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WEB OF INFLUENCE

We live in a world that our grandparents could never have imagined. As a species, we've never before been so connected to people, information, and ideas from all over the world. If you want to know anything, you can find the answer on your phone in a matter of seconds (thanks, Siri). While there are certainly some benefits to having so much information at our fingertips, it also poses some very real dangers. We are constantly bombarded with people’s opinions, statements presented as truth (without proper evidence to back it up, much of the time), and an increasingly polarized and hostile culture. If we don’t train ourselves to pay attention and filter what comes into our minds, we’ll end up confused, angry, and probably a little scared. 

You see, we used to just have to focus on who was directly around us. Perhaps you’ve heard the advice/warning, “you will become who you hang out with.” And while that’s still true, we now also have to pay attention to who you’re “hanging out with” on a global/digital scale. That influencer who shows up in your feed with deep-sounding posts and perfect pictures is a voice into your world. How much and what kind of news you’re digesting in the midst of global chaos will affect you. It is now quite possible to sit all alone in your room but still be “hanging out” with a massive group of what the Bible calls “mockers” (another word for “fools”).

Here’s the truth: everyone is entitled to their opinion, and freedom of speech is a gift to our society, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for us to constantly ingest everyone’s opinions, passionate rants, or 24-hour negativity on demand. Everything we read, see, or hear should be put through the filter of “does this line up with what God says?” That’s the question we need to get really good at asking, and it should become second-nature for us. If there is someone or someplace in your digital world that is consistently putting out content that doesn’t line up with what God says, maybe it’s time to filter that out of your life. Unfollow, unsubscribe, block, whatever digital action you have to take, it does you zero good to keep taking in that content!

The passage you’re about to read is short and to the point: who you hang out with (even digitally) will affect you spiritually. Pay close attention to who you’re letting speak into your life. No musician, social media influencer, or celebrity is worth polluting your soul just because they’re trending right now. Choose to focus on content that lines up with what God says, and I promise you’ll find yourself much more at peace.