Faith and Family: Why Christian Parents Should Think Twice About iPhones

Lately, I’ve been feeling this heavy burden on my soul about the world our children are growing up in — especially when it comes to technology. As a 24-year-old Christian woman, and someone who hopes to be a mom one day, I can’t help but wonder: Are we really protecting our kids by giving them iPhones? Or are we handing them a door to temptation that can easily pull them away from God?

The temptation I’m most concerned about is pornography. It’s heartbreaking how this evil has crept into the lives of so many young people, and smartphones make it so accessible. I’ve been reading and listening to youth leaders talk about how this addiction is corrupting the hearts and minds of America’s youth. It’s so damaging because it distorts God’s beautiful design for sexuality and love.

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The Bible warns us clearly about guarding our hearts: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). I feel like handing a child an iPhone without serious safeguards can open their hearts to things they aren’t ready for — things that can cause deep spiritual harm.

I know many parents believe that giving kids phones helps them stay connected and safe. They rely on filters and monitoring apps. But no filter is perfect. The enemy is crafty, and kids can find ways around controls. And even with protections, the very presence of a smartphone tempts their curiosity and distracts their focus from God and real life.

Love sometimes means saying no, even when it’s hard or unpopular. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” That means teaching them God’s ways and protecting them until they are strong enough to walk that path themselves. It’s about setting boundaries, not just freedoms.

It’s especially painful to think of Christian children who want to honor God but end up caught in the trap of pornography. The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out.” But sometimes, the best “way out” is keeping them from being exposed to the temptation in the first place.

I pray for parents today who feel overwhelmed. I know this isn’t easy. The culture is pushing technology into our kids’ hands earlier and earlier. But I believe faith calls us to be different. To be a light in this dark world. To protect our children’s minds, hearts, and souls from what can destroy them.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Pornography and digital temptation are part of this spiritual battle. We can’t afford to be naïve.

I want to raise children who know their worth comes from Christ alone — not from likes, followers, or what they see on a screen. Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” I want my future kids to know this deep truth, to walk in purity and confidence rooted in God’s love.

So maybe the loving choice for Christian parents is to delay giving iPhones, or to choose strict rules about their use. It might mean uncomfortable conversations and extra effort. But isn’t that what love calls us to? Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 that love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not proud or rude. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. That sounds like what parenting should be.

10 iPhone Deeds that Lead You to The Devil

While the iPhone itself isn’t evil, the way we use it can either draw us closer to God or lead us away. It’s a tool that demands wisdom, discipline, and prayerful boundaries. May we seek God’s guidance daily to use technology in ways that honor Him, not open doors to the devil.

  1. Temptation Through Easy Access to Sin
    The iPhone gives instant access to pornography, inappropriate content, and worldly influences that can corrupt our hearts (James 1:14-15).
  2. Distracts From Prayer and Bible Study
    It’s easy to waste precious time scrolling, which steals moments that could be spent growing closer to God (Psalm 119:105).
  3. Feeds Pride and Comparison
    Social media often stokes envy and pride as we compare ourselves to others, tempting us to forget our identity in Christ (Galatians 6:4-5).
  4. Encourages Gossip and Judgment
    Texting and social media can spread harmful words, breaking the command to build others up (Ephesians 4:29).
  5. Promotes Instant Gratification
    The iPhone trains us to want everything quickly, which can fuel impatience and lack of self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
  6. Erodes Real Relationships
    Face-to-face connection suffers, weakening God’s design for community and fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25).
  7. Increases Anxiety and Fear
    Constant notifications can lead to worry and fear, distracting us from trusting God’s peace (Philippians 4:6-7).
  8. Blocks God’s Voice
    Noise from the phone drowns out God’s still, small voice when we fail to unplug and listen (1 Kings 19:11-12).
  9. Invites Idolatry
    When we depend more on our phones than on God, it becomes a form of idolatry (Exodus 20:3).
  10. Hinders Spiritual Growth
    Overuse can stunt our spiritual maturity by replacing God’s Word and fellowship with screens (2 Peter 3:18).

This isn’t about fear, but about faith. Faith that God’s ways are best, even when the world pulls us toward convenience or popularity. Faith that He will help us protect our children’s hearts.

I pray God will give parents courage to say no to the world’s temptations and yes to His holy path. That families will pray together, talk openly, and build strong foundations on Christ.

In the end, I trust God’s perfect design for family and love. The road may be hard, but His grace is sufficient. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me” (Psalm 28:7).

I want to be a mom who walks in that trust — who makes choices based on faith, not fear or cultural pressure. Who shields her children from what can destroy, while leading them to the One who saves.

Thank you, God, for your wisdom and mercy. Please help me prepare well for the day I get to raise children in your truth.

10 best iPhone apps for Christians

Here are my picks for the 10 best iPhone apps for Christians!

10 – The Bible Memory App (iPhone App)

Scripture memorization isn’t just for Sunday school kids. Hiding passages of the Bible in your heart gives you a great well of truth to draw from when you are facing temptation or trial. Daily Bible reading is one way, but a dedicated plan for Scripture memorization is another way to saturate your mind with God’s Word. It can also provide the fuel for biblical meditation throughout your day.

The Bible Memory is a Christian app which makes memorizing verses just that much easier. More than mere flash cards, this app systematically removes words in the verses you are attempting to memorize until you can type the whole thing from memory. It also has prompts for when to review the verses you have already mastered so that you retain them over time.

9 – Sermon Audio App (iPhone App)

God designed His Word to be preached. Sitting under sound preaching in a local church is an act of worship and foundational to spiritual growth. But one of the special blessings we enjoy in this age of the internet is access to lots and lots of great preaching to supplement what we receive from our local pastor.

I have used the Sermon Audio website for years. It provides the ability to find preachers from around the world to listen to. You can search by name, topic, or Bible passage. This handy Sermon Audio app makes it easy to stream or download a sermon. And if your church uses Sermon Audio, you can set it up so that you are tracking with all of your pastor’s latest messages.

8 – Overcast App (iPhone App)

I find the default iOS podcast app to be frustrating and unintuitive. I recently made the switch, therefore, to Overcast. Overcast is an award winning podcast app that organizes you podcasts in a simple way. But why am I even recommending a podcast app at all on my list of the best Christian apps?

There are tons of great Christian podcasts out there. I’ve mentioned at least one before. But podcasts are a great way to keep up with what’s going on in the Christian world or, like sermon audio, to get the latest sermons from your church or other preachers you like.

So, whether you’ve been using the default podcasts app for a while or have never even tried listening to podcasts, I recommend you download the free Overcast app and add it to your personal list of best Christian apps for iPhone.

7 – You Need a Budget App (iPhone App)

We’ve talked before about the importance of having a budget for financial stewardship. And I even wrote a post on the best budgeting software for Christians, You Need a Budget. So, I’ve included the YNAB app in this list of best Christian apps. Because for me it is a critical component to ensuring that I am being the wisest steward I can possibly be with God’s resources.

While the app itself is free, you need to be a YNAB customer to use the service. Check out my full article on YNAB for more information on this great budgeting software.

6 – RefNet App (iPhone App)

Podcasts and sermons are great, but sometimes you just want to turn on the radio and let someone else pick what to listen to. You can try your local Christian radio station, but nine times out of ten you’ll either be tuning into straight heresy or just sentimental tripe (no strong opinions here, folks).

RefNet from the folks at Ligonier Ministries is a wonderful internet radio station which curates excellent sermons and teaching from trusted teachers along with elevated worship music and Bible reading. The iPhone app is a great way to bring RefNet with you wherever you go which is why it is number 6 on the 10 best Christians apps for iPhone.

5 – The Study Bible App (iPhone App)

I keep several Bible apps on my phone. In fact, the one I use the most, Accordance, isn’t even on this list because I thought it would be too specialized. But one Bible app I keep on my iPhone is The Study Bible by Grace to You.

It’s quite a nice app and includes the ability to listen to an audio Bible companion to whatever passage you are on. But the killer feature to this app is that for an in-app purchase you can get all of the notes from the MacArthur Study Bible. I frequently find myself referencing this resource. So, having it in my pocket is tremendously handy. It also gives the ability to access all of MacArthur’s sermon archives from within the Bible app as well.

4 – Productive – Habit Tracker App (iPhone App)

I am a strong believer in healthy habits. Training yourself for holiness includes daily rhythms that gradually over time shape you into the man or woman God wants you to be. But habits are hard to form, so I’ll take any help I can get!

One app I’ve found to be helpful in forming habits is Productive. It allows you to set up habits and the frequency with which you would like to do them (e.g. daily, weekly, only on Sundays, etc.) and it will remind you at certain times to do them and ask you to log whether you have or haven’t performed that habit. It gives you rewards for keeping up a streak and gives you a good historical picture of how well you’ve done. There’s nothing like looking back on your calendar and seeing that you haven’t broken that streak for an entire month.

I’ve used this app to track daily Bible reading and prayer habits, exercise, and even to track things I want to avoid doing. The digital accountability this app provides is why it’s number four on the 10 best iPhone apps for Christians.

3 – Grace to You Sermons App (iPhone App)

If you want solid expository verse-by-verse teaching, John MacArthur is your man. And the Grace to You Sermons app is your ticket to all of pastor John’s massive sermon archive.

This guy has preached verse-by-verse through the entire New Testament. So, if you’re wanting to hear a sermon on any passage in the New Testament, this app has you covered. I have had this app on my phone for years so I can listen to the daily GTY broadcast. I really think this is one of the best iPhone apps for Christians, which is why it takes the number three spot on this list.

2 – Prayer Mate App (iPhone App)

How many times have you told someone “I’ll pray for you” and then immediately forgotten? Prayer Mate is a simple and handy app that allows you to store up all of the things you want to be praying about and have it give you a prayer list each day. This app helps you not to forget so that you continue to pray with perseverance until the Lord answers.

One of the coolest thing about tracking prayer requests over the long-term is when you get to change a daily prayer request from a request into a praise because you have seen it be answered. It’s also really neat to be able to text a friend and let them know you are praying for something specific they told you about months or even years ago. That is tremendously encouraging.

1 – Bible App (iPhone App)

The Bible App by Life Church is simply the best Bible app for the iPhone. There is no contest. That is why it tops the list of the 10 best iPhone apps for Christians. This app has every translation you can imagine, an excellent user interface, and other great features like daily Bible reading plans and devotionals. The best part is it’s all free.