Article By Amanda Jennings // EEW Magazine // Empowerment

Instagram is a great way to share encouragement and the joys of life, while engaging with family, friends, and colleagues online. But the popular Facebook-owned social media app can keep your feed full of foolishness if you let it.

If you are a Christian who wants to be more fruitful in your walk of faith by minimizing distractions and doing a better job of preserving your peace, here are 10 ways to keep the potentially all-consuming app from consuming you.

Hit unfollow: If someone is constantly posting lewd, drama-filled, unsavory content on Instagram, hit that “unfollow” button, and don’t feel bad about it at all. You’ve got to guard your heart as Proverbs 4:23 says.

Mute posts: If someone isn’t necessarily vulgar or offensive, but they are serial posters that keep your feed overly-full, feel free to mute their posts when you need a break. You’ll still be following them, but won’t be distracted by their constant oversharing.

Block them: The block feature is reserved for toxic individuals, those that overstep their boundaries, and the ones that prove they deserve zero time and attention. Sometimes, cutting off all communication is necessary, and the best thing to do is prevent that person from ever seeing your posts or messaging you.

Limit your scrolling time: Go into your Instagram settings and check your screen time. You may be appalled by how much time you actually spend scrolling—especially if you have a nosey spirit. Wasting too many meaningful moments on mindless things will eventually cause your walk of faith to suffer. You become what you consume.

Turn off notifications: When trying to remain focused on important matters like spiritual growth, one of the worst things you can do is keep your Instagram notifications on. Being notified every time someone messages you or leaves a comment will have you obsessively checking the app. End that cycle of getting notifications and rushing to check Instagram, and see your level of peace soar.

Temporarily disable your page: When you need a mental break altogether, you can temporarily disable your Instagram page. This is a great thing to do if you want to fast from social media. This feature preserves all your content, so when you’re ready to use the app again, you can.

Don’t participate in foolishness: Don’t share, weigh in on, or keep up with back-and-forth drama on Instagram. Don’t laugh at or co-sign inappropriate memes or jokes—even if they tickle your funny bone a little. Your flesh isn’t saved and will always be drawn to garbage and filth. Don’t be led by your flesh; be led by the spirit of God (Galatians 5:16).

Turn off your DM’s: Your direct messaging feature can quickly turn your Instagram inbox into a cesspool. If you regularly receive inappropriate messages or images and want to do more than simply block specific people, change your settings. That way you won’t receive any DM’s at all.

Post and Ghost: One of the biggest temptations for approval-seekers on Instagram is to hang around to check out how many comments and likes they receive on a post. Posting and ghosting (for those that don’t need to track statistics and metrics for business purposes) means sharing your post, then exiting the app, and going to do something that really matters. No more refreshing the page every few seconds.

Turn off comments: Receiving feedback from healthy people can be rewarding, insightful, fun, and wonderful. But if your comment section is filled with toxic, hateful trolls and you feel your mental health suffering, disable the comment feature. It is your page after all, and you control what you allow.

All social media apps, not just Instagram, have positives and negatives. But you do have the power to minimize damage to your schedule and spiritual life. Take this advice, and be proactive about your time. Protect your thoughts, and shield your spirit from the foolishness you’ll find by the boatload on on of the most popular apps in the world.