The Almighty Algorithm

“If you are struggling with worry and anxiety, but you have a steady diet of Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, then your struggle is self imposed.” —Bill Johnson

Disclaimer: If you feel in any way, shape, or form convicted by the following words, there is none more convicted than I.

Some time ago, the Lord convicted me about my social media habits. He told me to get off of social media. If I were to have any relationship with social media, it should be as a content creator—not as a consumer.

So naturally, instead of getting off of social media, I merely decided to curate the content on my various feeds to ensure I wasn’t subjecting myself to anything I shouldn’t be watching or feeding my spirit with.

While that may seem like a noble pursuit, it wasn’t what God was dealing with me about, and if we’re being honest, anything short of what God is actually dealing with us about is an exercise in disobedience.

What I discovered over time was that it was far less about the time I was spending on social media and more about the quality of the well I’m drawing from.

If you call yourself a Christian, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to walk about the earth as a bridal extension of the heavenly reality you were born-again into. That said, this is an exercise in futility if our experience of God goes a mile-wide, but only an inch deep.

Guarding the wellspring of our hearts above all else as the writer of Proverbs instructs us is one-hundred percent defined by the place (or places) we go to for life. Let’s face it, “doom-scrolling” is less a viable source of life, and more like a proverbial morphine drip in an attempt to dull the pain.

Keep your circle of influence small, but deep. Don’t draw from every well with a good message, but endeavor to go deep in the places God has called you into.

Although God might not be calling you to stay “off the scroll” completely, I would highly encourage you to ensure you’re putting Almighty God before the algorithm. The peace you walk in and the peace you bring to the world around you depends on it.