What If We Changed What the World Sees When It Opens Social Media?
Every time we open social media, someone has decided what we are going to see.
Someone posted the political argument.
Someone shared the frightening headline.
Someone wrote the angry comment.
Someone uploaded the video.
Someone repeated the rumor.
Someone shared the encouragement.
Someone posted the Scripture.
Someone offered the prayer.
We often talk about social media as though it is something that simply happens to us. We complain about our feeds, algorithms, negativity, division, advertisements, arguments, and endless streams of information competing for our attention. There are legitimate concerns about all of those things, and much of what appears before us is determined by systems we do not control.
But there is another side to the conversation that we may not consider often enough.
Every time we post something, we become part of someone else’s feed.
That means we are not merely consumers of the digital environment around us.
We are contributors to it.
Perhaps the question is not only, “Why is social media filled with so much negativity?”
Perhaps another question is, “What am I putting into it?”
Someone Else Is Seeing What You Post
Philippians 4:8 gives us a familiar instruction:
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”— Philippians 4:8 KJV
We often apply this Scripture to what we allow into our minds, and rightly so. Paul is directing believers toward what should occupy their thoughts.
But perhaps there is another question worth considering in our digital age.
If these are the things we are learning to set our minds upon, what are we continually placing before the minds of other people?
What do people encounter because we were there?
When someone scrolls past something we posted, do they encounter more fear, more anger, more hostility, and more division, or have we contributed something that points toward truth, wisdom, encouragement, hope, or God?
That does not mean Christians should never discuss difficult subjects. It does not mean we should pretend everything is wonderful when it is not. Scripture does not teach us to ignore injustice, avoid truth, or refuse necessary conversations simply because they may make someone uncomfortable.
There is a difference, however, between speaking truth and continually feeding outrage.
There is a difference between addressing something that matters and becoming consumed by everything that makes us angry.
There is a difference between informing people and frightening them.
There is a difference between conviction and contempt.
We should be willing to ask ourselves whether what we continually contribute reflects the Christ we say we follow.
Our Words Do Something
Ephesians 4:29 says:
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”— Ephesians 4:29 KJV
Paul obviously was not writing about Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or any other modern platform. But the principle concerning our words remains remarkably relevant.
Our communication can tear down or build up.
It can wound or encourage.
It can stir anger or minister grace.
In Paul’s day, words were spoken, written in letters, carried by messengers, and shared within communities. Today, we can place words before hundreds or thousands of people with the movement of a finger.
That should make us think carefully about what we are doing with that ability.
We may never know who reads something we post.
Someone may be grieving.
Someone may be afraid.
Someone may have just received terrible news.
Someone may be sitting in a hospital waiting room.
Someone may be struggling in a marriage.
Someone may be worried about a child.
Someone may feel completely alone.
Someone may be questioning whether God sees them.
We cannot possibly know the circumstances of everyone who passes through our digital spaces.
But God does.
What if the Scripture you almost did not post is exactly what someone needed to see?
What if the prayer you considered too simple reminds someone to pray?
What if your encouragement interrupts someone’s fear?
What if one sentence pointing toward God reaches someone who would never walk through the doors of your church?
We often measure influence by numbers.
God may measure it by the one person who needed what we were willing to offer.
We Cannot Control the Algorithm, but We Can Control Our Contribution
Algorithms are designed to determine what content people are most likely to see based on numerous signals, including engagement and behavior. Most of us have very little control over those systems.
We cannot simply decide that tomorrow every social media platform will stop showing negativity.
But we can decide what we contribute.
That distinction matters.
It is easy to feel powerless when we look at something as enormous as the internet. Millions of posts are created. Billions of pieces of information circulate. One prayer can seem insignificant in comparison.
But Scripture never tells us that obedience matters only when we can guarantee large-scale results.
Jesus said:
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”— Matthew 5:14 KJV
Then He continued:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”— Matthew 5:16 KJV
Light does not have to eliminate every piece of darkness before it becomes light.
It simply has to shine.
Perhaps we have spent too much time complaining about the darkness of our digital spaces while forgetting that Jesus already told us what His people are supposed to carry into dark places.
Light.
What If We Flooded the Feed With Something Different?
Imagine opening social media one morning expecting the usual mixture of arguments, advertisements, controversy, political commentary, bad news, celebrity stories, and complaints.
But something is different.
You scroll once and see a prayer for Ohio.
You scroll again and someone in Georgia is praying for families.
Someone in Arizona posts Scripture and prays for wisdom among leaders.
Someone in Pennsylvania prays for schools and teachers.
Someone in California prays for people who feel hopeless.
Someone in Texas is praying for churches.
Someone in Michigan posts encouragement for people struggling financially.
Someone in Florida prays for healing and restoration.
Someone in New York prays for peace.
Someone in another state simply writes, “God, turn our hearts back toward You.”
Then someone shares one of those prayers.
Another person adds their own.
Someone who was not planning to participate sees what is happening and decides to pray too.
Suddenly, prayer is appearing in places normally filled with everything else.
Would every person appreciate it? Probably not.
Would everyone participate? Certainly not.
Would it permanently change the internet? We cannot promise that.
But for one day, we could intentionally change what we contribute to it.
And perhaps that is where change often begins.
What If We Stopped Giving Darkness All the Attention?
There is something else I have been considering.
We often give tremendous attention to the things we oppose.
When something terrible happens, we share it repeatedly. When someone says something outrageous, screenshots circulate everywhere. When controversy erupts, thousands of people repost it, comment on it, argue about it, and keep it moving.
Sometimes sharing information is necessary.
But sometimes we unintentionally amplify the very things we say we are tired of seeing.
What if we became equally intentional about amplifying what is good?
What if we shared prayer as readily as outrage?
What if Scripture traveled through our feeds as quickly as controversy?
What if encouragement received some of the energy we normally reserve for arguments?
What if Christians became known not merely for what we oppose but also for what we bring?
Hope.
Truth.
Prayer.
Compassion.
Wisdom.
Mercy.
Encouragement.
The Gospel.
Paul wrote:
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”— Romans 12:21 KJV
That does not mean ignoring evil.
It means evil does not get to determine who we become in response to it.
Prayer Is Not a Performance
There is an important caution here.
If we are talking about publicly posting prayers, we should also remember what Jesus taught about prayer.
In Matthew 6, Jesus warned against praying publicly for the purpose of being seen and admired by others. He said:
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.”— Matthew 6:5 KJV
Jesus was addressing motive.
He was not teaching that every prayer must always be secret. Scripture contains many examples of public and corporate prayer. The early church prayed together repeatedly.
The issue is whether prayer becomes performance.
There is a difference between posting a prayer because we want people to admire our spirituality and posting a prayer because we want to invite others to seek God with us.
Before we post, perhaps we should ask ourselves, “Who am I trying to make visible?”
If the answer is ourselves, something needs adjusting.
If the desire is to point people toward God, encourage someone, pray for others, or invite people into prayer, then the focus changes.
This is not about showing the internet how spiritual we are.
It is about using whatever influence we have to point beyond ourselves.
Social Media Is Already a Mission Field
Sometimes Christians talk about ministry as though it happens only inside church buildings, organized programs, mission trips, Bible studies, or formal outreach events.
Those things matter.
But consider how many people walk through your digital space every week.
Some of them may never attend your church.
Some may never open a devotional.
Some may never purchase a Christian book.
Some may not currently have anyone in their lives speaking about God.
Yet they may see something you post.
We do not have to turn every post into a sermon.
We do not have to force Scripture into every conversation.
We do not have to become obnoxious, argumentative, or performative.
We simply need to remember that wherever people are, there is an opportunity to represent Christ.
Today, people are online.
That means our digital presence is part of our witness whether we have intentionally thought about it that way or not.
The question is what kind of witness we are creating.
What Are We Feeding?
There is a reason I keep coming back to that word.
Feeding.
Social media platforms are commonly called “feeds.”
We open the feed.
We scroll the feed.
We refresh the feed.
But feeds have to be fed.
Every person posting content contributes something to what eventually appears before someone else.
So perhaps Christians should ask:
What are we feeding into the feed?
Are we feeding fear?
Are we feeding hostility?
Are we feeding endless political contempt?
Are we feeding gossip?
Are we feeding rumors we have not verified?
Are we feeding discouragement?
Are we feeding the idea that everything is hopeless?
Or are we feeding something different?
Truth.
Prayer.
Scripture.
Wisdom.
Compassion.
Hope.
Encouragement.
Words that remind people that God is still God.
This does not mean pretending our nation is fine.
Prayer is not denial.
In fact, prayer acknowledges that there are things beyond our ability to repair ourselves.
When we pray, we are not saying there is no problem.
We are saying the problem is not greater than God.
Imagine One Day
This is the thought I cannot seem to shake.
What if believers from all fifty states intentionally chose one day to fill social media with prayer?
Not one church.
Not one denomination.
Not one political party.
Not one ministry.
Believers.
People praying for their own states and for the nation as a whole.
People posting Scriptures.
People encouraging one another.
People praying for leaders whether they voted for them or not.
People praying for families, communities, schools, churches, first responders, the military, the elderly, children, people who are hurting, people who feel forgotten, and people who desperately need hope.
What if, instead of merely talking about everything that is wrong with America, we spent one day intentionally lifting America before God?
And what if we did not keep those prayers hidden?
What if we posted them so that other people could see them, join them, share them, and add their own?
Maybe the algorithm notices.
Maybe it does not.
But people will.
And people matter more than algorithms.
You Do Not Need a Platform
Perhaps you are thinking, “I don’t have many followers.”
That does not matter.
You do not need ten thousand followers to pray.
You do not need a ministry.
You do not need a blue checkmark.
You do not need a microphone.
You do not need professional graphics.
You do not need perfect words.
You need a voice.
And you already have one.
Maybe twenty people see your prayer.
Maybe five do.
Maybe one does.
If that one person pauses and prays with you, then two people who may be miles apart have turned their attention toward God together.
That sounds a lot like where we began this series.
One accord.
Different people.
Different places.
One God.
What Will You Put Into the World?
We cannot control everything that appears on social media.
We cannot control what everyone else says.
We cannot control every argument, headline, controversy, or opinion.
But we can control what leaves our own hands.
We can decide whether our words add to the noise or interrupt it.
We can decide whether our posts contribute to fear or remind people where hope is found.
We can decide whether we merely complain about darkness or carry light into it.
On December 1, 2026, I am inviting believers across all fifty states to do exactly that.
Pray.
Then post your prayer.
Share Scripture.
Encourage someone.
Pray for your state.
Pray for another state.
Pray for our leaders.
Pray for our communities.
Pray for our families.
Pray for our nation.
Fill your corner of the internet with something that points people toward God.
You may not be able to change the entire algorithm.
But you can change what you put into it.
And if enough of us make that same decision on the same day, perhaps the better question is not whether we can change an algorithm.
Perhaps the question is:
What might God do when His people decide to use their voices together?
Much Love
~Gayla~
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