“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12, ESV)
No one begins with the goal of being controlled. People often adopt new tools, apps, or platforms with a sense of freedom and excitement. They believe they will use these things for good, for convenience or connection. But over time, what begins as a tool becomes a habit. And what becomes a habit can become a master.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians and acknowledged their favorite slogan. They said, “All things are lawful for me.” Paul did not dispute the phrase, but he challenged their logic. Freedom in Christ does not mean freedom from wisdom. Not everything that is allowed builds up. Not everything that is permitted strengthens. And nothing has the right to take control. Paul made his position clear. He would not be dominated by anything. The digital world offers a thousand opportunities to be owned.
Technology promises efficiency but often delivers addiction. Notifications pull the mind away from the present, short videos disrupt focus, and endless scrolling consumes hours. Many do not realize how deeply these habits have formed them until they try to stop and find they can no longer function without them. That is not freedom. That is bondage.
The writer of Proverbs describes a person without self-control as a city broken into and left without walls. The image is clear. Without discipline, a life becomes vulnerable. Anything can enter. Nothing stands guard. The digital age does not promote self-control. It promotes instant gratification. The next episode, the next video, the next update. It never stops.
“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” (Proverbs 25:28)
Jesus said that no one can serve two masters. A person cannot serve God and also serve their desires. Technology often appeals to the flesh. It feeds impatience, lust, pride, and comparison. Without discipline, people give hours of attention to things that do not build them up. They start their day with a screen and end it the same way. Their minds race. Their souls grow thin. They struggle to pray. They wonder why God seems silent, but they rarely sit long enough to hear Him.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
Addiction to digital habits affects not only productivity but also formation. What fills the mind shapes the soul. Paul urged the church in Rome not to conform to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewal of the mind. That renewal will not happen by accident. It requires attention, intention, and submission to God’s wisdom.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control. It stands at the end of the list, not because it matters least, but because it often becomes the test of whether a person walks by the Spirit or by the flesh. A person cannot live freely in Christ while remaining enslaved to compulsive habits. The one who walks with God must learn to say no, not only to what is obviously sinful, but to what distracts, consumes, and slowly draws the heart away from what matters.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23)
Breaking the hold of digital addiction begins with small, deliberate steps. Turn off notifications. Schedule time away from screens. Create moments of quiet. Resist the urge to fill every gap with noise. Replace empty habits with meaningful ones. Fill the day with scripture, prayer, real conversations, and unhurried thought. These practices will feel unfamiliar at first. That unfamiliarity reveals how deeply the patterns of this age have already taken hold.
Technology will not shape a godly life unless someone tells it to stop. The disciple must take responsibility for their own formation. Freedom does not mean doing whatever feels good. Freedom means having the strength to choose what is wise. Paul said, “I will not be dominated by anything.” That is not just a goal. That is a commitment. Every disciple must make the same one.
~PW 🌮🛶
Phillip W. Martin 
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