EP 07: Faith in the Age of Social Media

Hey there! Welcome to episode 7 of the Daughter of Delight podcast. I am really excited about this week’s episode because we are chatting all about Faith in the Age of Social Media. I have learned a ton throughout my 5+ years of pursuing ministry in the online space, and I'm pumped to share some of these things with you today! 

Review Spotlight

First thing’s first, though. Last week I mentioned that I was going to start featuring a review in each episode as a way to express my appreciation and gratitude for you being a part of the Daughter of Delight community and supporting it so well. This week’s review comes to you from NRThompson and it says,“Love digging deeper into the Word and real-life experiences that I can so easily relate to. I love things like this that continue to teach me and draw me nearer to the Lord.” NRThompson, thank you so much for your sweet words! They mean more than you know and I’m so grateful you shared your kindness with me. Sis, if you are enjoying the podcast, would you leave a review? I honestly did not know how important reviews were for podcasts until I dipped my toes in the podcast waters. You taking the time to leave a review would mean more than you know! Seriously.  

Let's Get Started!

Alright, back to our fun topic of discussion for this week! I want you to take a minute to consider your daily rhythms. As you think about them, carefully consider the things that show up more than once throughout your day. Chances are, checking your social media pages on a daily basis may take place more often than you would like to admit.  

Social Media Stats

This thought got me wondering how often people actually check their social media, so I did a little research with two platforms in particular -- Facebook and Instagram -- and here is what I found: According to Hootsuite’s social media statistics, People spend an average of 11 minutes and 26 seconds on Facebook each time they visit it and over 50% of Facebook users check their page more than once a day. That doesn’t sound too wild until you learn that there 1.69 billion people on Facebook? Feel free to do the math on that! As for Instagram, there are currently 26.9 million users and people spend an average of 6 minutes and 35 seconds on this platform each time they visit. In addition, 42% of Instagram users login multiple times a day and it is projected that Instagram users will spend an average of 28 minutes on Instagram each day this year. If we multiply 28 by 365 -- which is the number of days in a year -- we get 10,220 minutes. That’s a lot of minutes! 

Seven Days

Then I got to thinking, well how many minutes are in a day? And it turns out one day equals 1,440 minutes. When we divide 10,220 minutes by 1,440 minutes, we get 7 days. Sis, this means the average Instagram user will spend seven days on Instagram ALONE. All in all, it is said that the average person spends around 2 hours and 57 minutes per day on social media- Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Twitter, Pinterest, and whatever else I might be leaving out. And, as much as I would like to sit here and continue to do the math for you on all these platforms - I would rather pivot and focus on something more important: how we can use our social media for good.  

Faith in the Age of Social Media

Social media has changed the world and even the nature of how we communicate with each other. We have such a special opportunity at hand to partner with God in reaching the unreached because of social media. And, if you ask me, that is AWESOME. Whether or not you have started an online ministry or just want to incorporate more of your faith on your social media platforms, I believe that this episode will not only encourage you but also serve as a great resource for you moving forward with your, what I like to call, digital media missions! 

How This Episode is Going to WOrk

Now, because I have so many thoughts about faith and social media -- I mean, I could literally write a book about it -- I am going to go break this episode down in the following ways.First, I am going to share three reminders I want you to keep in mind for your social media platforms as a woman of faith. Then, I am going to spend the remainder of the episode answering your questions. If you missed it, last week in my Instagram stories, I asked for you to submit any questions that you may have pertaining to faith and social media, and we are going to explore several of them today! I am very, very excited about this, so let’s dive on in! Here is the first thing I want you to be mindful of when it comes to incorporating your faith on social media: 

Do not forget Who you represent.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us" (ESV). Did you catch that? Sis, you are an ambassador for Christ! This goes for every tweet, post, share, like, and comment! Every single one. Matthew 5:16 tells us, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (ESV). The sin in us likes for us to believe that we can put the light in us on pause every now and then to indulge ourselves in poor decisions, but when we post or say inappropriate things on our platforms, we are sending a message to others that should not be sent. A message that encourages this type of behavior with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. A message that sets the wrong example for the lives we have the opportunity to make an impact on. If you feel like you shouldn’t post something, chances are you shouldn’t! So don’t. Instead, remind yourself that you do not exist to please man. If you want to set an example, make it one that demonstrates this truth and points others to Christ and Christ alone; one that opens the eyes of those around you to the infinite worth of the One above you! 

Your quiet time is meant to be just that.

Because if it’s not, it can quickly become an idol in your life. Let me tell you what I mean by this. I am all for being open about what God is teaching me and how He is moving in my life. But, I am not all for sharing about this the very moment it’s happening. Sis, don’t turn God’s current work in your life into an immediate social media post “just because”. We don’t get into the Word of God just to post about it, do we? Perhaps this is a question you need to evaluate your heart with today. If you are showing up just to take pretty flat lay photos of the verses you highlighted in your Bible for the day, there is a heart issue that needs to be resolved.  Sis, if we're not getting into the Word to be changed by it, then we're not being changed by it. If we're not drawing near in order to know God’s heart for us, then we're not cultivating the type of relationship that He desires for us to have with Him. Dare I say that if we are not taking our time in His Word seriously, then we are wasting our time in it.  

Be fUlly Present

That being said, I want to challenge you to focus on walking with God and being fully present in what He’s doing in your life. Let Him pluck the weeds that are growing in your heart. Spend time processing the truths He has instilled within you before you run off to share about them. Let the refining come first. I guarantee you that in doing so, the lesson you walk away with will be all the more invaluable- because you were fully present every step of the way.  

Set boundaries. Be purposeful in the ways you withdraw and meaningful in the ways you engage.

If we don’t set boundaries for the way in which our faith lives and social media intertwine, we will destroy the special type of intimacy that we experience from relationships. And this includes our relationship with the Father. I think it is important for us to recognize that we are not meant to share every single thing God teaches us in our walk with Him. There is a special intimacy and privacy in our relationship with Him. If we overshare it with the world, then we will damage the intimate connection we have with the Father. God intends for some things to be just for us. And I don’t know about you, but I take great comfort in this. It reminds me that, as much as I love partnering with Him to make an eternal impact, at the end of the day it’s not up to me. It’s up to Him and the work He is doing in and through me, and you know what? That’s not always meant to be a public matter.  

Remember Where Your Identity Lies

Another point I want to make comes back to our identity. Now, I know we all know this but sometimes we just need to hear it. So, here it is: Our identity is not found on our social media pages. It’s found in the God Who reigns and the sacrifice His one and only Son made on the cross with us in mind. Yes, we have an opportunity to share our faith and the Good News in such incredible ways, but we won’t be able to do this in the ways we desire to if we don’t treat our intimate relationship with God as the most important one we have. We have to withdraw in order to draw near, sis. Jesus models the need to withdraw from the world in order to draw near in private in Mark 1:35. It says, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (ESV). And Luke 5:16 tells us, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (ESV).

Spend Time with God Before You Touch Anything Social Media Related

My encouragement to you moving forward is to spend time with God in His Word before you touch social media ANYTHING. Something I did a long time ago was turn off the notifications for my social media apps, and WOW did this help tremendously! Ever heard the phrase, “Out of sight, out of mind?” It’s true. And in this case, that’s a good thing! Another thing I would encourage is to keep technology away from the table that hosts your meals. You may have other ideas that come to mind as I talk about this, and that’s great! In fact, I hope that’s the case! Whatever it looks like for you to be purposeful in the ways you withdraw and meaningful in the ways you engage, know that you’ve got a sister over here who is cheering you on! Again, I could write a book on all my thoughts about social media and our faith lives, but I will say that many of the questions we are about to explore together touch on the things I had planned to talk about in this episode from the get-go.So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at them! 

What are some really good ways to minister to people on social media platforms?

Okay- I love this question for so many reasons! And I’m just going to give you a list of the ideas that come to mind!I do want to say this first, though: If you are not someone who incorporates their faith on social media but you have a desire to, let me be the first to say that you are probably going to feel awkward no matter what you do as you make this transition. You may even “lose” some followers. But don’t let that hold you back! Remember, we aren’t here to please man! We are a part of a story so much bigger than ourselves, and this is GOOD NEWS. In stepping out and sharing our faith with those who are a part of your online communities, we are extending the ultimate invite for others to taste and see the goodness and glory of God. Just be prayerful about how you do it. And take heart in the truth that the Lord will be with you every step of the way.Alright, here are those tips! 

Consider Your Giftings

First of all, consider your giftings and pray about ways you can utitlize them to share your faith on your social media platform! For example, if you are a writer then perhaps you make the commitment to write and share one devotional a week on your platform. Pick a day of the week to share these faith-based pieces and remain consistent with it so that people know when it’s coming and have something forward to!  If you like talking or being in front of the camera, you could also create 2-3 minute encouragement videos. This is a beautiful way to witness to the Gospel and help others grow in their walk with Him.  

Love Thy Neighbor

Second, love thy neighbor sis! Take the time to read what people are actually writing and posting and encourage them from a place of love instead of just double tapping moving on. Be meaningful about how you engage and connect with people! Another idea is share your testimony. I am a full believer in that God uses our stories to connect us with one another; to help us experience the true meaning and impact of the gift of community that He has given us. Write it in a post, or talk about how Jesus has changed your life on your Instagram story and then save it as a highlight.You could also share Christian quotes, but I would strongly recommend that you research the source of the quote BEFORE you post it. Don’t share random Christian quotes without knowing their backstory. As good as it may sound, the truth is, some “Christian” quotes totally contradict God’s Word. So be careful! In addition, if there are any accounts you follow that have blessed you in your walk with the Lord, share them with others!  

Offer Prayer

My next tip is to offer prayer! Every Thursday, I offer prayer to the Daughter of Delight community. This is a really powerful way for us to connect with one another. A simple how can I pray for you post will make a meaningful difference in someone’s life, sis.  

LiveStream

And last but not least, if your church offers a way for others to livestream, share it! Use the livestream as a way to invite those who are not part of a church family to worship with you. We are meant to be part of a physical church body, but a virtual church body is certainly better than none! Hopefully, it will encourage those who tune in to seek out a church body of their own.I hope these ideas helped spark even more ideas for you! 

Become a DOD VIP

Hey sis! If you are enjoying this episode and the Daughter of Delight podcast all around,  I would love for you to consider becoming a DOD VIP via Patreon. Your monthly contribution of $5, $8 or $14 not only comes with special exclusives, but it also supports me in my ministry efforts. And that’s a win-win if you ask me! To become a DOD VIP, click here.Alright, time for our next question!  

I post about God, but I feel it’s more of me trying to boast than bringing people to Him. 

I am going to assume the question in this statement is how to check your heart and true motives when it comes to posting about God. First off, I think it’s great that you are acknowledging this. In my opinion, this goes back to what I said about being prayerful and intentional about what you post, and how everything you experience with the Lord is not meant to be shared. Your walk with God is not always meant to be a public post. God did not intend for it to be this way. Not everything He teaches you should be shared with everyone. There are special moments He carves out just for you, sis. If what you are posting on social media is your way of maintaining a relationship with God, the fruit will not flow because you are not watering your soul with what it truly needs. Which is, the Word of God and spending time in stillness before Him.That being said, let’s talk about some ways to help you gauge whether or not you should share something.  

Think before you post

Check your heart and ask yourself the following questions: Have I prayed about whether or not this really needs to be shared? What is my true motivation in sharing this? Will it be helpful or hurtful?  If I share this, what will it say about me as a follower of Christ? If I share this, how will it reflect my faith? Does this benefit God above all? Philippians 4:8 is a great verse to keep in mind as you ask yourself these questions. It says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (ESV). Is it true? Honorable? Pure? Lovely? Commendable?Also, keep in mind that although the things you may post may not always be about the Lord, they should always be a reflection of the truth that you belong to Him. For example, if you feel like a picture is even somewhat inappropriate to share, don’t share it.  

Finally, be intentional in praying about your online activity.

Ask the Lord to open your eyes to opportunities to share your faith. It doesn’t have to only be through what you post. Be intentional with those you follow and spend time engaging with them. Comment on their posts, message them as you are watching their IG story if you feel led to encourage them.There is no holy formula for sharing the gospel on social media. But, by setting healthy boundaries in your walk with God and social media, being intentional in your prayers and practicing meaningful engagement with your online community, any interaction, no matter how small or mundane it may feel, can point someone to the loving God we serve. 

The next question we have is, “Is it wrong to make a meme based on Jesus? If so, should I correct the one who is making them?”

This is a very thought-provoking question and I am glad you asked it. My personal stance on it comes from Exodus 20:4-6, the second commandment. Here is what it says:“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments" (ESV). Because of this, I believe any pictures/memes depicting God are a violation of the second commandment. If I were to create an image of Jesus, I would be inserting my own ideas of what He looked like. And because I do not know for sure what He looked like, this image would not be a true representation of Christ. Instead, it would be my personal representation of Christ that I have put in the place of the true Christ. That being said, I didn’t have this thought process regarding pictures of Christ or the Trinity up until a few years ago. You know, I think there is a genuine sincerity and intent behind why people post photos of the Trinity. But I also think we cannot ignore what the Word of God says. 

Context Matters.

This question is a great example of why it is so important that we know how to explain WHY we believe WHAT we believe. The why behind the what matters!When it comes to correcting the one who led you to ask this question, I want to encourage you to pray about it. Spend time in Exodus 20 and doing some research for yourself. If, at that point you would like to have a conversation with this person, pray over the convo and go into it gently. Never go into it in attack mode. Just say “Hey, I recently found myself struggling with this question. After spending time in the Word of God and praying about this, I came to this conclusion. Have you ever thought about this? Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter!” I hope this was helpful! On to our next question...  

Where is the balance between growing in social media (the hustle) but also keeping it all in the Lord?

This question sums up such a difficult season of my Daughter of Delight journey, and my faith journey in general. I may not answer it how you’re expecting, but I’m convicted to share this with you.At one point in time, I was so consumed by what I could do to grow my platform instead of what I could do for the ONE. I lost sight of what God was already doing in the heart of this ministry.  Ultimately, it revealed the heart issue I needed to resolve. Thankfully, my husband called me out of this mindset and God really used our conversation. He opened my eyes to the truth that I had been so future-minded that I wasn’t even enjoying or even seeing what was taking place in the present. I had wasted so much time getting caught up in the numbers and believing in myself and my ways more than I did in my God and His ways. There was a lack of faith and trust, and it took some work on my end to get back to this healthy place and mindset that God desires for me to serve Him from. 

Trust

Sis, it all comes down to trusting Him and being present-minded and intentional in how you serve Him. If God can use an everyday, ordinary girl like me to make an eternal impact in the heart of one person? Well, then to me, that makes this entire journey so worth it. Do I have to remind myself of this sometimes? Yes. But I’m so glad that I do and that I acknowledge my need for this reminder because it gives me a taste of my true need for my Creator!

Be Intentional

That being said, my advice to you is be incredibly intentional in withdrawing from social media to draw near and to periodically check your heart and your mindset. Maybe that looks like a conversation with your husband, or monthly coffee with a close friend or mentor. But do make it a point to do this, often, because t is easy to get caught up in the ways of this world. The phrase, “The bigger, the better” comes to mind as I answer this. With God, we’re already a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. And it’s all because of Him, not because of anything we did or do. Let us honor Him with this truth by being intentional in the ways we honor Him in our lives and on our social media platforms. 

Sometimes, “Christian” posts seem very superficial and that they just want the likes. How can you tell whether these posts are true and good? 

I see posts all the time that get you to double tap for an Amen or call you to leave praise hand emojis for a hallelujah! And I get that, and it’s fun. But when it’s in every single post, I can see how that would rub someone the wrong way- myself included. So, your question here is totally valid.My charge to you would be to spend time exploring a faith account’s feed before you decide to follow them. See if you align with them theologically. If you are looking for a faith account with meaningful captions that cause you to pause and reflect on your relationship with God in some way, there are Christian accounts that do not offer this. If you are looking to for a faith account to flood your feed with Bible verses and Christian quotes, there are Christian accounts that only offer this. There are also "Christian" accounts that preach a sugar-coated Gospel. So do be careful! 

Be intentional about what you are filling your feed with.

If you find yourself following an account of faith that seems to contradict the Word of God or causes you to question their motives or, simply take them out of your feed. Now, if you are referring to Christian influencers who come across as superficial and materialistic, the best advice I can offer you is to unfollow them. If you don’t agree with everything they post- chances are you are either judging them more than you would like to admit or comparing yourself in very unhealthy ways. So, the healthy and the right thing to do is to unfollow. One final thing I want to remind you of here is this- we don’t follow Christian influencers. We follow Jesus Christ. Don’t get these two mixed up! Let’s wrap up today’s episode with one final question... 

How do we ensure that we are not over-using social media and making it an idol in front of God?

Set some serious boundaries, sis. Social media can certainly reveal root issues about how we spend our time. Don’t be a slave to it! If you often find yourself getting aggravated by a child who longs for your attention while you are on your phone, or if you and your spouse spend your time before bed on your phones instead of conversing with one another, these are pretty big signs you need to reevaluate your priorities. Many phones nowadays monitor our time on social media. If your phone doesn’t, I’m sure there is an app you can download that will. 

What are some things that you can do to help limit your time on social media?

• Set a certain amount of time in your schedule each day to check your social media platforms. 
• Don’t touch anything related to social media until a certain time in the late morning or afternoon. 
• Instead of placing your phone on your bedside table, charge it somewhere else. Use an actual alarm clock to wake you up.
• Dedicate a rhythm of your Sabbath day or one day a week to not touching your phone.
• Don’t touch digital devices at the table that hosts your family meals. 
• Turn off notifications on your phone for all of your social media platforms. I did this a little over a year ago now and have had ZERO regrets about it. 

These are just a few ideas for you to consider. You know yourself better than I do, though. Be intentional about committing to what works best for you and the health of your spirit.  

Thanks for Tuning In!

Sis, I really enjoyed exploring the topic of Faith in the Age of Social Media with you today!  I hope you enjoyed it, too! I think faith in the online space is an important topic of discussion considering the age in which we live in. That being said, I want to encourage you to keep the conversation going. Share this episode with friends and discuss your thoughts with one another!  

A Special Thanks to Dwell

Today’s episode is brought to you by an app devoted to your faith walk- Dwell. Dwell is a new audio Bible app that is recommended by a ton of Bible teachers across the globe. It’s such an awesome discipleship tool for 21st century Christians. In fact, it has been coined “the Spotify of Scripture”. This is because of how easy it is to explore the Bible with their listening plans. You can browse popular passages or curated playlists that include select verses by theme. They also offer Listening Plans to help you cultivate a habit of seeking God in Scripture every day. Dwell is unique in that you can switch voices and background music without losing your place in the audio. I could not recommend this app more, which is why I’m so excited to share them with you today! That being said, Dwell is generously giving our listeners 33% off an annual subscription to the app. That means you get an incredibly unique listening experience for the next year for $19.99. Once you give the app a try, you will see how awesome of a deal this really is!  Download it today and when you’re ready, visit dwellapp.io/daughterofdelight to get your discount. That’s dwellapp.io/daughterofdelight for 33% off an annual subscription. 

Faith Charge

I can’t wait to be back with you next week! For now, I want to leave you with the charge of Philippians 4:18:"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (ESV). Talk with you next week!  

REFERENCEs

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