Undistracted Devotion: Taming Technology for the Glory of God

It's Monday morning. You roll out of bed, head for the coffee pot, and sit down for your morning devotions. 

But before you open your Bible, you grab your phone. 

You're hit with a notification about a scandal in Washington. A post from a friend about their kid's Pixar-themed birthday party. An overnight group chat with your cousins. 

As you try to read through Jeremiah, your mind and attention flit between the difficult-to-chew message of the prophet to the easy-to-eat potato chips of Facebook. By the time your morning devotions are over, you've spent precisely six minutes in the Bible and thirty-six minutes reading emails, scrolling your newsfeed, and reading the news. 

Sound familiar? 

If you're going to grow in your Christian life, you'll need to go out of your way to eliminate distractions—especially the digital kind. We already have a hard enough time focusing in prayer to the invisible God without the added interference of our smartphones and other digital technology.

Many Christians regularly complain about not having enough time to attend church, practice hospitality, meditate on Scripture, or make disciples. But is it really a lack of time—or a surplus of distractions? The ease of access and constant novelty offered by your iPhone guarantees ready-made distraction and noise, two things that militate against a personal walk with Christ.

This is the first post of a three-part series on "Undistracted Devotion," a call to deeper focus and engagement in your personal walk with Christ. In this post, we'll explore some practical ways to tame technology. Then, in the next two posts, we’ll look at the disciplines of meditation and journaling.

Note: For this post, I’m indebted to writers I've engaged with over the last several years like Andy Crouch, John Mark Comer, Tony Reinke, Jonathan Haidt, and Brett McCracken for some of the ideas in this post.  

1. Try Taking One Day Away from Your Phone a Week  

To begin breaking the tyranny of technology in our lives, it can be immensly helpful to take deliberate time away from your phone. 

We need time in our lives to be fully present to God, to others, and to the world around us. Sunday is the Lord’s Day—a day for gathered worship, rest, and reorientation to what really matters. So why bring with us the notifications, noise, and newsfeeds that pull our hearts in a hundred directions?

When we arrive at worship still tethered to our phones, we’re signaling that God might not be enough to hold our attention. We’re inviting distractions during the preaching of the Word. We’re crowding out reverence. 

So here’s a challenge: Leave your phone in the car or at home (or at least on Airplane mode) on Sunday. If necessary, let coworkers and friends know in advance that your phone will be off one day a week. Prioritize the preached and written Word over the digital noise of life.

Taking a day away from your phone is harder, but more worthwhile than you might think. It's a great way to begin weening yourself off the drugs of digital distractions. 

2. Turn Off or Put Away Screens for Set Times Each Day

To really have a quiet time, we need actual quiet. It’s one thing to read your Bible on your iPad; it’s another to ping-pong between X and Acts while the ephemera of the day intrudes on the timeless truth of God’s Word.

I’ve removed internet-browsing apps from my tablet so it functions more like an e-reader. But if that’s not possible for you, go analog. Read a physical Bible (gasp!). Consider getting up early enough to be awake well before the kids wake up, building in enough time to get alone with God before heading out the door. 

Screens aren’t just hurting our devotional lives—they’re also isolating our families. Many of us are in the same room but watching different shows, scrolling different feeds, and texting different people. Sometimes we’re not even in the same room. 

So what if you committed to one hour a day where everyone put away their screens? What if you insisted on one meal a day together as a family? More importantly, what if you were fully present in those moments?

3. Set Time Limits and Downtimes

This has been a game-changer for me. Using iOS’s Screen Time settings, I’ve set hard time limits on time-wasting apps. And here's the key: my wife has the Screen Time passcode, not me. 

You can also set "downtimes"—periods when access to certain apps is blocked. Mine kick in at bedtime and end mid-morning. That guards against doom-scrolling at night and protects my most focused hours in the morning for what matters most: prayer, Scripture, writing, and family.

Beyond phones, consider regular times when all screens are off—TV, internet, everything. Many people don’t sleep well because their nights are saturated with screens. Sometimes, getting a good night of sleep is one of the most spiritual things you can do. Make it a habit to go to sleep in the dark, not in the glow of blue light. And in the morning, reach for the Word before you reach for your phone. 

4. Remove and Block Time-Wasting Apps

Recently, I began an experiment that is still ongoing. 

I deleted and completely blocked access to social media on all my devices. (I temporarily unblock it to make specific posts.)

I removed every web-browsing app from my phone and tablet, and kept only useful/necessary tools (maps, email, finances, weather, Podcasts etc.) and messaging platforms. 

I disabled Safari and the App Store so I couldn't just download some other web browser and waste my attention. 

I basically turned my smart phone into a smarter phone: a phone that works for me, not the other way around. 

At first, out of habit, I kept reaching for my phone in moments of boredom... only to find nothing to check but the weather. That's only interesting a few times, especially in Lower Alabama where the weather is almost always hot and humid. And email just isn’t as addicting as the latest food fight on social media. And banking stuff? That's just depressing. 

I still get a daily news digest in my inbox from a couple of low-drama, non-clickbaity sources. It's kind of like a daily newspaper. And my wife fills me in on anything worth knowing from social media. When I do log-on to social media, I go on purpose, not merely to fill time. 

And you know what? 

I’ve been more focused, present, and creative than I’ve been in years. I’m praying more. I’m writing more. I’m enjoying my kids more. And I don’t feel like I’ve missed anything important. Most importantly, I've been able to be more undistracted in my devotion to God. It's wonderful. 

I honestly don’t know if I even want to go back to always-on internet access in my pocket.

Conclusion

Technology is a wonderful servant but a terrible master. If you want to grow in godliness, you’ll need to confront how digital habits are forming (and deforming) your soul.

Start small. Start today. Put your phone away for an hour. Read your Bible in print. Eat dinner as a family. Turn off your screen before bed. These little acts of resistance may just clear space for something eternal.