An Internet Policy for Christians in the Digital Age

"For I," declares the Lord, "will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst."  ​- Zechariah 2:5   

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Technology now permeates every aspect of our lives, from our phones to our programmable refrigerators.  At the touch of a button, orders are placed, documents sent and retrieved, and, sadly, unsuspecting children are seduced. Is the internet destroying life as we know it? Here is a prophetic perspective on technology, especially as it relates to your family. 

A Parable Within a Dream

In 2017, the Lord gave me a parable within a dream to help explain how the enemy is working through the internet. In this dream, I saw our family's chicken coop, which safely houses a small flock of chickens. Within this coop our hens have everything they need: food, water, shelter from predators, and space to scratch or fly about. The coop is safely caged all around with wire fencing, which allows for both visibility and protection. 

In the dream, however, the fence which encloses our coop was tattered and worn, and in some places, had been ripped open. Although my little flock was wandering nearby, they were no longer within the confines of the protective walls of the cage, having easily escaped to roam around.

In addition, I saw other, uglier birds. These birds were black and resembled ravens, birds of prey, but they were notably larger than my chickens. Their feathers were also different: instead of silky-smooth backs, these ravens had matted black curls in some places and were completely bald in others, as if they had pecked each other down to the skin.    

The ravens were ugly and mean, and were hovering just outside the cage wall, trying to force their way in. The wired fence was weakening, and in some areas it was already ripped open, which explained how my chickens escaped. 

The ravens were after something good: food. Their intent was to devour the good seed I had left for my birds, and to destroy the protection I had around my flock. Like the "birds of the air" Jesus described in the Gospels, these predators were robbers who represented the enemy's emissaries: demons sent by the prince of the power of the air. 

Because my flock was still nearby and safe, I did not immediately perceive these ravens as the destructive threat that they were. They did not attack my chickens directly, as a hawk would. Instead, they stole the life-giving seeds that belonged to those in my care, hoping to weaken and expose my birds. This would make them an easier target for destruction later on. 

The Internet  

The internet is like the chicken "run" I have fenced in around my coop. It is a space where people can dig for tidbits of information or wander about with others in search of enticing morsels. It even offers a measure of protection: we install firewalls and security "fences" online to keep our families - the flocks in our care - safe. Or so we think. 

What we are just beginning to realize is the extent of visibility of our day-to-day lives on the internet. While the fence-wiring around our coop allows for beneficial visibility, it also tempts the enemy, who wants to disrupt the safety of the flock. In the same way, private details of our lives are now openly visible online. I think it's safe to say that just as we expect lawlessness to increase in the last days, so we can expect the enemy to become better and better at what he does to deceive us. After all, he's had centuries of practice!

Technology is not morally bad or good; it is a neutral force until man chooses to use it for evil or for good. But we must understand that its pervasiveness also allows the devil to infiltrate families at a level we previously hoped only the Holy Spirit would. 
(Click to tweet)

One glance at the news will convince you that the devil is hard at work seducing us, and our children, through the internet. Our every move is tracked online. One click on a wrong button will fill your next open window with ads, pornography, or countless other "suggestions" for you to take advantage of. Not all of it is advantageous.  

Besides the obvious temptations within the internet, a chief danger of technology is that it robs us of family. We are relational beings who increasingly substitute technology for intimacy. I know that giving attention to my phone has robbed my children many times of me giving attention to them.  I am not immune! But I do want to fight.​
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In our family, for example, we set up rules early on to limit the influence of the internet on our children. We established boundaries like time limits on games and age limits for social media. The family's one computer was kept, like our television, in a common area in order to discourage independent forays into unwelcome online territory. 

All that has changed, though. In recent years, every member of our family has somehow acquired not just one device, but several, from phones to computers to tablets to music devices. (You can see the high-tech gaming system my oldest teen bought with his hard-earned money, above.) Even the schools my children attend give them their own personal laptops, requiring that they do their schoolwork online. This allows our children unfettered online access, 24/7. 

As a parent, I readily confess that it is nearly impossible to manage such an onslaught of technology in the home, no matter how many rules you set. We now provide a framework of guidelines for our little "flock:" no devices at meals or bedtime. No use of technology when guests are present, unless by mutual agreement. Game time is only permitted when work is completed. And the consequence for bad behavior usually includes the removal of personal devices, since that is what "hurts" a teenager most! 

What the Lord is impressing on me today, though, is that because the enemy is targeting our families with near-constant online harassment, these guidelines are no longer enough to keep our flocks safe. To defend our families against the internet's "birds of prey," we must build a supernatural firewall. We must pray about our online lives just as diligently as we pray for our regular lives. (Click here or at the end of this article for a Bible-based, downloadable internet policy you can use with your family.)

"Then I, Myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem," says the Lord. "And I will be the glory inside the city!" -Zecahriah 2:5, NLT

You may remember that Jesus, before His death, laments Jerusalem, the holy city. He says: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." (Matthew 23:37, NIV.) He chastises Jerusalem's leaders, who were themselves "blind guides," full of extortion, self-indulgence, hypocrisy, and lawlessness. In the end, He says, their house was "left to them desolate-" devoid of life or godliness. (See Matthew 23:24-38.)

It is no accident that I dreamed of hens and chickens! The Lord's love for Jerusalem mirrors His love for His flock - and ours for our families. He longs to gather us safely in His arms, protecting us from predators we are unaware of. Man's knowledge is increasing at a rapid pace, but God says a time is coming when the knowledge of the glory of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. (Habbakuk 2:14.)

How, then, can we establish a supernatural firewall to defend against information overload? Through prayer. 

The best internet policy we have as Christians in a digital age is prayer. God is the most secure "firewall" we have for protection from threats we cannot always perceive. Our lives are increasingly led online. Shouldn't we surround our online lives with as much prayer as possible? 

If you agree, and would like to take steps to protect your family's technological interactions, please click here to download ideas and specific scriptures you can use in prayer. Please share this with family and friends! If you know of other helpful resources or ideas, share them in the comments below so that others in the His Inscriptions community can benefit. May God's wisdom preserve and protect you as you use the internet as the powerful tool it is designed to be - for good! 

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Deborah Perkins​ is a seasoned prophetic writer, speaker, and Christian leader with more than 30 years of ministry experience across denominations.  At God's request in 2013, she founded His Inscriptions, an online ministry devoted to helping people worldwide build life-giving communication with God. Through her website, inspired teaching and a weekly blog, Deborah offers discipleship to those who want to grow their relationship with God. Deborah is also fond of her hubby, 3 sons, and dark chocolate - in that order! You can order her newest Bible Study, How to Inherit Your Spiritual Promises, on Amazon.