and the dangers. We need to keep in perspective the true needs and uses of the Internet versus the time stealers. There are careful instructions on medication containers to warn us against overdosing or becoming addicted. The Internet has no such warnings, but we should treat it like it does. We know that we need recreational time, but we also know that to much time spent in frivolous activities reduce our motivation and drive. And like any addiction were a little is good at the beginning, we find that we need more and more time on the Internet to get the same emotional and mental boost. We must treat the Internet like any potentially addictive material or activity and guard our hearts and our families against the addiction.

We can do this best by keeping God in our life. Read the Scriptures, participate in our church and seek Jesus personally every day! By living our life as a true disciple of Jesus Christ, we will see the red warning flags before it is too late. Keep our eyes on Jesus and He will reveal the dangers of the Internet.

Now you might think I hate the Internet after reading this article, but I don't! However, I have been involved with the Internet since the early 1980's and I know the good the bad and the ugly and I know it can steal from you and because of it, you can end up being a thief yourself and that is big! Please don't be fooled by the attractive coverings, look underneath the surface and you will see the truth.

God bless all of you and please know that I love every one of you like a brother, sister, daughter or son. Have the best day ever!