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We’ve been studying the book of Judges and we see the cycle. God’s people did evil in his sight.
“You have not listened to me. You have put other things in my place and they have become your priority. You no longer seek me, you’re seeking something else first.”
So the Lord hands them over to the control of their enemies until they cry out to him again. When they cry out, he raises up an ordinary person to lead them to freedom.
When God’s people cry out to him, he rescues them from the enemy who has held them in bondage and sets them free. Then there is a season of peace again … until his people once again become complacent and drift back.
What God has been telling me over and over again is, “My people are in bondage and they don’t even know it.” What is our bondage? Our screens. Our screens have taken the place of God, and we wonder why we can’t hear God anymore. Our screens have become our tool of wisdom, our source of connection, and our guiding voice. All while we miss the fact that the enemy has us in bondage.
Here’s what my soul knows – My phone is evil in the sight of God. It’s taking me away from him and the life he created me for. Is there some good there too? Absolutely? But the enemy is capitalizing on the good I cling to and bombarding me with far more evil. God is sending a message, and the message is, TURN AWAY FROM THIS.
The average American spends 7 hours and 4 minutes per day looking at their screens. What we don’t see are the chains the enemy binds us in with our screens, and the darkness that dances around us while we do. We are literally being destroyed. Our families are being destroyed. We are consumed and we keep coming back for more. More links on the chain. More darkness dancing around us.
So, who will cry out to God? Who will see this bondage for what it is and decide we don’t want to live this way anymore? I know God has been impressing this on me. In my prayer time, God has told me about his desire to rescue his children from the chains of our phones. It’s just hard for me to imagine my words being powerful enough to make a difference, when the truth is, I too struggle with that bondage at times. And I already see my sweet 3 year old grandson with glazed over eyes, chained to a screen.
But as we study the Old Testament and we see the stories repeated over and over again, we cannot ignore it’s still happening. The bondage of the enemy looks different, but the chains are still real. The effects are still real. Lives are being sacrificed and God is not pleased. And none of this will change until we cry out to God for help.
So, who is God raising up to lead his people back to him? Ordinary people, just as he always has. Ordinary people like me who is absolutely sickened by my own chosen bondage. I’m letting it happen. And ordinary people like a 14 year old girl named Madison.
The video of Madison’s testimony is going viral. Some may dismiss it, but I have no doubt God’s Holy Spirit is telling me to not only listen, but to blast this. I’m not going to change anything, I’m going to read it just as it’s being shared. I believe within her testimony is the most vivid depiction of the real bondage we’re in today.
***********************************
I was in the backseat scrolling through TikTok, barely paying attention to mom driving me to volleyball practice. My little brother Tyler was playing his Nintendo Switch next to me.
The semi-truck came out of nowhere. Mom screamed.
But then… I was floating above our car.
That’s when I saw him.
When he smiled at me, I felt like I was home. Really home. Not like our house back in Oak Ridge — something deeper.
“Am I dead?” I asked him.
It looked like a giant room with thousands of screens floating in the air.
“What is this?” I asked.
As we walked through the room, I could see closer. Each screen showed someone like me, hunched over. Scrolling mindlessly. Their eyes looked empty.
“What are those?” I whispered, moving closer to Jesus.
The shadows were putting more links on the chain with every swipe of her finger.
I remembered crying in my bedroom because Kylie posted pictures from her birthday party that I wasn’t invited to. I’d spent three hours that night scrolling through everyone’s perfect lives, feeling worse and worse.
Jesus touched the screen and I could hear Emma’s thoughts:
We moved to another screen.
“His anger is growing. His ability to feel compassion is shrinking.”
Jesus showed me more screens. Kids sending cruel messages to classmates while laughing. Girls taking inappropriate pictures to get attention.
I shook my head. He waved his hand, and I saw what looked like an hourglass. But instead of sand, it was filled with moments of my life. Moments I’d never get back.
I saw hundreds of sunsets I’d missed because I was taking selfies instead of actually looking at them. I saw myself ignoring my brother when he wanted to play because I couldn’t pause my TikTok scrolling.
“8,422 hours,” Jesus said quietly. “That’s how much of your life was given to a screen.”
“Yes,” Jesus said. “And that’s why I’m showing you this. The enemy has found a way into every home, every bedroom, every mind, without anyone noticing. Parents give their children these devices without understanding they’re handing them poison in small, addictive doses.”
He showed me hundreds of moments where he had tried to speak to me — when I was alone in my room, or walking to school, or lying in bed at night. Times when his presence was there, when he wanted to comfort me or guide me.
But every single time, I’d reached for my phone instead. I’d chosen the noise over his voice.
Tears were streaming down my face now. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know.”
Then he showed me one more scene.
Outside it was raining, just like the day of the accident. But inside, it was warm and bright. I could almost smell mom’s cookies baking.
“This could have been tonight,” Jesus said softly, “if the phones had been put away.”
“Madison,” Jesus said, “your time here isn’t finished. You have an important message to share.”
He smiled that smile that made me feel completely loved. “I’m always with you, Madison. But your family needs you, and others need to hear what you’ve seen.”
“Some will,” he said. “And that’s enough to start changing things.”
Then pain. So much pain.
The doctors called it a miracle. They said my heart had stopped for 12 minutes. They said I should have brain damage, but all my tests came back normal. They couldn’t explain it.
Tyler made me a card that said, “Best sister ever,” even though I’d been pretty mean to him lately.
When they finally took the breathing tube out, the first thing I said was, “Where’s my phone?”
And I started crying. Not because I missed my phone, but because I was relieved it was gone.
The first night I was home from the hospital, I asked everyone to put their phones in a basket. Then I told them about Jesus. About the screens. About the shadows. About the moments we’d lost.
That was six months ago.
The hardest part was going back to school and telling my friends.
My best friend Zoe deleted Snapchat after I told her what I saw. She said she’d been feeling more anxious and sad lately but couldn’t figure out why. Now she’s sleeping better.
I still struggle sometimes. Those apps are designed to pull you back in. Sometimes I borrow Mom’s phone and find myself mindlessly scrolling before I even realize what I’m doing.
If you’re listening to this, I want you to try something. Just for one day, put your phone away. Look at the people around you. Really look at them. Listen when they talk. Feel the sun on your face without taking a picture of it.
You might be surprised by what you hear in the quiet.
I know some people won’t believe my story. That’s okay.
The shadows want you to believe you’re missing out. But the truth is, life — real life — is happening right now, all around you.
But I know what I saw. I know what I felt. And I know we can’t keep living like this — heads down, thumbs scrolling, hearts empty.
Put down your phone. Look up. He’s waiting to show you what really matters.
My name is Madison Taylor Brooks.
***********************************
Jesus is opening our eyes to the chains. The enemy has found his way into every home, and every screen is a little glowing prison where we are held in bondage. The enemy of our soul and his workers speak lies through our screens, and we keep coming back for more. Chained. Captive. Enslaved.
Jesus said in Luke 4: 18-19, “God has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
It’s time to be set free, my fellow captives. The enemy has done his damage and now it’s time to cry out to the Lord for him to break these chains. Jesus, set us free.
Psalm 107: 13-14, “Lord, help! they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.”
Break these chains, Lord. We’re truly in trouble here.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
By Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for WomenWe’ve been studying the book of Judges and we see the cycle. God’s people did evil in his sight.
“You have not listened to me. You have put other things in my place and they have become your priority. You no longer seek me, you’re seeking something else first.”
So the Lord hands them over to the control of their enemies until they cry out to him again. When they cry out, he raises up an ordinary person to lead them to freedom.
When God’s people cry out to him, he rescues them from the enemy who has held them in bondage and sets them free. Then there is a season of peace again … until his people once again become complacent and drift back.
What God has been telling me over and over again is, “My people are in bondage and they don’t even know it.” What is our bondage? Our screens. Our screens have taken the place of God, and we wonder why we can’t hear God anymore. Our screens have become our tool of wisdom, our source of connection, and our guiding voice. All while we miss the fact that the enemy has us in bondage.
Here’s what my soul knows – My phone is evil in the sight of God. It’s taking me away from him and the life he created me for. Is there some good there too? Absolutely? But the enemy is capitalizing on the good I cling to and bombarding me with far more evil. God is sending a message, and the message is, TURN AWAY FROM THIS.
The average American spends 7 hours and 4 minutes per day looking at their screens. What we don’t see are the chains the enemy binds us in with our screens, and the darkness that dances around us while we do. We are literally being destroyed. Our families are being destroyed. We are consumed and we keep coming back for more. More links on the chain. More darkness dancing around us.
So, who will cry out to God? Who will see this bondage for what it is and decide we don’t want to live this way anymore? I know God has been impressing this on me. In my prayer time, God has told me about his desire to rescue his children from the chains of our phones. It’s just hard for me to imagine my words being powerful enough to make a difference, when the truth is, I too struggle with that bondage at times. And I already see my sweet 3 year old grandson with glazed over eyes, chained to a screen.
But as we study the Old Testament and we see the stories repeated over and over again, we cannot ignore it’s still happening. The bondage of the enemy looks different, but the chains are still real. The effects are still real. Lives are being sacrificed and God is not pleased. And none of this will change until we cry out to God for help.
So, who is God raising up to lead his people back to him? Ordinary people, just as he always has. Ordinary people like me who is absolutely sickened by my own chosen bondage. I’m letting it happen. And ordinary people like a 14 year old girl named Madison.
The video of Madison’s testimony is going viral. Some may dismiss it, but I have no doubt God’s Holy Spirit is telling me to not only listen, but to blast this. I’m not going to change anything, I’m going to read it just as it’s being shared. I believe within her testimony is the most vivid depiction of the real bondage we’re in today.
***********************************
I was in the backseat scrolling through TikTok, barely paying attention to mom driving me to volleyball practice. My little brother Tyler was playing his Nintendo Switch next to me.
The semi-truck came out of nowhere. Mom screamed.
But then… I was floating above our car.
That’s when I saw him.
When he smiled at me, I felt like I was home. Really home. Not like our house back in Oak Ridge — something deeper.
“Am I dead?” I asked him.
It looked like a giant room with thousands of screens floating in the air.
“What is this?” I asked.
As we walked through the room, I could see closer. Each screen showed someone like me, hunched over. Scrolling mindlessly. Their eyes looked empty.
“What are those?” I whispered, moving closer to Jesus.
The shadows were putting more links on the chain with every swipe of her finger.
I remembered crying in my bedroom because Kylie posted pictures from her birthday party that I wasn’t invited to. I’d spent three hours that night scrolling through everyone’s perfect lives, feeling worse and worse.
Jesus touched the screen and I could hear Emma’s thoughts:
We moved to another screen.
“His anger is growing. His ability to feel compassion is shrinking.”
Jesus showed me more screens. Kids sending cruel messages to classmates while laughing. Girls taking inappropriate pictures to get attention.
I shook my head. He waved his hand, and I saw what looked like an hourglass. But instead of sand, it was filled with moments of my life. Moments I’d never get back.
I saw hundreds of sunsets I’d missed because I was taking selfies instead of actually looking at them. I saw myself ignoring my brother when he wanted to play because I couldn’t pause my TikTok scrolling.
“8,422 hours,” Jesus said quietly. “That’s how much of your life was given to a screen.”
“Yes,” Jesus said. “And that’s why I’m showing you this. The enemy has found a way into every home, every bedroom, every mind, without anyone noticing. Parents give their children these devices without understanding they’re handing them poison in small, addictive doses.”
He showed me hundreds of moments where he had tried to speak to me — when I was alone in my room, or walking to school, or lying in bed at night. Times when his presence was there, when he wanted to comfort me or guide me.
But every single time, I’d reached for my phone instead. I’d chosen the noise over his voice.
Tears were streaming down my face now. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know.”
Then he showed me one more scene.
Outside it was raining, just like the day of the accident. But inside, it was warm and bright. I could almost smell mom’s cookies baking.
“This could have been tonight,” Jesus said softly, “if the phones had been put away.”
“Madison,” Jesus said, “your time here isn’t finished. You have an important message to share.”
He smiled that smile that made me feel completely loved. “I’m always with you, Madison. But your family needs you, and others need to hear what you’ve seen.”
“Some will,” he said. “And that’s enough to start changing things.”
Then pain. So much pain.
The doctors called it a miracle. They said my heart had stopped for 12 minutes. They said I should have brain damage, but all my tests came back normal. They couldn’t explain it.
Tyler made me a card that said, “Best sister ever,” even though I’d been pretty mean to him lately.
When they finally took the breathing tube out, the first thing I said was, “Where’s my phone?”
And I started crying. Not because I missed my phone, but because I was relieved it was gone.
The first night I was home from the hospital, I asked everyone to put their phones in a basket. Then I told them about Jesus. About the screens. About the shadows. About the moments we’d lost.
That was six months ago.
The hardest part was going back to school and telling my friends.
My best friend Zoe deleted Snapchat after I told her what I saw. She said she’d been feeling more anxious and sad lately but couldn’t figure out why. Now she’s sleeping better.
I still struggle sometimes. Those apps are designed to pull you back in. Sometimes I borrow Mom’s phone and find myself mindlessly scrolling before I even realize what I’m doing.
If you’re listening to this, I want you to try something. Just for one day, put your phone away. Look at the people around you. Really look at them. Listen when they talk. Feel the sun on your face without taking a picture of it.
You might be surprised by what you hear in the quiet.
I know some people won’t believe my story. That’s okay.
The shadows want you to believe you’re missing out. But the truth is, life — real life — is happening right now, all around you.
But I know what I saw. I know what I felt. And I know we can’t keep living like this — heads down, thumbs scrolling, hearts empty.
Put down your phone. Look up. He’s waiting to show you what really matters.
My name is Madison Taylor Brooks.
***********************************
Jesus is opening our eyes to the chains. The enemy has found his way into every home, and every screen is a little glowing prison where we are held in bondage. The enemy of our soul and his workers speak lies through our screens, and we keep coming back for more. Chained. Captive. Enslaved.
Jesus said in Luke 4: 18-19, “God has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
It’s time to be set free, my fellow captives. The enemy has done his damage and now it’s time to cry out to the Lord for him to break these chains. Jesus, set us free.
Psalm 107: 13-14, “Lord, help! they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.”
Break these chains, Lord. We’re truly in trouble here.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela