Convicted or Affirmed…
I just want to share something that I thought was the result of years now of contemplating and thinking through, and wondering, like, God, what do we do with this?
And it has to do with the fact that we get so much information at such a rapid pace. There’s so much content. There’s a need for a creator, a content creator, to create content in order to capitalize on clicks and views and the whole nine.
And there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it...I don’t even know what the heck I’m trying to say...but there’s no way that our Christian culture hasn’t been permeated by this exact scenario. That our pastors don’t feel the pressure to produce more content. That our leaders, our community leaders, don’t feel it. There’s always this pressure to produce content.
And so what I have just been praying through and asking God is, “Hey, look, how do You want us to handle all this? God, there’s so much that I don’t even know what’s what half the time.”
Over the course of the last five or six years, I’ve watched a lot of pastors do it well...until the point that their humanity shows. Let’s just put it that way.
And I’m not talking about scandal. I’m not talking about serious distractions. I’m talking about when the pastor says something that you don’t know to be true in your specific scenario. Maybe it’s in the flesh...you don’t understand that concept. Maybe it’s in your spirit...you don’t understand that concept. Maybe it’s both.
Maybe you haven’t spent enough time in the Word to understand the thing the pastor is saying. And then, maybe the pastor hasn’t spent enough time in the Word to understand what they’re saying. Or maybe discernment just has not been at the forefront of either of those scenarios.
But because of the pressure to produce content, because of the pressure to have viral clips and the whole nine, I’ve seen a lot of people...both pastors and self-anointed communicators in Christ, or whatever they want to call themselves...I’ve watched it where I can receive something they say and be like, “Yeah, not only do I agree with that, I feel like the Bible agrees with it.”
Because personally, that’s my measure at this stage in my life, at this stage of my faith. I’m more interested in what the Bible says about it. Even if they say it and I don’t understand it right away, as long as it gives way to being biblically accurate or correct, I don’t have to understand it perfectly.
I want to. I desire to. And that may lead me to study.
But when someone teaches or preaches, and you know they’ve got a good body of work, there are two things that I feel should be happening for us when we are consuming content, or listening to a sermon, or anything in between.
It should either be convicting, or it should be affirming.
It should be something that challenges something inside of me to say, “There’s something else that needs to submit. There’s something else that needs to line up with what it is God is saying.”
So I take those messages and I call them convicting messages.
“Hey, I heard that message, and I realized that I wasn’t loving my neighbor the same way God has called me to love my neighbor. And I need to do a better job. I want to do a better job.”
I love that at my church they give us homework...ways to practically walk out the things they’re teaching us.
So it might be as simple as this: you feel convicted that your prayer life isn’t strong enough or deep enough, or you don’t feel like you hear from God as much as you’d like to. And the homework might be to set an alarm.
Out of all the craziness going on in the world, set an alarm every day at nine o’clock...or whatever time fits...and spend five minutes. Then maybe spend ten minutes in a couple weeks. Then twenty.
And maybe that’s the conviction I settle into for the weekend.
Or the same message, across any platform...social media, church, or anything...could instead make me feel affirmed.
You feel affirmation. You feel God say, “Look, you’re doing that. You’re doing that. Maybe that’s something you can teach someone else how to do, because you do that well.”
I always think I can get better at anything that I’m being taught, and I want to always believe that.
But I can hear that same talk at church, where he says, “Set an alarm. Set an alarm to pray for someone, or set an alarm to reach out to someone.”
And I have ten alarms set on my phone of people I pray for every single day.
And that list shifts. As the intensity changes, or as they’re going through it, I might set more time to pray for that person. Or that person may transition into a mountaintop season, and I might say, “Hey, look, I’m going to pass this on to you. I’ve been praying for you every single day for the last XYZ days. Now maybe set an alarm for somebody else.”
So instead of feeling convicted that there was more for me to do, I can actually sit there and say, “I feel affirmed. Thank You, God, for seeing me.”
Because the example that was expressed was something that I do currently, and I know that You’re happy with that. And now I want to see how You can grow that. How can I pass that on to someone else?
So either convicted or affirmed...those are the two stages in which I hear any content, especially when it’s related to faith.
But I think what happens...the conundrum...is when I can hear a message from someone and 80 or 90 percent of the time I agree with what they’re saying. But because we’re in such a clip-worthy, clip-driven world, what about the part they said that wasn’t either convicting or affirming?
Matter of fact, it was downright damaging.
Not because I didn’t want to hear it. That’s different. That probably falls under conviction.
And what I do anytime I’m convicted is I go straight to the Bible.
I say, “Hey, what does the Bible say about this thing?”
But here’s the tension...and here’s what I’m not saying or recommending.
We’ve got to stop throwing our pastors out with the bathwater.
If you’ve ever heard that term...“throw the baby out with the bathwater”...the idea is this: the baby is dirty, the baby is in bathwater to get cleaned, and now the dirtiness is in the water. But how silly would it be if we threw the whole baby out with the bathwater just because there was uncleanliness?
No...we throw away the bathwater.
We throw away the part that was unclean.
And in this specific example, I think we have to do a better job of having more grace for our leaders...for people who are called into ministry.
And I think there is a certain level of maturity...spiritual, emotional, and mental...that has to happen when you can observe a situation and say:
“You know what? There have been things that you’ve said that have convicted me or confirmed in me the Word of God. So I know there’s something here. I know that God has used you here.”
But maybe that was for a season.
Maybe that was for the season where I needed someone to teach me very basically how to walk with God.
And now that season has changed, maybe I need more context. Maybe I need more depth.
Or...maybe I can still receive from you, even though you’ve said things that I don’t agree with.
Gasp.
Is that even a possibility in our culture today?
This really came to fruition today, because this has been something that I feel like God has been teaching me as I become a communicator.
Matter of fact, if I’m being really honest...thank You, Lord...I think a lot of this comes from the weight and pressure of stepping into my own calling.
That voice that says, “You’ve got to get it all right.”
And if you intend to say one thing and it’s received another way, that’s going to be scary and painful.
There’s something deep in me that says there’s nothing more detrimental than being misunderstood.
Joel, son of Bill Barnes...who was a con man preacher...there is nothing more detrimental than being misconstrued, misunderstood, having your intentions misrepresented.
And so there is this hypersensitivity inside of me that doesn’t want to get it wrong.
But you know what else it’s doing?
It’s growing my grace.
Today, someone forwarded a message by a pastor that I have listened to.
And I’ve heard this pastor say things that feel like dog-whistle politics...things that sound very Christian, but they are not. Things that sound like, “I believe this because of my Christianity,” but they don’t sound like love.
And I’ve heard a couple of those takes.
But that came after I had already heard 80–90% of what he said...and it was good. Solid teaching. Some of it felt anointed. Some of it felt like the Holy Spirit was in the room.
I’ve seen him unpack Scripture in powerful ways...tie the big story of the Bible, the story of Jesus, prophecy, fulfillment...all of it.
And I’ve vetted it.
Some of it I’m like, “Wow, incredible.”
Some of it I’m like, “I don’t know about that...but it’s interesting.”
And then there’s that 10% where I’m like, “That’s dangerous to teach people.”
So I found myself at a crossroads today when a video of his was shared in our group.
And I thought, “God, I know You’ve used this man...but I don’t know if I should be sharing this man.”
And then I had to ask:
Is that because of the 10% that I’m wary of?
Or can he exist in grace as a human who doesn’t get it right all the time?
And I landed on the latter.
I still follow him.
But I follow him differently.
I feel like I’m armed at this point in my faith journey.
I feel like I’ve been training to hear truth my whole life.
And it started in my youth...under the tutelage of an evil man, a false prophet, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
That was the first way I ever heard the gospel.
The first way I experienced Scripture was as a weapon against me.
And somehow...even then...it didn’t feel like God.
I didn’t even know who God was yet. I was a kid.
But now I’ve got 47 years under my belt.
I know who God is.
I know His goodness.
I know His grace.
I know how often I fall short.
And these pastors...these teachers...they’re human.
They get pulled into politics.
They say things they think represent God...but sometimes they don’t.
And whether it’s intentional or not...that’s real.
But here’s what I do know.
The way I’ve gotten better at discerning...at hearing something and saying, “There’s a hidden agenda here,” or “God, thank You, I feel so affirmed right now,” or “I feel so convicted right now”...
is by taking everything back to God.
Because today...this was a convicting moment for me.
The first thing I did when I saw his face…
I didn’t even hear the message.
I judged him.
“Oh, that guy might be on some nonsense.”
Click.
And then I listened...and it was beautiful.
It was aligned.
It was something I would say.
And I had to sit with that.
So I reached out to the person who shared it, and we wrestled through it together.
And we both kind of landed in that same place of, “Man… this is something.”
Because what do you do when someone is 80–90% aligned...and 10% feels off?
Do you throw them out?
No.
You bring it to God.
You invite wise counsel.
You stay in prayer.
You stay in the Word.
You keep your heart soft...but discerning.
I pray for our leaders.
I pray for our pastors.
I pray for the President of the United States every single day.
Even if I can’t stand 90% of what they say.
Because I’m not receiving from them as a source of spiritual truth...but I still honor the position and pray for the person.
And I think that’s a healthy way to manage it.
Maybe I’m talking in percentages because I’m wired that way.
But honestly...it’s not about the percentages.
You’re safe as long as you’re asking God to be involved in the conversation.
Period.
If something feels off...ask God.
Go to the Bible.
Search it out.
Read before the verse.
Read after the verse.
Look up commentary if you don’t understand.
Ask questions.
Because the only way we’re going to make it through this flood of information is by asking God what He says...more and more and more.
And the more you study the Word, the more you’ll recognize His voice.
You’ll hear something and go, “That doesn’t line up.”
Or, “That’s exactly Him.”
If you hear messages rooted in hate...ask God.
You won’t find Scripture that justifies hate or murder.
Yes, hard things happened in the Bible.
Yes, war existed.
But that is not the same as God endorsing sin.
There are stories in Scripture that are descriptive...not prescriptive.
And we have to understand that.
So I won’t even go deep into that...but it matters.
And so here I am...reflecting on this season.
Pruning what I need to leave behind.
And holding tightly to what God is building in me.
Because what He’s teaching me...I know the world needs.
We need to learn how to filter what we hear.
We need a litmus test for what is from God...and what is not.
We need to understand the difference between truth and manipulation.
Because the enemy loves to divide.
And one of the easiest ways he does that is by turning us against each other...even against the very people trying to share the Gospel.
And I’m just so thankful.
God...you are teaching me how to teach.
You’re teaching me how to preach.
You’re teaching me the weight of this responsibility.
You’ve taken Your time with me in this season.
And even now...I’m in pain...but I’m grateful.
So grateful.
Because even the other day, just talking to someone about what I’m building, they said, “Man, people are going to feel so seen. They’re going to know they’re not alone.”
And that’s what this is all about.
You showed me I wasn’t alone.
You brought people into my life.
You taught me how to filter this world through Your lens.
You helped me bury truth in my heart...and reject what’s not from You.
And I’m just thankful.
And I pray that for anyone listening.
That resources would show up.
That community would show up.
That hunger for Your Word would grow.
That they would find people, small groups, churches...whatever it is...to get closer to You.
So that when something is not from You...they know it.
And when something is...they hold onto it.
Because nothing from You will contradict Your Word.
Ever.
So we can ask:
“What does the Bible say about this?”
And if it’s from You...we’ll find it.
And if it’s not...we let it fall away.
God, thank You for this project.
Thank You for this ministry in its early stages.
I give it all to You.
You know what I need.
You know the timeline.
You know that in 30 days, I’ll be having surgery.
You know the bills between now and then.
Cover them.
I trust You.
In Jesus’ name...amen.
Yo...thank you so much for making it this far.
I know we live in a world of short attention spans, and it’s not lost on me that you stayed with this.
If something stirred in you...engage with it.
Like it.
Share it.
Comment on it.
And if you want to support me, there’s a link below...Buy Me a Coffee.
You can give once, or monthly...whatever you feel led to do.
I’m not shy about asking for support, because I’ve never been more sure that I’m doing exactly what God is calling me to do.
And I know it’s going to change the world.
The vision is big...ending isolation, eradicating loneliness.
That sounds crazy.
But together...we can.
Together...we will.
So thank you for being here.
Like it. Share it. Support it.
Alright...peace out.
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