Mission Callings
Skill Practice 9: Use Technology Righteously

Skill Practice 9

Use Technology Righteously

man on his phone

Using technology can present both opportunities and challenges. By using technology righteously, we can better accomplish the Lord’s purposes for us as missionaries and in our everyday lives.

Discussion leader: Strive to be brief in the “Define” and “Demonstrate” sections so learners have plenty of time for practice.

Define

Discussion leader: Introduce the topic for this skill practice by explaining the following:

Electronic devices like phones and computers can be powerful tools to further the work of the Lord, increase our productivity, and foster positive relationships. There are also many temptations associated with these devices.

Read “What Should You Do If You Feel Vulnerable or Susceptible?” in chapter 2 of Preach My Gospel ([2023], 21–22). Look for three principles that can help us overcome temptations related to technology use.

Discussion leader: Consider writing these principles on the board:

  • Principle 1: Be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

  • Principle 2: Choose to act.

  • Principle 3: Learn, repent, and improve.

Demonstrate

Discussion leader: Share a scenario like the following. Discuss the questions together to help demonstrate how the three principles can be used in a real-life situation.

James has a game on his phone that he enjoys playing. He commonly pulls out his phone to play his game during dinner, at church, or while in class at school.

Principle 1: Be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

  • What are some thoughts or feelings that may be causing James to do this?

  • What might be important for him to understand about his use of technology in these situations?

Principle 2: Choose to act.

  • What specific actions could James take to help him be more engaged in these social settings?

Principle 3: Learn, repent, and improve.

  • What might James learn from his experience as he makes efforts to improve?

Practice

Discussion leader: Give learners time to practice applying the three principles to other scenarios. You could display the following scenarios and divide the class into small groups. Ask each group to choose two or three scenarios and discuss what it could look like to apply the three principles in the scenarios they chose.

  • Sophia saw a discussion on social media that made her angry, and she wants to respond.

  • When Gideon gets bored, he often scrolls on his phone. Lately, he has been drawn to viewing pornography.

  • Maria often compares the number of likes and followers she has on social media to the number of likes and followers her friends have.

  • When Lucas walks around, he almost always listens to music with his headphones.

  • Amari often stays up late playing video games.

Discussion leader: If time allows, invite a few learners to share a scenario they discussed in their group and how they applied the three principles in that scenario.

Apply

Discussion leader: Give participants time to think about how they could apply these three principles to their lives. Invite them to set a goal for using technology righteously and work to accomplish it.