Our primary conversation partner tends to be our phone. Doomscrolling. Social media binging. Fox News fretting. CNN hysteria. NPR self-righteousness and victimizationism. Etc.

We need to limit our conversations with these outlets. They are toxic. They are not constructive. They do not cultivate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, or self-control. We cannot completely avoid conversations with these outlets anymore than the prophet Daniel could completely avoid conversations with the kings of Babylon; to completely avoid toxic influences you’d have to go out of the world (1 Corinthians 5:10). However, we can choose to have our most addictive, robust, and frequent conversations with the Word of God (the Γέγραπται). We have the prophetic word fully confirmed, to which we will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Peter 1:19).