Now as they came down from the mountain,
He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen…Mark 9:9

These were the words spoken as the four figures came trudging down the mountainside.

Peter, James and John had just seen Jesus for all He truly was.

He was transfigured before their eyes — his clothes, radiant white. His appearance, altered. To their astonishment, Elijah and Moses appeared as well, speaking with their Master.

It was one of the most significant events in their lives.
And yet Jesus said, “tell no one“.

For our time, these words are revolutionary and counter culture.

In the United States, social media has taken hold.
Culture has been and is being shaped by it.
People are boadcasting everything about life through various forms of social media: From photos of the meal eaten for dinner; to the coordinates and location of their afternoon activity — to every unfiltered thought that goes through their minds.

Social media is not evil. But we can use it in a way that is ungodly, or just plain unwise.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says that we ought to be “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”. Instead of taking our thoughts captive — we are forever recording them and broadcasting them for all to see and retweet and repost.

James 1:19 advises us to be “slow to speak”. That means we should be slow to “tweet” as well.

I see again and again, ungodliness broadcast by Christians. If we would take a moment to think, perhaps we wouldn’t post so readily. I see Christian people engaging in online gossip and slander, or just sharing the intimate details of life, that would be better shared with a friend.

In addition to all that is evil, there is the issue of sharing all that is good.
Sometimes, the Lord will speak something to us through His word or even something that He is desiring to do. As we learn to discern His will, we will find that what we thought we “heard” wasn’t truly from the Lord. That’s not a problem, it’s the process of learning to hear His voice.

But whether we are truly hearing the Lord’s voice or not — perhaps we should be slow to share these things with others.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, His birth was announced by a host of angels. The shepherds came to visit this newborn king.

After they had all filed out, it became very quiet. Just Mary and Joseph and the little Lord Jesus, asleep in the hay. In Luke 2:19 it says that Mary “kept all these things and pondered (or treasured) them in her heart.”

What is on your heart?

What are you dealing with today?
What is on your mind?

Filter it.

Take your thoughts captive to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think before you tweet or post.

And If you think He is speaking and leading, be slow to speak.
Ponder and treasure these things in your heart before you share them with others.

You’ll be glad you did, and you will be the wiser for it.