Finding Boldness for Christ Beyond our Screens - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - February 16, 2026

Devotional Verse: "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV).

Dear Christian social media users, do we delight in making Christian content more than we delight in making disciples? As a blogger myself, this question has been on my heart lately, followed by: Am I too intimidated to evangelize for Christ outside of social media and face-to-face with those around me? Perhaps I am hiding behind my screen when God is calling me to step out of my comfort zone and reach those He has physically put in my path (not just virtually).  

I know that the Lord can use our online content to evangelize and disciple others, especially when we share His truth. Still, if we are not careful, our eyes (and time) can become so fixated on "pumping out good content" that we lose sight of investing in others' lives and of truly taking spiritual responsibility for each other as followers of Christ. This happens primarily in our day-to-day relationships with the people around us, but can also be fruitful online if we make the time to build relationships there. 

We must remember that we don't want to be a part of creating information consumers, but truth pursuers who long to follow Jesus. God can use the content that you post on social media to help others learn about the Lord and His Word, absolutely. We need to be careful not to give our hearts and time to the disciplines of social media content curation more than to the dedication of true evangelism and disciple-making. Let us not become distracted by a good thing that might lead us to forsake the main thing that Jesus has called us to do.

 Jesus gives us an essential command to His disciples in the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28:

"… "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV). 

God cares more about souls, not about "the squares" or even what strategy may increase the numbers of "followers," "likes," "shares," or video views on your platform…and we should too. So much good can come from what we share online, but we must make sure it has its proper place in our lives. This means we must guard our time on social media so we can also prioritize in-depth Bible study and prayer. We can be a light for Christ on social media. Still, if we neglect spiritual disciplines such as prayer and Bible study, we will quickly become spiritually dry, and soon evangelism and discipleship will not be a priority in our lives either. Let us ask the Father for boldness to share the truth with others and to balance our virtual connections and face-to-face relationships so that we can grow closer to God and so that others may know Jesus in a more life-changing way. 

Let us praise God for the gift of technology that allows us to reach others with the gospel both far and wide, all over the globe. The connections we make online can be so fruitful and impactful, but often it becomes much easier to get swept away by the virtual world and neglect the people right in front of our noses. The Lord can help us prioritize our time spent on social media. As Christians, we long to share God's truth with everyone, both online and in person, but we must be careful not to allow our screens to keep us from reaching out to those who are physically around us. We can ask for God's grace to embolden us when we feel intimidated or embarrassed to share the gospel with those who need it. Let us take discipleship more seriously so that we can grow closer to God with others as we continue to learn more about Him and His word, which will fuel our passion to evangelize to those who need the hope that only exists in Christ.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Prostock-Studio

Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a homeschooling momma of four boys, while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.

Related Resource: How Faith Finds Us When Life Takes a Detour

Joining us this week is worship leader turned viral comedian Heather Land. After growing up in the shadow of her mother’s decades-long addiction, Heather reflects on how this painful season—alongside her unexpected shift from the worship stage to the world of comedy—taught her that while our paths may take unforeseen turns, our core calling to encourage and uplift others remains constant.

Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Rachel Kessler, an Episcopal priest and Kenyon College chaplain who completed her PhD in medieval studies at the University of Toronto before pivoting to seminary after hitting academic burnout, then built a following as the “Nerdy Priest” on TikTok after a student secretly downloaded the app on her phone. 

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