allume

real light living

Is Your Blog Truly for Him?

By

2055959594_8024c2ceba_z

Photo Credit

God has been digging deep into my blogging world lately. He’s been digging into my heart, asking me to check my motives behind my writing. He’s been probing me to think about whether or not my blogging space, my online home, is really about Him. He’s been asking me to think about whether I promote Him, or I promote myself.

And although I’d like to say that He uncovered a heart purely for Him and a blog solely focused on His glory, that would not be the truth.

If we’re not careful, this blogging world can teach us that in order to “succeed” we must promote ourselves. It can teach us that we have to put ourselves out there to make our face and name known. Although I do believe most readers want to know about the writer they are connecting with, it’s easy for us to push Him to the side, making our online space about our own self-promotion, allowing for those ugly “self-hyphenated” words to get in our way of truly living for Him {Words like self-promotion, self-centered, self-sufficiency, self-absorption, self-exaltation, self-indulgence, etc}.

He has given each of us bloggers a platform, and whether it’s big or small, it is a platform. It is a place where He allows us to share inspired words with those willing to listen. It is a privilege.

It’s so easy for us to portray Him as the center of our words. It’s so easy for us to look as though He is the reason we are doing what we’re doing. But is He really? Our readers may not know our heart, but He certainly does.

“For He knows the secrets of the heart“- Psalm 44:21

We can so easily deceive ourselves into thinking we’re making it about Him, when really we soak up the comment love we receive as praise to ourselves, our skills and our words. We so easily claim His blessings and His favor as our own accomplishments.

I’m tired of it. I’m tired of relying on my online space to give me value. I’m tired of the number of comments I get or the number of shares I receive dictating my mood or the direction of my day.

His heart-check was successful, and He’s asking me to lay my heart {and blog} down before Him.

And so I’ve started laying these things before Him each time I sit at my computer. Every time I log on to disseminate thoughts and feelings to those who visit my online space, I give it over to Him. I ask Him to be in, through, and over my writing {Ephesians 4:6}. I ask Him to make my heart, my words and my motives purely about Him. I know it seems simple, but I’m so quick to claim the words I type on the page as my own, instead of asking Him to cover them, anoint them, and guard them.

And so I encourage you to go before Him every time you write. Ask Him to show you your heart. Ask Him to dissect your reasons for putting those words on the screen.

Is it for His glory, or is it for yours?

Because it you’re anything like me, you may desperately need a heart-check.

By Mandy Scarr

Comments

  1. I think this is something we need to constantly be evaluating. I try to stay on track by asking God to lay on my heart what He wants me to write about as I plan my posts every week. And then ask Him to guide my writing as I’m doing it. And to keep it to the focus of glorifying Him and ministering to my readers. It is very easy to let self sneak in. But, then you just bring it back to the cross. Thanks for sharing your heart. This is something we all struggle with-whether admitted or not.

  3. Mandy,
    This is something similar to what this media-gal (freelancer) experienced recently. I was giving every word to Him and asking Him that they be His own, for His glory. My issue was that I was relying on “man” (readers) to give me approval (encouragement by “likes”, comments, shares, etc) simply because I was hopeful for the “effect” of these words to shine in lives. I thanked Him for these things but what he showed me was my media work was a blessing set ASIDE from my blogging ministry. So even for those who don’t have a career that is similar the key is to keep the calling seperate from the other. A lot of bloggers are having this laid on their hearts right now. A LOT! I say it this way – keep the duties seperate from the beauties. God bless you as you seek Him for every part and portion!
    Heather
    40YearWanderer.com

  4. There’s much I could say about this topic right now, but I won’t. Just know, Mandy, that incredibly similar thoughts were flowing through my own brain today. I wrote them all in my journal to help me remember why I’m writing and and for WHOM I’m writing. I am so very convicted by this post, reading it was just an obvious confirmation of what God was nudging me about, as well as a warning me NOT to do something I’d planned on doing on my blog today. I’m grateful for your obedience to God by writing this.

  5. Thank you for your honesty, and for expressing what many of us need to bring before God repeatedly. I know I am continually bringing this before God, and asking Him to give me His perspective and His focus. It is not easy to keep the right perspective in this self-gratifying world that we live in. Thanks for sharing your heart …

  9. Thank you for being so transparent about this. I have waffled back and forth in this area since I began blogging a few years ago. Sometimes I feel like I should promote more so that that I have more readers, but then again, don’t want to promote me, I want to promote Him. Being a “pleaser” who always needs the approval from others, it is difficult for me to avoid measuring the fruit of what I write by comments and followers. It’s hard to go for post after post and with no feedback, then the enemy begins to tell me that what I’m doing is a waste of time and doesn’t matter anyway.

    But – if it’s completely for His glory, I will only really want to please Him and the word tells me that I can’t please both God and man. I can’t measure His pleasure by man’s feedback. Thank you for reminding me to check my motives, I appreciated your post.

    • Thank you, Amy! I am a pleaser too–but you’re right we cannot please God and man, and just like you, I want to choose Him every time—I pray that we both seek Him in our words and actions, and writing above man’s approval!

  10. I loved this Mandy. So true. I need this reminder. I penned a writer’s prayer as part of an incourage group I’m in a month or so ago, intending to read it out loud before each and every post. Can you guess what’s happened? I’ve forgotten nearly every time. I think I should laminate it to my laptop 😉

  11. Thank you for this! I’ve been wondering if I should do more to draw readers to my blog, but to me that smacks of self-promotion. When I get a comment or a “like” I do have to remind myself that it’s not “my” praise, but praise for the One who inspired the words. I don’t want my life to be ruled by the number of followers, or comments, or “likes” that I get. My job is to write the words that God gives me to write and leave the rest up to Him.

    • Kim, I think all writers will struggle with this–and I love that you see your words as inspired by Him. I think if we all come back to that–every day–it will give us the right perspective!

  12. Wow – I was just thinking about this earlier today. I had a good heart to heart with myself about my purpose for blogging and why I continued to write. It’s a daily struggle to come to the computer with the right focus. Thank you for the reminder!

    • Kayln,
      I’m so amazed to see how many of us struggle with this! I guess it’s easy to think that I’m the only one–but really we all struggle with letting our prideful flesh in the way! Thank you for sharing that you can relate!

  13. Mandy, thank you for this. I only write when I’m lead. I have a fill full of half-written posts that were me, just me. Sometimes I am able to prayerfully return to those starts and try again. Mostly, the file is a reminder that I am merely a vessel, nothing without Him.
    Beautiful message.
    Peace and good, and thanks again for the message on broken pieces. That spoke to my heart…
    Chelle

  14. Excellent…truly! I think you speak for so many of us, as there are so many of us. And we’re so prone to comparison and selfishness. Well at least I am. I love the idea of laying it before Him. Please God help me to surrender all!

  15. Mandy, we are on the same page. I have been wondering if I should stop linking up and just write for the Lord as a discipline. I mentioned this on Chatting at the Sky a few days ago. I feel the tug of the world to try have have control of what belongs to the God…that would be everything about me! I love meeting new people that linkups provide, but I also know that I hold back when I know the blog will be linked. I am still praying in that direction asking God for wisdom and the courage to “not step out”.

Categories

Archives

Google+