Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3

There’s a new malady confronting us today, one that never faced our grandparents—it’s news overload! The constant barrage of news today confronts you, compels you, depresses you, triggers your adrenalin, and sends your blood pressure much higher than is healthy for you.

News overload! You hear it, see it, and have it in your face. Change channels and it’s all the same. Turn on the radio and hear it discussed, pick up the paper and you have it all over again!

News overload isn’t healthy for you! It’s more than you were created to handle. So the question is, “How much news do you need?” Answer: Far less than you think. I’ve returned from spending weeks ministering overseas in Eastern Europe. For the first week, I never saw a newspaper, heard a telecast, or heard the news on radio. A couple of times I got to a computer to check on e-mail, but after waiting 45 minutes for a connection, I gave up and decided I could live without it. And you know what I missed? Not much that really was important.

I was reminded that neither God nor government really needed my input, nor did I need the constant barrage of news that confronts us today. Frankly, although my curiosity was piqued about what was happening “out there”—wherever the rest of the world was, life went on just the same.

What a contrast life is today with the simple lifestyle of Jesus and the disciples. He walked through fields of grain with his disciples and talked with them. As they sat on the slopes of Galilee, he talked about the birds of the air, and the flowers of the field. He pointed out that the disciples (include yourself in that group) are of far more value to God than the sparrow that falls to the ground, something that even God takes note of.

When they needed to travel, they walked, and walked, and walked some more. Healthy? You bet! Far more so than grabbing a fast-food hamburger and fries, and rushing to your next destination—even if it is the gym.

Want to avoid the news overload that can depress you, enervate you, and create hostility and anger towards your neighbor who happens to be different from you? Try these simple guidelines.

First, while you don’t necessarily have to avoid the news, don’t believe everything that you hear or accept the reality that things are necessarily as bad as they appear. News is slanted to create an effect in you that generates an emotional response.

Don’t sit in front of a TV set and watch CNN or your local news channel hour after hour. It depresses even the technicians who put the shows on the air.

Get outside and get some sunshine. Smell the roses, look at the flowers, play with your kids, and mow the grass. Back off from the news and get God’s perspective. That’s where most people miss out entirely! They forget nothing happens apart from God’s express permission. Nations rise and fall. Kingdoms come and go. Babies are born and old men and women die. That’s part of life, yet we often forget this. Read the Psalms and hear from God. I often fall back on Psalm 46, which says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof….” It closes, saying, “Be still and know that I am God…. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:1-2, 10-11, KJV). That’s the answer to news overload.

Resource reading: Psalm 46.