It is time to come out of captivity, Christian blogger.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. Isaiah 49:9 (NLT)
I know the feeling.
You’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to work.
You spent hours learning about blogging, creating content pillars, and adopting different strategies into your blogging ministry. You’ve even spent money on courses and coaching, but things haven’t worked out.
You are fed up!
Well, what if it is not your strategy? What if there are more deep-seated issues than you see on the surface?
Physical and Spiritual Captivity
Many of us have knowingly or unknowingly lived in bondage for months or years. The enemy has used every strategy and tactic to keep us in bondage so that we don’t use our platforms to spread the Gospel.
We’ve been bound to fear, shame, generational cycles, financial issues, people-pleasing, restrictions by systems, limiting beliefs, procrastination, guilt, or intense spiritual warfare. And these things have blocked us from showing up fully in your blogging ministries.
The past few years have seen some of us abandon blogging completely. Some of us have stopped being consistent, while others have been trying to show up to no avail. We have prayed, fasted, and tried to learn from experts, but things have worsened.
But now God is calling us out of captivity.
No longer will I watch as my Children, Christian bloggers, suffer
Now, someone may ask, why has God been quiet and distant all this while?
Truth be told, God has never been quiet.
But the enemy has been busy doing anything and everything to stop us from hearing the good shepherd’s voice (John 10:14). Most of us have been going through tough times because God has been pruning us. The hard season, or the wilderness, was a place of pruning and preparation for the children of God so that we can bloom into beautiful flowers.
But here is the thing:
The enemy took advantage of that season to kill, steal, and destroy our lives and ministries. He used it as a tool to lead us astray and to bring confusion.
Some of us even gave up.
Thankfully, God’s mercies are new every morning, and today, mercy speaks and says, “Pick yourself up again” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Forget the former things; God is doing something new in your life. It springs forth. Do you see it?
God says He will no longer watch as His children suffer. Your heavenly Father will contend with those that contend with you. The enemy is not permitted to haunt you as he did in your past season. His works over your life are defeated.
It is time to walk in victory.
What does walking in victory look like for a Christian blogger?
Pick your Blogging Ministry Again
For those who had completely given up on Christian blogging (I am raising my hand), it wasn’t God leading you to quit; God is asking you to return and start again. Build that blog again. Share what God is asking you to share with your audience.
Let Go and Let God Teach You New Strategies
For those who have been showing up but things have not been working, God is saying, “Come to me, and let me show you the strategies that will work for your blog from now on.” Yes, you have tried your best, but now it is time to let go of what you know and follow God’s path.
Start Over
Or maybe you have not stopped blogging altogether, but God is calling you to start a fresh blog.
This may mean changing your messaging, strategy, products, or services.
Whatever step God wants you to take, do it even if you don’t understand or see the full picture. He may tell you to pick up something you had given up on; just do it.
I know it is hard because I am going through it right now too. I thought I was going to share certain messages, but this is what God is calling me to do right now. To be your cheerleader as you get back up again.
And just like you, I have all these questions; I am battling doubt too, but look, there is a special grace for us to carry the new assignment.
Remember, this season will not be like last season.
Why have we been in captivity when Jesus already set us free?
Now, we must understand why we have been in captivity for months or years. That way, we will know how to get out of where we are now and go where God wants us to be this season.
This knowledge will also help us stop living in condemnation and not open doors that will take us back to captivity.
So let’s get to it:
Shame
Is a tool the enemy uses to keep us in captivity. He constantly reminds you of your mistakes so you don’t progress in life and ministry.
Maybe you made a mistake in one of your posts in the past, and the devil has used that mistake to taunt and make you feel like you’ll never be a good blogger. It could be something that happened in the past. It could be you treated someone poorly, yet God is asking you to start a blog whose central theme is love and respect.
The thoughts of shame keep holding you back, so you haven’t been showing up how you should.
But the Bible says no more condemnation exists for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). That means no matter what mistake you made in the past, it has been forgiven, and you’re no longer under condemnation. You need to forgive yourself and accept the forgiveness that God is giving you.
Financial issues
The Christian blogging niche is hard to monetize, so most people who start as full-time Christian bloggers give up on their ministries or compromise.
Running a successful ministry requires funds and total commitment. And since it is a source of income for some of us, we need to make a decent living. But building successful blogging ministries or businesses takes time, so most people give up prematurely.
Those who don’t give up keep struggling with their blogs and become bitter and discouraged. And bitterness opens up doors for the enemy to keep us in bondage.
Making money through blogging can also cause us to end up being slaves to the spirit of mammon in that we become desperate to make money off our blogs, so we stop working as unto the Lord and start chasing after quick money or going after what the algorithm wants.
But God is our source, and in this season, He will provide for us supernaturally. We shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer shall we plant and others eat. God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labor in this season. (Psalm 128:2 NLT)
People pleasing
We are here to please God, not man.
Some of us are in situations where we have put people above God. And this has led to a decline in our online ministries. We aren’t doing what God told us to do in the first place. Yes, we started with the right intentions. We wanted to please God and do exactly what He told us to do.
But something happened along the way.
Maybe you fell into the internet pressure of wanting to be popular. It could be you followed a certain trend cause it looked really good and wasn’t against your faith. You wanted to have fun together with your audience, but now jumping from one trend to another has become a way of life. You no longer spend time with God and allow Him to lead your content creation process.
Now it is all about what is trending.
Maybe you entered into a partnership with a particular brand. Everything looked fine on paper, but you didn’t seek God’s guidance. Now you are limited in terms of what you should post. You are no longer bold in your messages. You are sharing watered-down messages to please your sponsors.
You want out of this but feel trapped. You don’t know what to do anymore.
Restrictions of systems
Restrictions by algorithms, social media platforms, and service providers have made it unfavorable for Christian bloggers to thrive online. Christians cannot be vocal on some platforms. They will be banned completely or shadow-banned, where your content will not be shown to potential audiences.
It’s almost like for something to sell online, immorality must be promoted. But then, when you talk about Jesus Christ, you are judged harshly and even condemned.
It has become so difficult for Christians to thrive online with all these restrictions and attacks, and this has caused some people to give up on their ministries.
Restrictions, financial issues, fear, and shame have blocked most people, predominantly Christian bloggers, from thriving. Most of us have been living in captivity because of these issues. Even though we may be doing things right or have the right intentions, we have nothing to show. Some of us are even being ridiculed by people close to us. They think we are not serious or just a lazy bunch.
Thankfully, God sees our hearts, even where we have strayed. And He is rescuing us from this mountain we have circled for a long time. It is time to lift your head high and let God vindicate you.
God is saying, Get up and go forth. Get out of that prison that the world, the enemy, or even you have put yourself into. Pick up that ministry again.
Your season of vindication is here, and God is fighting for you. Every generational cycle has been broken. He has forgiven your sins, and the works of the devil have been destroyed.
It’s time to rise above your limiting beliefs and past pains. Turn to God and do what He is telling you to do.
What to do in this New Season
Follow God’s Path Diligently
Do what the Lord is telling you to do.
Is He calling you to rest and spend time with Him? Then be like Mary, sit at His feet, and learn from Him. Ask God for strategies concerning your blog. Let Him teach you a new way of building your blog. There are good experts, but the Holy Spirit is the best strategist ever. He will teach you all things concerning blogging.
If God is telling you to build or rebuild, start doing that.
Build your blog, start writing posts if you don’t have a blog already set up, and learn about blogging so that you can be well-informed (the blogging world and internet keep changing; we need to keep up).
Pray
Jeremiah 29:12 says to call upon the Lord, pray to Him, and He will answer. God will direct and remove you from the place of captivity and lead you to your promised land.
Praise and Worship
The battle is not yours; the battle is the Lord’s. He’s fighting for you right now. Let go, start praising and worshipping Him in advance, and see what God will do in your life.
It is time for those who have been in the wilderness and captivity to rest. This doesn’t mean you don’t do anything with your blog or life. It means we need to stop depending on our strategies and skills and start looking to Jesus. He knows how, what, and when we need something.
Jesus also knows the things we need for our blogging ministries to thrive. He has already provided them for us through the cross. Our work is to abide, rest, and receive from Him.
Yes, this hasn’t been the easiest journey, but God is asking you to get up and get out of captivity. He wants you to step out in faith.
Will you do that?