The perpetual surge of spiritual content on social media reveals a hunger in the world and an aching in the body of Christ. Though I am thankful for how ministers are sharing the gospel across various platforms, I wonder if people are being discipled by algorithms. People are searching for spiritual content when what they need is spiritual communion. People are searching for insight and revelation to add to their spiritual toolkit, forgetting that true revelation comes from a true relationship with the Lord. This intimacy cannot be skipped over, for it is the inner compass that discerns truth from counterfeit.

In our information, click, scroll saturated age, there’s a tendency to substitute theological content consumption for relational development. We can easily mistake having more spiritual information for actual spiritual growth. But knowledge about God is not the same as knowing God intimately.

We have to distinguish between relational knowledge and theological knowledge. Relational knowledge is experiential and personal, it comes from direct communion with God through prayer, worship, and mediating on the Word. Theological knowledge is cognitive and informational and encompasses doctrines, scriptural understanding, and religious education. These two dimensions are distinct but complementary in a healthy spiritual life. Relational takes priority.

Why? Because our Lord built people before He built the church. Jesus accomplished this by building relationships with the 12, and it was after the relationship was built that the Holy Spirit came and solidified their theology, which was built from their relationship, bringing all things to their remembrance. There are many who are generating content from theological knowledge, appearing anointed, sharing spiritual appetizers and catch phrases that they have not even formed in themselves through intimacy. Again, revelation and discernment are not built on phrases, but by being in close proximity. “Draw me, we will run after thee, the King has brought me into His chambers.”

The enemy demonstrated theology in the wilderness but had no relationship. The Pharisees were experts in the law but following it did not translate to a relationship. Contrast this with David who cultivated a relationship while tending sheep and John the Baptist, far removed from the rabbis, developed a relationship in the wilderness which the theology of the Pharisees could not contend with.

We search for clarity in books, podcasts, videos and reels, but no YouTube prophet can instill in you what can only come from the Shepherd’s voice. “My sheep hear my voice.” This means inner and outer dialogue. We are taught to press into prayer and praise, and we must press into the Word as well. Theological understanding received online is not a substitute for our personal need to wrestle with the scriptures. The metrics of spiritual growth aren’t measured by how many sermons we’ve consumed or how many Bible study apps we’ve downloaded, but by the depth of our communion with the living God.

False prophets thrive off lack of intimacy. Our relationship can be subtly constructed based on bad or contaminated theology. The imbalance of time spent absorbing their content versus pressing into the Word is what’s concerning. They become our compass as opposed to the whisper Elijah heard. Their platform had the look, they had the tone, the articulation, but we lacked the necessary time spent with the Lord to discern the spirit behind the man or woman.

In the season where the enemy has numerous tools at his disposal to engage in spiritual psychological warfare, the only way to navigate spiritual deception is to walk closely with truth, for how can you know truth without walking with truth? Truth not relationally planted cannot be spiritually lived or recognized. If you want greater revelation, then go deeper in your relationship. The deeper the relationship, the clearer the revelation and the lens of discernment to navigate deception.