Category: Disciple (Page 1 of 19)

Honesty moment—what’s the first thing you reach for in the morning? Is it your Bible or your phone?

For most people, it’s not even a question. The phone wins. Emails, texts, social media, news updates—it all floods in before our feet even hit the floor. And whether we admit it or not, that little device isn’t just a tool; it’s become our most dominant teacher.

Who’s or What’s Really Discipling You?

Discipleship is about shaping your thoughts, priorities, and habits. It’s about what you allow to guide you, correct you, and influence your decisions. So a simple equation that I like to use. Time equals devotion and if time equals devotion, then for many Jesus Followers, TikTok is their pastor, Instagram is their small group, and Google is their theologian.

We have more access to God’s Word than any generation before us. Sermons are a click away. Bible apps are everywhere. But instead of feeding on Scripture, we binge content that disciples us in distraction, outrage, comparison, and self-indulgence.

Jesus calls us to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), but for too many of us, the only thing we pick up daily is our phone.

Your Phone Is Winning the Battle for Your Mind

Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The problem? Our phones are shaping our minds way more than the Word of God.

Think about it:

• Social media tells you what to care about. If it’s trending, it must be important, right? But how often do trending topics align with the things of God?
• Algorithms decide what you see. Every scroll, every click, every “like” trains your feed to shape your worldview.
• Your attention span is being rewired. If content doesn’t hook you in three seconds, you move on. No wonder it’s hard to focus on prayer or Scripture.

This has become far more than a bad habit. It’s spiritual warfare. The enemy doesn’t need to drag you into deep sin—he just needs to keep you distracted enough that you never grow. And the enemy is not the person who sees the world differently than you do! The enemy is the one who doesn’t want you to thrive in every area of life.

Are You Using Your Phone, or Is It Using You?

We love to say, “Phones aren’t bad, it’s just how you use them.” That’s true—to a point. But let’s not kid ourselves. Most of us aren’t using our phones to memorize Scripture and evangelize. We’re wasting hours on empty entertainment, comparing our lives to filtered versions of other people that we don’t even know! Not to mention numbing ourselves with constant noise.

Conviction moment…

• Do you check your phone more than you pray?
• Do you read notifications more than Scripture?
• Do you mindlessly scroll when you could be sitting in silence with God?
• Do you get more anxious when your phone dies than when you left the Bible on the chair at church?

If your phone gets more devotion than Jesus, it’s time for a change.

Reclaim Your Discipleship

You don’t have to throw your phone in the ocean (even though some of us might need to). But you do need to take control before it takes control of you.

Here are a few places to start:

1. Bookend Your Day with God. Keep your phone away from your bed. Start and end your day in Scripture and prayer—before any screen. Don’t overthink this one. Tell Jesus about your day. Ask him about the day in front of you. That’s it! No fancy words. No canned jargon. Just you and Jesus and sharing what’s on your mind.
2. Fast from the Feed. Take breaks from social media. Maybe one day a week. Maybe a whole month. Watch how your mind clears. If that makes you twitch a little, then consider setting aside no notification times. I often use the Do Not Disturb function on my phone. No emails, texts, social notifications come through at all! Ok there are a few who get emergency rights but those are very limited!
3. Don’t Remove, Replace. If you cut out screen time but don’t replace it with time in the Word, prayer, or actual connection with other humans, you’ll just fill the gap with something else empty. It’s far too easy to fall back into bad habits if we don’t replace those with something good. Not eating donuts won’t be of much benefit if we don’t replace that with some good, healthy sources of protein.
4. Ask: Who’s Forming Me? Before you open an app, ask, Is this helping me become more like Jesus? If the answer is no, maybe it’s time to rethink your habits. Now this one about made some of you throw your device against the wall. This doesn’t mean that all tech is bad. Hey I’m writing this on my laptop using the internet! Just set specific times when you can aimlessly graze on stuff. If it’s not in your grazing time, then fill yourself with something beneficial and filling.

It’s Time to Choose Your Master

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Right now, many of us are trying to serve both Jesus and our phones—and let’s be real, our phones are winning.

But they don’t have to.

You can take control. You can change your habits. You can choose to let Jesus, not a screen, shape your heart, mind, and soul.

So the question is—who’s discipling you? Jesus? Or the idol in your pocket?

Something is wrong with the American church.

Just look around. Our pews are emptying, not filling. Our younger generations are leaving, not staying. In a world desperate for truth, love, and purpose, we’re offering shallow programs, culture wars, and clichés. We preach grace but practice judgment. We sing about God’s power while hoarding human control. The gap between the Jesus of the Bible and the Christianity we practice has grown so wide it threatens to swallow us whole.

We need a new Reformation.

The original Reformation in the early 1500s, led by Martin Luther and several others, exposed how far the church had strayed from the gospel. At its core the Reformation was a cry to return to Scripture and reclaim God’s authority. They dealt with issues of indulgences (selling of forgiveness) and excessive emphasis on paying for salvation with good deeds and with money.

Today, the issue isn’t selling indulgences; it’s peddling irrelevance. We’ve exchanged the radical call of Jesus to love God and neighbor for cheap entertainment, partisan politics, and a consumer mindset.

We’ve turned church into a product—marketed, polished, and packaged to please the masses. And when people inevitably see through the facade, they leave. Some leave the faith altogether. Others leave for churches that embrace authenticity, however messy it may be.

The Weight of Our Failure

This is where the pain sets in. We’re not just losing attendees; we’re losing credibility. The broader culture sees the church as judgmental, hypocritical, and frankly out of touch. How can we blame them? We preach about the sanctity of life while ignoring the cries of the marginalized. We talk about Jesus’ love but fail to embody that love in our own homes, neighborhoods, and communities.

It’s easy to point fingers at the culture for abandoning Christian values. But maybe the culture didn’t abandon us. Maybe we abandoned the Jesus they need to see.

This is bigger than declining numbers or shrinking influence. It’s about souls. People are walking away from the hope of Jesus because they don’t see it in us.

The good news? Reformation isn’t about destruction; it’s about renewal. The first Reformation didn’t burn the church to the ground. It called it back to its foundation. Today’s Reformation must do the exact same thing.

We don’t need better branding. We need deeper discipleship. We don’t need bigger buildings. We need communities that feel like family. And we certainly don’t need more culture wars. We need to take up the only war Jesus called us to fight: against sin, darkness, and injustice.

This new Reformation must start with humility. The American church doesn’t need a PR strategy; it needs repentance. Let’s confess where we’ve put comfort over calling, self-righteousness over servanthood, and fear over faith.

The church also needs courage. The truth is, a reformed church won’t make everyone happy. But our goal isn’t to please people; it’s to glorify God. Let’s have the guts to challenge the idols we’ve built in His name—idols of politics, tradition, and power.

A reformed church could be a breathtaking force for good. Imagine churches known for their generosity, not their greed. Imagine Christians famous for their kindness, not their outrage. Imagine communities transformed because the love of Jesus shines so brightly that people can’t help but be drawn to it.

We’ve seen glimpses of this throughout history. The early church grew because it loved so radically that outsiders said, “See how they love one another!” The Wesleyan revival in England led to societal reforms that changed the nation. The Jesus Movement of the 70s brought countless young people to faith.

God isn’t done with His church. But He’s waiting for us to stop clinging to the past and start embracing His future.

The new Reformation won’t come from church growth seminars or celebrity pastors. It will come from ordinary Christians rediscovering what it means to follow Jesus. It will come from pastors bold enough to preach the gospel and lead with integrity. It will come when we stop playing church and start being the church.

Let’s not wait for someone else to start it. Revival begins in hearts, homes, and local congregations like yours and mine. Let’s pray for it. Let’s work for it. Let’s believe for it.

The world doesn’t need more American Christianity. It needs more Jesus. Are we ready to give it to them?

If your faith only shows up on Sunday, then you’re missing the whole point. Christianity isn’t a “Sunday-only” deal. It’s not about showing up for an hour of worship, saying all the right things, and then living the other six days of the week on autopilot. True discipleship means intentionally following Jesus 24/7—living your life as if you actually believe what you say you believe. It’s about letting your faith shape every part of your life, not just your church life.

So, here’s the hard truth: discipleship doesn’t stop when the benediction is over. In fact, that’s when it really begins. Discipleship is about aligning your life with Jesus, not just in words but in action, day in and day out. It’s about living with purpose, prioritizing people, and sharing the love of Christ in real, tangible ways.

Ready to go beyond Sunday? Here are three practical ways to live out discipleship in your everyday life.

1. Show Up for People

Discipleship isn’t just about Bible studies and prayer groups. It’s about bringing Christ’s love into every setting. You know all those places where you live, work, and play. Contrary to popular belief: you don’t have to preach sermons to share Jesus (actually please don’t!), but you can live in a way that makes people wonder, What’s different about them? Make it your goal to show up for people with empathy, integrity, and respect. Don’t just say you care – actually care! When a coworker’s struggling, don’t brush it off—take the time to listen. Offer a word of encouragement. Ask how you can help.

Start each day with a prayer asking God to help you see your coworkers and neighbors through Jesus’ eyes. When they feel genuinely valued and cared for, you’re living out discipleship in a way that speaks louder than words. This is kingdom work in the everyday grind.

2. Turn Your Home into a Faith Training Ground

Family life is messy and busy, but it’s also the perfect training ground for discipleship. If you’re a parent, don’t let faith only show up in mealtime prayers, as if you need help not choking on your food. Talk about God openly and naturally with your kids. Share stories of how you’ve seen God work in your life, in big and small ways. Ask them what they think about God, what questions they have, and how they’d like to pray.

If you live with friends or roommates, this applies to you too—make room for open conversations about faith, accountability, and growth. Choose one night a week to read a short Bible passage together and discuss it over dinner. Make your home a place where talking about Jesus is natural, not forced or weird.

3. Post with Purpose

Let’s face it, social media is where many of us spend far too much time. And for a good number of us, it’s a breeding ground for comparison, anger, and divisiveness. But here’s a radical idea: what if you treated your online presence as part of your discipleship? This doesn’t mean you need to start plastering Bible verses on every post, but it does mean using your influence wisely. Before you post, ask yourself: Does this bring people closer to God or push them away?

I’d recommend this approach to text messages and emails as well because I’ve been on the receiving end of some less than God honoring emails and texts in my life.

A good practice is to share content that reflects the hope, peace, and love you find in Jesus. Engage in conversations that are meaningful rather than mindless. Be intentional about the way you represent yourself online, and let your social media reflect the faith you live out every day.

And don’t have hard conversations over any form of media. Challenging topics should always be covered face to face when at all possible. And if face to face can’t happen, a phone call is the next best option. You’re not going to win someone over through a text, email or social media conversation.

True discipleship means living your faith boldly every day, not just in a pew on Sunday. When you start seeing every part of your life—work, family, even social media—as an opportunity to follow Jesus, you’ll find that discipleship isn’t just a “church thing.” It’s a life thing. So, take the next step. Don’t let your faith be a Sunday-only affair. Let it shape who you are every single day.

It’s time to face an uncomfortable truth: someone else’s win doesn’t mean you’re losing. We’ve all felt it—the sting of jealousy when a friend gets a promotion, the bitterness when someone achieves something for which we’re still praying. It’s easy to think, “Why not me?” That thought right there? It’s toxic. It’s what’s called scarcity mindset creeping in, whispering lies that there isn’t enough for everyone.

But that’s a load of garbage!

God is not running out of blessings. His abundance is limitless. Stop acting like His blessings are on backorder just because someone else’s life is flourishing. When you see others succeed, your gut reaction shouldn’t be to shrink in self-pity. Instead, throw them a fist bump, celebrate, and trust that God is still in control. If God’s doing amazing things for them, He’s in the neighborhood—your blessing might be just around the corner.

Scarcity tells you that someone else’s success means less for you. It says there’s only so much to go around, and if they get it, you’re stuck with scraps at best. But the Bible blows that lie out of the water. Philippians 4:19 tells us, “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” There’s no cap on God’s goodness.

When we cling to a scarcity mindset, we lose sight of what we actually have. We get so caught up in envy, we forget about the resources, talents, and opportunities already in our hands. God has uniquely equipped YOU to fulfill His purpose for your life. So why are you wasting time comparing your journey to someone else’s?

Here’s the truth: someone else’s blessing doesn’t put you in a drought. We need to reprogram our thinking. You can celebrate others and still pray for your own breakthrough. God’s grace isn’t a pie with limited slices—it’s endless. If we stop grasping for what others have and start thanking God for His provision, we’ll realize how much He’s already given us.

So the next time someone around you wins, drop the scarcity mindset. Cheer them on, and while you’re at it, pray with faith that God’s going to keep showing up for you, too. Then take a second to give thanks for the things you do have in life. We all have something for which we can give thanks. Recognizing blessings is a sure fire way to see that you have more than you thought.