Why You Check Your Phone 96 Times a Day—and the Biblical System That Breaks the Cycleنموونە

What if the thing you're running out of fastest isn't money—it's something far more valuable that you're giving away for free every day?

Your attention.

While we carefully budget our finances and guard our physical possessions, we've become reckless stewards of our most precious resource. The average person checks their phone 96 times per day. That's once every 10 minutes during waking hours.

But here's what's really happening: your attention isn't just wandering—it's being harvested.

Tech companies employ teams of neuroscientists and behavioral economists to make their platforms as addictive as possible. Your distraction is literally their profit.

When Proverbs tells us to "guard your heart," it's not just talking about emotions.

In Hebrew, the heart represents the center of thought, decision-making, and attention. What you consistently pay attention to shapes your thoughts, desires, and ultimately your actions.

Think about it: if someone could control what you think about all day, they'd control your life. Yet we've handed over the steering wheel of our attention to algorithms designed to profit from our distraction.

God has entrusted you with a finite amount of attention each day. Like the servants in Jesus' parable of the talents, you'll be held accountable for how faithfully you stewarded what was given to you.

The question isn't whether you have enough time—it's whether you're being intentional with where you direct your most valuable resource.

Today, I challenge you to recognize that your attention is a sacred gift from God. Every moment of focus you give away carelessly is a moment you can't invest in what matters most. Start seeing your attention not as an unlimited resource, but as the precious, finite gift it truly is.