Over Stimulated?

In our culture and world around us its very easy to become over stimulated, not only that but over time we get use to such a thing and eventually need it. I wanted to try something new and that is "destimulate" meaning taking on less imagary, noise, and other random occurances.

My overall goal is to keep what I take in visually and audibly to a minimum, and what I do take in to be Godly and encouraging. Please pray for grace and mercy as I slow endeadour to do this.

Thanks and God Bless,
Matthew

Rom 5:20 But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Everyone says that it's hard to live in the US because of the materialism and what-not. But I hold on to this verse. Where His grace is, and Where He is, it is possible to overcome the desires of flesh, no matter what is going on around me.

God bless you Matthew.

mguldner

How do you plan to do this? practically speaking are you turning off tv and radio. No music or limited music?

One thing that you find many Americans get afraid of is pure quietness. I don't like it myself especially if there is another person in the room. I would rather have some kind of talk radio on or light music on very low. Just enough to break silence but not loud enough to cause disruption.

I am interested in your roadmap to distimulation

I will join with you in this effort. Not only in prayer, I too will seek to reduce and eliminate those distractions around me that vie for my affections which are promised to our Lord.

Deadn has asked of a roadmap so to speak, (a plan of action) if I interprete his question correctly. Matthew, I will leave you to speak to detail if you like of those areas you will be concentrating on. I will submit an area of conviction of mine. That would be TV. I find very little profitable in it. I am concerned of it's content and that I have allowed a very compromised gateway into our home. I have actually been under this conviction for a couple months now and I know that I must deal with it. What stubbornness that still lies within me. This is an area of freedom that may make some uncomfortable but it is my conviction so one does not have to share in it if they do not have this same conviction. So I submit it as an area for the roadmap that may well be labeled detour.

Wow I guess I never really thought of it that way :). My intent and purpose is just as Lyle which start out slow watching or doing an hour less of visually stimulating stuff. My family and their noise is something that I love and wouldn't want to get rid of it. However like Lyle I have felt a conviction to simply spend more time with my family and the Lord at the same time. I hope to have more wrestling session with my son (3 years old) and more "tea parties" with my daughter (2 years old). Simply my aim is replacing bad stimulation with productive and positive stimulation. :) And I do hope to have fun!

"Your attempts are noble but they are not practical"

"My overall goal is to keep what I take in visually and audibly to a minimum and what I do take in to be Godly and encouraging"

There are 24 hours in a day. How will we choose to use them? We can spend time eating but if we do that too often we will get fat. We need to eat but we do not need to eat too much. Why not spend the time that we would be eating eating more than we need consuming the flesh of Christ? We can drink a great many things and once we have reached hydration, maybe we could spend any overage that the body would rid itself of anyway drinking instead of the living water?

One can fill the ear with music. Nothing wrong with music but what if one turned of the car radio and instead meditated on what they had renewed themselves by that morning. Asking God to reveal to them those very things that will glorify Himself to us all the more. Maybe even seeing Christ in what was not previously read. Even possibly seeing something of Him that strikes us with awe having read it so many times before but never having understood or received it's bounty.

If Matthew is seeking to draw closer to God by making better use and quality of the time he has, then I see it as a most beneficial effort. I can turn the TV down and struggle to read scripture but in the silence I can hear His words much clearer. I can say prayers with the Radio on or with the Kids playing in the background but a quiet closet will be more conducive, though God has no trouble speaking over the noise, I do.

I would emphasize that it is not only time that is being spoken of, but the quality of it as well. As for findings, those are pretty much known ahead of time. It is the experience of them we seek.

I add Matthew seeing your update that every day I am reminded of how precious that time is to spend with our kids and speak into their lives. Two turns into eighteen so very fast. This I know. Yet another reason to be freed from those things that would rob us of the return.

One of the other reasons I have decided to do this was always feeling the sense of Overstimulation I was reading in Ecclesiates and Solomon says he let his eyes see whatever they wanted to see holding nothing back and it was Vainity a Chasing after the Wind. So now I am questioning the profit of my activities and wish to keep my focus on my Lord and my family together since He is the foundation of it all.

The first thing I have to say is about the beginning of your comment. Do you not realize the seriousness of your taking the Lords name in vain? It is never appropriate to use the Kings name in this way. Who are you addressing? Mathew, or our Creator? Which secondly gives no credibility to your remarks since you cannot even discern the fact that this is a sin! "He who loves me keeps my commandments." (Not just the ones he agrees with.)

Do you think that you can avoid the distractions of satan and the attacks that he will levy upon anyone who desires to get close to the Master? Or do you think that because of your ill advice (which is opposite of the Word of God which commands us to go into our closet and pray), is a wiser choice? Good advice you have given, let's not read the bible, or turn off the music, "the dog will bark".

My bible says to "come apart from the world and be separate says the Lord", which I'm pretty sure means to turn off the devil, his music, his entertainment, his sports, etc... and get alone with God. "All those who desire to live Godly lives in Christ Jesus must walk just as He walked". Let's not forget that He went into the wilderness and prayed regularly, alone and away from the distractions.

"All those who desire to live Godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." But in your case it seems like your suggesting we should avoid it at all costs. For we don't want that mean old devil after us, come now we must "be practical".

"All your trying will only bring you into frustration."
Have you ever tried to get alone with God? You should try it sometime, we call it "devotions", Christians have them everyday.

People don't seek after God to "have fun" or "experiment" they do it to become right with Him. and also to find out what He wants us to do with the life He gave us and in return He gives us our salvation and the ability to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, and many other blessings as well.

Has anyone ever told you any of these things? Have you ever listened?

Before this gets crazy I would like to say it would be important to define and look at what we all consider Stimulants, a stimulant doesn't have to be worldly nor does it come from the devil. Infact God created our bodies to do such things, we have certain chemical and physical reactions and our nerves are stimulated through this system.

Brother Approves advise was proir to me talking about my intention or plan to destimulate and so in that context he makes great sense. We can't possibly avoid stimulants their every where including out bibles and studies. Now going to my intention its definitely not to shut off the world (ie natural everyday occurance) but to shut off the world in me (my sinful nature) through the prescribed scriptural method "Renewing the Mind" Romans 12:2.

I don't seek total silence in my outer surroundings it would be quite difficult with 2 toddlers roaming about. No I seek to be placed under the Lordship of Christ Jesus and look to Christ like Stimulants THROUGH Him, why? Because I can't do this by myself nor in my own strength if Christ isn't in it I automatically fail and its pointless. I desire to hand over my worldly entertainment for Christ given blessing in His word and Spirit.

I desire to take my family for the ride as well, my children love watching TV if Dora isn't taking them on an adventure to some abritary location then they are watching some other show with the same format. I look at Moses, Yes he did go on the Mountain alone and at times with Joshua and Aaron BUT when he came down he didn't wander the wilderness alone he took his family.

What am I missing here? Should we not make the most of each moment given our lives are not our own and scripture speaks to how very short they are? This is not a chasing after the law. This is committing what there is to a more honorable and beneficial use (pursuing Him). If one has this conviction I doubt it would be from Satan unless one was pursuing a righteousness apart from Christs. in these things then it would be the Spirit's working to teach that man what is important and what molds us to be like Jesus.

What is the alternative pursuit? I am not defending myself. I would however defend a brother who is doing that which would please God. He is not doing this for earthly reasons for God has given us The Royal command which we should all seek to obey and may the Spirit refine us in this effort. If Matthew is guilty, the Lord will judge that, as He will judge all our actions. He will be guilty of the highest form of idolatry if it be sin to mold oneself after OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.

I think it's good to eliminate things. I am not sure if that is for sure what Matthew is meaning here, but even if it's just for a season, it can be good and stretching. I haven't watched a movie in months! :p Even when I try to, I get back up in like 5 minutes, because I've been desensitized from thinking this a "form" of relaxation. Honestly I'd rather read a book.

I haven't seen anyone mention the computer. We don't watch tv so I suppose it's not a good comparison, but even being of the older generation, I find the computer to be highly addicting. That is WITHOUT doing Facebook and Twitter. I find myself constantly checking emails when I am home, and going to favorite sites that no one would consider "bad". Dare I say that EVEN SERMON INDEX can be put in the place of God. Sometimes it is easier to "zone out" by reading posts on SI rather than going to my Bible or to prayer. If I, being older and not brought up with all this technology see it as a problem in my life, I shudder to watch my children's generation. I have to ask - how can one hear that still small voice of God, when the CONSTANT noise of the world bombards our ears, eyes, senses?? It requires HARD WORK to PRO-ACTIVELY tune it out and make no provision for the flesh.