Christ With Coffee On Ice - are influencers trustworthy?

Episode Date: August 26, 2026

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Wednesday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost talks about the reality of consuming social media and saturated Christian content. God is using social media in so many incredible ways but there are things we need to be weary of as well. At the end of the day, social media and even this podcast are just tools to allow us to learn more about Jesus but we shouldn't be the heart of our relationship with Him. "You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete." James 2:22  _____________________________________________ ☆ PRE-ORDER 'LOVE THAT LASTS' HERE: https://allyyost.com/en-usd/pages/book ☆ OUR NEW MERCH IS LIVE! SHOP AT: https://allyyost.com ☆ MY BIBLE (code 'ALLYYOST' at checkout) ➤ https://hosannarevival.com/collections/beautiful-bibles/products/nlt-notetaking-bible-belfast-theme ☆ TUMBLER LINK ➤ https://allyyost.com/products/cwcoi-glass-tumbler-black _____________________________________________ Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice  Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice  _____________________________________________ Connect further with Ally ! TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost  Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/  ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost  Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/

Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with coffee on ice. I am your host, Ali Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys today. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Happy Wednesday. And I'm honored that you guys would want to spend it with me. As I always say, this is like my favorite part of the whole week. I love my job. I love what I do. And I love Pinterest lately. Can I be honest? That's why I'm wearing a bandana today, by the way. I know I'm really late to the game with the whole like Pinterest addiction and scrolling and getting inspo in more ways than one. I really haven't been a Pinterest girl for a majority of my life. I've had Pinterest and I've tried to dabble in it from time to time, but I've never been like, oh my, like pinning things all the time, getting inspiration.

Not really. Not from Pinterest at least. And so lately, I've been loving it. I feel like it's been this hidden gem that I haven't actually given like a fair shot. to. And so you could probably bet that the reason why I'm wearing a bandana on my head today is because I was scrolling on Pinterest last night looking for cute outfit inspo. Well, here's the thing. Here's the thing, really. And I actually love Pinterest for this is that I feel like I actually have a lot of pieces and accessories and things of the such in my wardrobe already.

It's not that I need new pieces. I just need new inspiration on how to bring things together. and to accessorize or spend an extra three or four bucks on a bandana and transform a normal stinking outfit to something kind of cute and fun by adding an accessory like a bandana. And so that's what I've been loving Pinterest for is I'm like, oh my gosh, I've had these pieces in my closet for however long and I've been wearing them a certain way. But it's not until you look at how other people are styling things and you just get inspiration from other cutie little girly pops on Pinterest that you're like, I can wear it like that and that and that and it's just fun okay I don't know if the bandana is really

we'll see I'm still on the fence about it because when I first put it on I was like I'm giving a mixture of like prison mic from the office if you haven't watched it or I'm giving sous chef like about to whip you up some habachi on your 15th birthday when I first put it on it was bad then I put it on a little tighter and a little higher and I feel like it's kind of fun anyway. I love you guys, I love my job, I love Jesus, and I really love Pinterest. I've been really loving Pinterest. Okay. Moving on.

I have still been thriving and loving how much we've been hanging out every week. So if you've been loving Wednesday, Friday, me too. It's been a lot of fun. And I am so excited for today's episode. And I actually think it's so fun. It's coming from somebody like me, considering it's what I do for a living. And it's the fact that I add to the ecosystem that we're about to talk about today all the time, because it's my favorite thing to do, and I love it, and I'm passionate about it.

So that's the irony in this. And the other irony is here you guys are consuming it. It's all I do, too, on my off time is I, I've told you guys I'm trying to be better about scrolling on my phone. But if I am consuming, it's mostly Christian content. But I want to talk about the reality of where we're at right now with social media, Christian content. consuming it, how saturated it is, the pros, but like also the things that I think we need to be weary of and the things that we need to be mindful of. And I do feel that there is this tension with Christian content right now. And I think that there are a lot of ways God is so pleased with it

and he is using it. I believe that. I believe God is using it. I believe it's a part of his plan. And I think that obviously the pros to it is that the good news is being spread to the world. and what quicker, better, more efficient way to spread the good news of the gospel and the good news of who Jesus Christ is than through social media? I mean, I just think about the disciples and Paul and how they literally had to travel days, weeks, by boat, by foot. They would walk miles and miles and miles to spread the gospel and tell people about it. And now, I can only imagine how much their minds would be blown. Now we actually have the opportunity to tell people about the goodness of Jesus in seconds and hit them across the world. Like, that's crazy.

So here I am standing in this position of being like, yes, I believe that it is a good thing. If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing it. And I wouldn't be encouraging you guys to come back every week. And here I am making things like my book, encouraging you guys to read it. Like, it's not that I'm against it, but I do think that there are things we really need to be mindful of about Christian content and about content that revolves around the walk with Jesus and how there are some things that can be very slippery about it that we don't realize we're falling into. And something I've already said on the podcast a few times is I love, love, love, love that you guys use this podcast as a tool. please continue to use it as a tool. I love that you guys are so excited for my book to also have as a tool one day.

And I'm suggesting things like Hosanna Revival, where they make the most beautiful books and journals and planners and things like that, right? Tools, we love them, we need them. I needed it. I still do. I needed it when I first came to Christ because there was nobody guiding me other than his spirit. but like things of online it was sermons it was music obviously but it was christian bloggers who are writing to the person who wanted to start walking in their faith for the first time which was

me who said niv is the best translation go to barns and noble there's also bibles on amazon right if it wasn't for that i wouldn't be where i am today so i'm not saying that it's bad i think it's good to have all of these tools. I'm so grateful that the gospel is so accessible, right? We've been talking about accessibility on the podcast lately, but like that is such a beautiful thing that we really have so many tools at our fingertips regarding learning more about Jesus and the walk

and how to do it, right? It's beautiful. And it's beautiful that the body gets to be as connected as we are and we get to support each other and love each other and pray for each other, right? How many times it would be like, let's pray for each other in the comment section and it's just it's unifying and it's beautiful and I believe it is a gift from God but there's always another side to that coin and so today I pray

that the Lord brings conviction to all of us in ways that maybe we have been using these resources and these tools in a way where it feels like we're building our faith or maybe it feels like we're getting closer to Jesus but we're really just kind of like piggybacking off of other people's experiences or faith or revelations with God. And I think today is going to be a really beautiful day where we make sure that we understand the difference so that we are not relying on these things for relationship with Jesus. Like we are not relying on Christ with coffee and ice to be our source of quiet time with the

Lord. This podcast, right? The book that I'm about to launch. or anyone else that you enjoy consuming their content because it teaches you new things about Jesus every day. That's awesome. But it should not be the heart of your relationship with Jesus. And before we really jump into like the meat and potatoes of this episode, I would love to pray that the Lord has his way and that he brings clarity to our minds and also that he heightens our discernment. Yeah, I think that's going to be really important for today's episode is also

talking about the discernment of the content that we're consuming and to just have that discernment built up in us through the Holy Spirit of like what we actually should be taking in and what we shouldn't because the thing about the internet too is anyone can do it anyone can do it anybody could start a podcast if they want to anybody can make a TikTok account if they wanted to anybody could pick up a Bible and start preaching to the camera that's what I did that's what I didn't listen anybody could do it right? And so I think a really big thing that would be valuable for us as followers of Christ is to also have great discernment about the things that we're taking in. And we're not just believing everything that we hear.

Just because somebody says that they're a Christian, just because it sounds like it's really good, right? There's a lot of good sound bites. There's buzzy words in it. We got to make sure that it is actually the truth. And I think the best way to do that in a lot of cases is to, um, test every spirit, right, by the word of God and say, does this actually align with what's written in the Bible? But I think another thing, too, is to like take that information and sit with God and be like, all right, God, what do you say about this? You know? Um, anyway, okay, let's pray. Jesus. Father,

we just invite you into this episode today, God. Um, Lord, we ask for your conviction. We ask for your truth. We ask for your encouragement, Lord. And I just pray against any fear that there's nothing we need to be afraid of when it comes to these kinds of things on the internet. But Lord, I just pray that you heighten our discernment, you heighten our conviction. Lord, if there are ways that we have been piggybacking on other people's faith or we've been saying that we have a really close relationship with you because we consume so much content or because we listen to so many podcasts or because we listen to worship music all the time and we don't actually value the core, the core part of a relationship with you, which is that it is intimate and it is personal and it is one and one.

It is when we shut the door behind us and we are sat with you alone, God, I pray for that conviction. Lord, give us clarity today, Jesus. I pray, Lord, that you use me as a pure, pure vessel today, Lord. Yeah, God, I just pray, don't let me get in the way of this. I ask for you to just have your way with today's episode, Lord. Thank you for your spirit, God. We love you and we trust you. I pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay. Amen. We've got our Christ. Okay, we do. We have our Bible here with us today. Our beautiful butter yellow Bible. It's my favorite. And we do have our coffee on ice. Let me take a... I haven't even tried it. Not bad, Allie. I didn't really do anything different, but for some reason it tastes good today. Okay, everybody, let's do this. I'm excited.

So I think that the biggest question, guys, this is going to be so convicting. Like, buckle in. Does everybody have their seatbelts on? Okay. But I think that the major question going into this episode that we could ask ourselves is, are we actually getting closer to Jesus? Or are we consuming a bunch of content about him that's making us feel as if we are getting closer to him. But really, we're just consuming content about him. And I think something that could feel really contradicting and there could be a lot of contrast in the concept of bringing Christianity online or like our journeys with Christ on platforms that are all about attention, consumption, trends, algorithms, and personal brands.

There is something about that that can feel really contradicting. Because the truth about our walks with Christ is they are deeply personal. They're vulnerable. They're pruning. They're painful. They're raw. But they're beautiful. But it's not an aesthetic.

And maybe all of us are a little guilty of that. I think I appreciate an aesthetic. I love an aesthetic. I love Pinterest. Right? But Christianity is something that is considered so sacred. Jesus is sacred. An intimate friendship and relationship with him is sacred.

It's personal and it's transformational. And so how do we make those things marry without our walks with Jesus now kind of going in vain? Because we're partnering them with something that can be considered all about attention and self-exalting. and lots of vanity. And the truth is, is Christianity in a lot of ways online, feels trendy. And kind of like I was saying at the beginning of this episode is I don't necessarily believe that all of that is wrong. Because people could be hearing about Jesus through social media that would never walk into a church, right? They would never even consider the fact that Jesus could be someone that they could receive full freedom in for all the ways that they would.

they are striving, they are feeling anxious, they feel worthless, purposeless, right? That is my hope when I have outwardly and openly talked about my journey with Jesus, is that it would reach people who would literally never consider walking into a church. And so I believe that is the heart of Jesus, is that he wants us to reach people who would never consider him. And there is power in our testimonies. and there is power in sharing the genuine transformation that Christ has brought into your life. Our journeys with Jesus, I do believe there are a lot of parts of it that are supposed to stay sacred and personal,

and there are a lot of parts of my journey that you guys have not seen and will never see. There's a majority of my walk, actually, that you guys will never see, because that's between me and Jesus, as all of our journeys should be. But it shouldn't be a secret, actually. I think another huge reason why God transforms us from the inside out is so that we are like the woman at the well who then goes and runs to town and says, I just met a man who told me everything I've ever done in my life. And I've never known him. He knew everything about me though.

That is actually biblical for us to go out and tell the world about the goodness of God and what he's done in you and in your life. And so yes, yes, there is so much beauty about telling people about Jesus. online. I will continue to do it. I pray that you continue to do it if that's what you feel called to do or just in life in general. If you're out and about, tell people about the goodness of Jesus and what he's done for your life. And so I want to clarify again that this episode isn't me standing outside of it, pointing fingers at Christian influencers or telling everyone to delete TikTok. Okay, because obviously I'm inside it. I'm a part of this ecosystem. But at the same time, I really have been asking myself this question of like, what is all of this Christian content doing to us though?

Because I think the truth is, is that just because we have an unlimited access to information about God doesn't necessarily mean that's the same thing as knowing God. Right? So we can have access to content that's all about God, all about his character, all about the goodness of what he's doing in this person's life or that person's life. what he could do in your life. But there is a difference between knowing, like everything we need to know about God versus actually knowing God on a deeper personal level. And I think that could be the danger with consuming so much Christian content. Like the big question is, are we actually spending genuine time with God or are we spending time consuming other people spending time with God? So again, like, are we just piggybacking off of what everybody else is posting or are we genuinely building an intimate one-on-one, father and daughter or father and son relationship with God?

Like, I think the truth here in a lot of cases, guys, is like you could wake up in the morning and as you're getting ready, you're listening to a Christian podcast. And then later that day, you're scrolling on TikTok and you're watching a testimony video of somebody talking. about how they got saved by Jesus and you're being so moved by the story and potentially even the Holy Spirit, right? I do believe that the Holy Spirit can work through anything he wants, including technology, right? And so you're being so moved. You're being touched by the Holy Spirit. You're like, oh, Jesus, thank you so much. Then later that day, you're watching a video on how to pray a prayer over your home to protect it, right? But like it could go on and on, but you're learning all of these things. You're enjoying watching content about how other people are also being

impacted by God. And then by the end of your day, you could, you could be like, wow, God, I spent so much time with you today. But did we? Or did we just spend a lot of time listening to people talk about God? And again, those things can be good. I believe that. A podcast can absolutely encourage you. A sermon can teach you. A TikTok can convict you. Right. I have experienced that time and time again. And I'm grateful for those moments. I can't tell you how many times I personally have been scrolling on the internet and there's just something that clicked for me in my mind where I'm like, oh my gosh, God, that was it. Like that was the missing puzzle piece. I needed to hear that Lord. Thank you. I believe God can work through that with perfect timing where there have been videos that have come up for me and I'm like, Jesus,

you have no idea, but he does, of course. He has more of an idea than I did. Sometimes I'll be like, I didn't even know I needed that right now, but like that's exactly what I needed to hear. So again, those things are beautiful and I believe that the body can work in such beautiful ways that way. So we love it. It's a good thing. But there's a difference between something pointing you toward God and something becoming a substitute for going to God yourself. I can watch 10 videos about prayer without actually praying. I can save 15 Bible study methods without opening my actual literal stinking Bible.

I can listen to someone describe what God taught them that morning without ever sitting quietly enough to ask God myself. And honestly, I think that this could even work pretty in parallel with the episode that we, when did we record that? A couple episodes ago where we were talking about convenience and how just the convenience of the time that we're living in where everything is so accessible to our fingertips that it really replaces authenticity, realness, grit experience, right? Like fruit that God could be creating in us. But I think this is another example is like the fruit of our relationship with Jesus because of how convenient the internet is and how convenient it is to get answers. So I am so guilty of this too, where it is so much quicker to just look up the answers or to try to listen to a sermon or somebody else just tell you the answers than to actually sit in quiet in stillness with God, which by the way,

I feel like most times is uncomfortable at first because you have to be patient, which is a fruit of the spirit and you have to exercise all of these things that I don't think naturally comes to us as humans. If we're going to be good at something like patience and love, endurance, and consistency and discipline. Like if we're going to be really solid in those qualities, it's going to be through God. It's going to be through His Holy Spirit, who disciplines us and teaches us every day and guides us.

And so, yeah, I just think that it really can become a substitute where it's just easier. It's more convenient to go to all of these other resources and tools before being still and sitting before the Lord. and I am guilty of that too. Guys, we are all in this same boat together. Like, it is so tempting and easy. What do you mean?

We have an iPhone right here. We have a laptop. Like, we have whatever we need to be able to get the answers that we want right then and there instead of having to actually be uncomfortable and exercise the muscle in our brain, which is, okay, God, what do you say? And then you have to wait. Because typically, I don't know, this is my experience. Anytime I sit with the Lord, it takes me a hot minute.

to really feel like I'm like getting in the current with him. You know what I mean? Because there's so many other things running through my mind. And there's so many other temptations of just like, I could, I could just, I could ask chat this right now. Or I could look up a Philip Anthony Mitchell sermon online and have him just scream in my face and tell me what I need to hear, which is great. When I need a good old slap in the face from the Holy Spirit, I love Philip Anthony Mitchell

for that. Okay. But we can't let that be the suburb. of the source himself, which is Jesus. It's His Holy Spirit. And the only way that we are actually truly going to grow the most is if we are going to him and it is like a one-on-one personal relationship and we are growing that, that personal relationship with Jesus through spending time with him, his word, physical Bible, physical Bible, being around people in real life who also carry the Holy Spirit and love Jesus. Like being in community, being a part of your church,

volunteering, do whatever you need to do. But like, those are the ways that you are truly going to grow the fastest. And this is the thing about the internet is it's all about immediate, right? We want answers. We want the thing immediately. We want to grow fast. And here's the thing about Jesus is that he's going to grow us, but it's not going to be at the speed that we want. And it's going to feel slow until we turn around and we realize all that he's done. And then we're like, wow, that was so fast. It is so sweet. A lot of you guys, and even people in my life, if they haven't known me for longer than three years, they have sometimes been like, I literally thought this was who you were your entire life. Like, I cannot believe how far you have come, Allie, in just a few years.

Like, I could have sworn that you were raised in the church. And I'm like, no, I wasn't. And so in a lot of ways, it can feel like it's quick. Like, I actually do believe that I have grown quickly, but let me tell you, the process of which I have been going through with Jesus over the last few years. years is it doesn't feel that way. And I can promise you that if I were to have had it my way, I would be a lot farther along than I am right now, which is crazy. It's crazy. But in a lot of ways, that's just how we're just like, we want it now. We want the results now. We want the growth now. We want the fruit now. And the truth is is fruit takes time. Oh my gosh. There's

this song that I've been obsessed with for months. I've especially had it on repeat the last few weeks. it is called literally it is called fruit takes time by s e u worship and the sweet early pop who leads the worship in the song is chelsea plank and it's so good oh my gosh if we need a definition of what we just talked about but in like song version it's that song but it's it's literally like fruit good fruit takes time and i think that the internet i mean in the church but outside the church it's everywhere but the internet tells us that if we want to grow fast, it's like that's the way to do it, right? It's to just consume. We have all the answers. You want a how-to. You want a tutorial. Like, the tutorials are endless. But we want the immediate. We want the instant.

And that's just not how it works with Jesus. It's not instant. Good fruit takes time to grow. And I also like that the lyrics to that song is good fruit takes time to grow. Good fruit. because I feel like what that actually implies is that there is fruit that can grow quickly, but it doesn't mean that it's good fruit. And you think about all the ways that I actually don't know much about farming, but I know that there are ways that we can grow produce that is quick. And maybe we can grow a lot more in a little time, which then results into making more money, more consumption, people can have more strawberries.

I don't know, strawberries come to my mind. But the quality of those strawberries are probably not. not the best because they're being used with all sorts of chemicals and things to make them grow quickly and fast and more vast and it's probably not good fruit. It's probably not the best fruit. Rather than fruit, good fruit, it takes time. It's going to take longer. It can't be compared to any other fruit that was grown quickly or with shortcuts. And that is the truth of growing with Jesus is there are no shortcuts. There is no piggybacking. Like there might be fruit that grows in your life, but it doesn't mean it's going to be good fruit. Good fruit takes time to grow. And until we are

willing to accept that and to lay down our own desires of just wanting quick results or wanting quick growth, or you're comparing yourself to other people's stories with Jesus and their journeys with him and they're like, okay, well, I want to be there now. So I'm going to consume and I'm going to learn and I'm going to watch as many sermons and I am going to, you know, do as much as I can to get there. And it's not good fruit. It's not fruit that's going to last. And it's not the best fruit that God could give you. At some point, we all need to stop consuming other people's relationships with God and start cultivating and sowing into our own relationship with God. That is where the good fruit is and that kind of nurturing and sewing and watering and growing and loving taking the time

to slow down and read our Bibles to slow down and ask God questions and to sit with him even if it feels silent even if you sit there in silence with God and you don't feel like he's even spoken a word and you've already been sitting there for 10 minutes and you're like okay God I'm trying to do it like I'm sitting here with you and I'm trying to like cultivate this relationship between me and you. It's the sacrifice. It's even in those times, believe it or not, that it will get you even closer and closer to cultivating an intimate relationship with Jesus and continuing to go deeper with him. There's a scripture actually in James 122. Actually, let's just turn to it right now.

James 122 reads, You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And the verse right before it, so we all know who we're talking about is Abraham, because it says, don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? And so it happened just as the scriptures say, Abraham believed God and God counted him. him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called a friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. And so I believe that this scripture is relevant

because it is speaking to the fact that we can't just be hearers of the gospel. Because to have faith means that you've received and heard the good news. Okay. And so having faith in God is a great start. But what is being said in 1 James 21 through 23 is that it means nothing if we're not actually doing something with it. I think that is relevant to our literal relationships with God is that if we are only hearing about what God is doing in everyone else's lives and we're hearing about everybody else's personal revelations with God. And yes, it could even be sparking, you know, aha moments for us in our minds, but we're just piggybacking off of everyone. else's revelations, everyone else's relationships with God, and we're not actually putting action and work and effort and sacrifice into nurturing and cultivating a personal relationship with God ourselves.

And so it's great to hear. It's great to have faith. It's great to hear all of the goodness of God and what he's doing for other people and even all over the world, okay? But we have to remember that freedom actually comes from a personal relationship. with God. So the ways that you are looking for fulfillment, if there are question marks in your mind or in your life right now, if you are searching for answers and you're doing it through the church and you're doing it through content, great step. But I'm telling you it doesn't matter how many sermons,

how many episodes of Christ with coffee on ice that you watch, how many books that you read, how much worship music you listen to, like those things are not actually going to give you freedom in the way that you are searching for freedom or fulfillment with Jesus. I think that all of those things are vehicles and tools and amazing ways to encounter the Holy Spirit. I've encountered the Holy Spirit through all of those mediums. They're beautiful. They're great. It's biblical.

But those things alone are not going to give you the freedom and transformation that you are seeking. It is only through a personal relationship with Jesus. And making sure that you are prioritizing that every day. And I think that a lot of the tension here too, when we even talk about how to discern what kind of content to like let to our hearts and minds versus not is there's this reality about the algorithm where we let the algorithm be our disciple. And what I mean by that is like as we are scrolling and we are getting fed new content with every video that we scroll, it isn't like the algorithm is thinking, what does this person need in order to become more like Christ? No, we all know how the algorithm works. The

algorithm is asking what will make this person keep watching what's going to make this person stay on this app for longer what's going to make this person stay on their phone for another 20 minutes so those are two completely different goals in which we should never be trusting the algorithm to successfully disciple us because that's not the goal of the algorithm the algorithm is not going to be thinking about how can we get this person to become more like christ today no the algorithm is going to say how can we suck up more of this person's time so that we can make more money right now, right? And here's another thing about the truth of like just growing with Jesus and having a relationship with him is at least from what I've learned is that a lot of times if we have a

spiritual question or if we have a question with Jesus or if we're confused about something and we're like, Lord, what's going on? What are you doing? I feel confused. We don't always need a 60 second answer. Like we don't always need to find the answer in that moment. I have experienced in my walk with the Lord, that a lot of times, sometimes I go, I don't know, I don't know what God is doing right now. I don't know what the answer is. And maybe that's okay. I don't know yet. I'm just going to pray more. I think I need to pray about it. I need to talk to somebody wiser than me, right? I need to talk to my pastor about it actually. Or, you know, there's somebody in your community. Or maybe I need to just like read into scripture. And I think another question that we could genuinely ask ourselves right now

is if you were to look at your journey with the Lord, who is discipling you the most? Like who is actually the person who is guiding you the most in your journey with the Lord? Is it scripture? Is it the Holy Spirit himself? Is it your church? Is it people who personally actually know you? Because the truth is, like, I love you guys. I love you.

and I will constantly be asking Jesus what you guys need to hear because of course he's the only one that really knows he knows more than we even know about what we need to hear but I don't know you personally and so again it's like are we allowing people who actually know our situations are in our lives right but people intimately Jesus is an example yes but even people in your life like Who is discipling you? And here's the thing. Again, I at the beginning of my journey didn't have anyone like that. I didn't have anybody in my personal life.

The only person who was actually genuinely discipling me was the Holy Spirit. And it was through tools and things online. So if you don't have those things, that's okay. But if you do, but you're not utilizing those more than you are other things, I think that's worth praying about. and asking the Lord for, you know, if there's ways that you need to be convicted in that and be like, okay, God, am I leaning more on, you know, these things online and maybe even people that I really look up to than I am people in my own personal life? Like I, like, I do have people actually,

but I don't know if I'm actually leaning on them as much as I'm leaning on these other resources. This angle is one that I'm very excited about because, um, this is going back to what we were kind of saying at the beginning of this episode is that, the truth is is like Christianity is really becoming super trendy and it's an aesthetic right you can even say with this podcast a little bit right it's like christ with coffee on ice we love our Jesus we love our coffee but at the end of the day Jesus is the center here but he is becoming very much an aesthetic and the truth is is that social media is incredibly good at turning identities into aesthetics and it is possible for people to look very good at looking like someone who follows Jesus.

And that's when we really need to be discerning about the kind of content that we trust and the kind of theology that we absorb into how we live our lives. Because again, the journey with Jesus is actually very unathetic. Forgiving somebody who hurt you and may never apologize is not aesthetic. okay like picking up our cross every day and dying to ourselves and resisting our own fleshly desires to be like no jesus you are the way truth in life and i trust what you say and to let him prune us and sanctify us like no nothing about that is actually aesthetic it's so painful it's crushing repentance like going to the lord and being like jesus i repent of these things

and confessing our sin it's not aesthetic right we know we know what that feels like and all of those things result in more freedom through Christ which is amazing but the process of which to get there is not aesthetic and the truth of this too is like it's not that we're ever going to be able to successfully like figure out quote who the fake christians are right i think it's more about how do we stop confusing the appearance of christianity with actual spiritual credibility because ultimately we can't actually know someone's heart from their social media presence, but we can discern about how much authority and trust we give someone. And I think that that's where we really need to be prayerful about that kind of discernment with the Lord. It's like, I don't think any of us actually

will ever know the hearts of why people share the gospel. We could be hopeful and we could say, yeah, I feel like this person is genuine and I hope for that. And I really, they speak a lot of truth. and they speak from conviction. But at the end of the day, God says it in scripture that he actually is the only one that truly knows the depths of everybody's hearts. He knows what's inside every man's heart. And so I don't think it's about us trying to figure out who's genuine and who's not. But another thing that God does tell us is that we will know the person by the fruit that they produce. And Jesus actually teaches us about recognizing people by their fruit in Matthew 715 through 20.

So over time, we could look at content on the internet and say, okay, what is this person's life and content seem to produce over time? Is it humility, love, patience, repentance, honesty? Or is it constant outrage or superiority or fear or condemnation or like calling people out all the time? Controversy, right? Like saying the really controversial thing. Like self-reliable. Like self-reliable. righteousness. Like I think that those are two very different fruits that can be produced through somebody's preaching or platform or the theology of which they're telling the world about. I also think that we shouldn't give people authority or our trust online if they're just good at talking on camera and they're confident and again, they're aesthetic and they're really charismatic

and articulate and attractive and knowledgeable about scripture. Like all of those things I think could be really convincing. And in our minds, we immediately give that person credibility and authority and be like, oh my gosh, I trust everything this person is saying. But the truth is, is like somebody could have all of those things and still be wrong. Social media especially rewards people who speak with absolute certainty. Have you ever seen that where like people will get online and it's like they are for sure, for sure, for sure that they are certain that this is true.

And because of that, you're like, it's true. I mean, that is outside of just even the Christian bubble. That's like in general. There have been things I've been so gullible of and things that I have believed because the person talking to me through the screen was so certain and convincing. And they were like, no, I'm telling you that like aliens exist. And you're like, oh my gosh. And then like, it's just like, it's one of those things where if the person is really charismatic

and they really, I mean, it's the fake it till you make it type. You know what I mean? But like, I think that that whole theology in itself exists because if you fake it good enough or if you sound convincing enough, you'll make it. People will believe you. You'll get what you're looking for, right? So those are not credible things of which we're like, oh yeah, well, they really sound like they know what they're talking about.

I love that. But that doesn't mean that every person who seems like they know what they're talking about we should be listening to. Discernment sometimes means being more impressed by someone's humility about what they don't know than their confidence about everything they supposedly know. I think another thing that we should be very mindful of is to not outsource discernment on popularity. So that could be just because somebody has millions of followers. Hello?

Hey, Allie. I'm, whatever, I'll get on the chopping board. I love you guys. I know you trust me. I trust you too. But I'm just saying whether somebody has a big following or a little following does not actually determine whether they are authentic and genuine or not. I really like this too. I think something we also need to be mindful of if we're talking. Now we're on the leg of like discerning what content to be mindful of versus not in the Christian bubble because I do think that that's also the danger here is it's not just it becoming a substitute of an actual intimate relationship with Jesus. But then and also believing everything that we see and hear online. And so I think another thing to be mindful of with the kind of content that we see is paying attention to the heart or the why or just the core of what that content is about. Like an example that I'm thinking about too is like if it's all fear based, be very cautious of the Christian content that you see online that is all about making you afraid.

like if at the root of what you're feeling after consuming this person's content is fear, I think that that kind of emotional pressure should make you more discerning, not less. Some examples, and these are just things that I've personally seen as I'm scrolling online, is like, God showed me something terrible that's coming. Like it's like sometimes it'll be people prophesying about the future or like the end times or that there's a huge tsunami coming or, you know, they're predicting that, you know, they got a dream from God or Christians don't realize that this is actually demonic. And then they're talking about all of these things that are really demonic.

And I'm not saying that all of that content is bad or fake. But fear and urgency are extremely effective engagement tools. That's the truth, right? It's like that first kind of few seconds, that hook in the beginning of people saying, if you're a real Christian, then you need to know this. Well, if you really love Jesus, you'd stop scrolling, right? Or like, stop scrolling. God has a message for you.

And it's like, those things can. can be good, but at the same time, I just feel, I don't know, I feel so suss about stuff like that where I'm like, this feels like more of an advantage to get people to stop scrolling and to engage with your content. Like an example is, I was even, sorry, my nose is so itchy for whatever reason. Hello? A personal example is I was scrolling on TikTok a couple of nights ago. And there was this guy that was giving, apparently he's a profit. Again, like anyone could just say profit. Maxwell and now Maxwell is a profit because he put that in his it's like guys we got to be we can't be so gallible but these are like all the videos that this person makes and so I had never seen this person's content

before and I'm scrolling and I'm and I stop and it was really intriguing to me in the beginning and I actually was really loving everything that this person was saying and then all of a sudden all of a sudden you know where I'm like a one minute because it was a long video I'm one minute in. And I felt like he was speaking directly to my situation. And then all of a sudden he goes, he's like promoted. He's like, comment down below and share this and repost it. And I'm like, you lost me, Bub.

It feels like we're emotionally manipulating people to get the engagement that we want. And that is where I cross the line. That is where I say, no, no, no, no, no, no. we are not going to manipulate people. It just the heart doesn't feel genuine. And unfortunately, I don't think that the heart is always genuine with this kind of content that's out there in the world. And so we've got to stay discerning and be mindful of how that content is making you feel

after you're done consuming it. Like, does that content actually genuinely encourage you to humility, love, patience, repentance, and honesty? or again, is it filling a space of which you need to be having a personal relationship with God? Or is it creating fear in your heart? Or is it making you like your emotions feel all? Like there's there is a discernment in that where we need to be mindful of how this content is affecting us and what it's actually doing for us and our relationship with God. I think another way to really discern the fruit of content online too is

and sometimes this is hard to evaluate online when you don't personally know somebody and you don't walk with them. But I think humility is the biggest, most important fruit of anyone who's talking about the gospel online. And I think that the truth is, is like if you're going to watch somebody or if you're going to trust somebody, if you're going to trust a pastor, if you're going to listen to sermons or whatever, is like, is there true humility that is carried in the heart of every message that they bring to the table? And I think that an obvious way to tell if there's fruit is if that person ever says, yeah, I was wrong. Or do they correct misinformation? Or do they acknowledge that other faithful Christians can disagree with them? A person presenting themselves as spiritually authoritative while seemingly being incapable of repentance or correction deserves caution. Deserves discernment.

And something that is so real about social media guys, is that there is this like parasycial trust that we could have for people online that we have never physically met in person. Again, I could be one of those people. I love that you guys trust me. I love our relationship so much. But the truth is that we could feel like we actually personally know a Christian creator or pastors online. Sometimes I feel that way even with like worship leaders, like singers. I'll be, because they'll impact my walk so deeply. I'm like, I love you. And I do love them. But there is this like boundary and line of which we can't confuse believing that we actually know them just because we feel like we do because we see them every

day. Right. We see them every day online. Or like, I listen to this person saying worship every single day. Especially with like creators and stuff, you could even know their morning routine. You know their marriage. You know who they're married to. You know their children. You know their testimony. Their struggles. their favorite Bible. You know what they wore to church that day, okay? After hundreds of videos like that, it's normal that your brain can start treating them almost like a friend. Like a genuine personal friend in your life.

You guys are my friends, but also there is like a, there's a dimension of which we haven't reached a personal friendship, right? We don't really know each other personally. And so I think a lot of times because we feel like we'll know somebody deeply through watching them online all the time. And again, these are just things to be mindful of, but it doesn't actually necessarily you know who speaks into their personal life.

You don't see how they treat other people when they're off camera. You don't know what their marriage is actually like. You don't know whether the story that they're telling actually has context to it that's missing. And that doesn't mean that we need to just assume that everybody is secretly terrible. Okay? It just means don't assume they're spiritually trustworthy simply because they feel familiar. They should never take place of the trust that you have for Jesus and Jesus alone in your heart. Because the truth is is you don't actually know them personally. But someone you can know personally continually every single day is Jesus.

Anyway, I think that's where we're going to end this episode. Hopefully I didn't walk. Did I talk in circles the whole time? All I'm saying is don't trust anything. Anyone more than you trust the Holy Spirit and Jesus and people who personally know you in your life. Trust can still be had with people who are online. And I love the body of Christ. And there are so many ways that I personally love it. It's helped me and my walk.

But as long as it is not the very life source of which you live off of, it's not the very thing that helps you feel connected to God, then you're good. You're good, sister. Or brother. Hey, guys, I love you. Thanks for joining me for this episode. I pray it made sense. I hope it was convicting but also not discouraging.

I pray that you guys aren't afraid of Christian content now because that wasn't the goal. I just think, yeah, boundaries, discernment. It's all good stuff. Hey, I love you guys. Can we do something really cool before we leave this episode today? We're going to see each other in two days though, which is awesome. But before we go, can we do something really cool today? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is?

Can we walk more like him, talk more like him, be more like Jesus today? Let our fruit be so good. Let the fruit of your life be so good today. I love you. I'm very proud of you guys. And I will see you in just a couple days. Okay. Bye.