5-Day Devo: How Are You Getting Connected?

By Stephen Puricelli

In the world of advertisement and marketing, a trend has picked up momentum in the last year, called Influencer Marketing. Essentially, Influencer Marketing  is what happens when a company or brand finds someone with a large online following and pays that person (the “influencer”) to recommend the company’s product or post pictures of it online.

Brands are starting to notice that this way of marketing is very cost-effective. More and more people are going online and listening to influencers for buying advice because they’re weary of commercials and other traditional advertising. In fact, 74% of people today use social media for purchasing advice!

Influencers are more comfortable to us because they hang out in our digital neighborhood. We follow them on Instagram or Twitter, we connect with them, and they seem just like you and me—not some boardroom marketing team that’s trying to trick us into a purchase. Social influencers are nothing new—they just have a new playground for their influence to affect us. It’s online. It’s all the time. And anyone can connect with them.

So, here's the question:

• Who or what is influencing you?
• How are you getting connected to what matters most?

Several times a year, our ministries are kicking into full gear with honest spiritual influencers who aren’t here to sell you some product, but who truly want to help you in your faith journey. No matter what season of life you’re in or the place you find yourself in your walk with Jesus, you can find that next step here at this church.

Why not let God, His Word, and His church become your influencers? We’re here. We’re available. And we don’t just hang out in your digital neighborhood, but in your literal neighborhood too.

Daily Devotional: Connecting with God

Day 1: God Is For You

READ: Romans 8:31-39

God is for you. Nothing from your past and nothing from your future can separate you from His love. The key is remembering God loves you no matter what. It’s your choice whether or not you respond to His love.

RESPOND: What makes it so easy to forget that God is for us? Make a list of the things in your life that remind you of God’s unfailing love.

Day 2: God Is Before and Behind You

READ: Psalm 139

God is fully present with you all the time. Though it’s tempting to think God doesn’t know your deepest secrets, He does—even better than you do. He knows your thoughts and heart, so there’s no faking, fooling, or tricking Him. He invites you to always be open and honest with Him.

RESPOND: Is there anything in your life that you might be withholding from God? Anything you haven’t brought before Him in prayer? Today, find freedom in leaving it with Him, knowing that His love for you never fails.

Day 3: God Is with You

READ: Matthew 28:18-20

These are Jesus’ final words on earth. He entrusts us with His mission of going into the world to represent Him, sharing His love with others. But He doesn’t leave us alone. Jesus promises to be with you always—He will never leave nor forsake you.

RESPOND: Think about a time when it felt like God was far away. Then think about a time when He felt near. How did you respond differently to those two moments?

Day 4: God Is in You

READ: John 14:23 & Ephesians 2:22

God makes His home in you. In the Old Testament, God dwelled among His people in the Tabernacle (a mobile tent) and the Temple (a fixed building). But now, if you have placed your faith in His Son Jesus, God’s Spirit makes you the temple for His Spirit.

RESPOND: When you look in the mirror, do you see yourself as the Temple of God? As you go about your day, do you remember the Holy Spirit is going with you? If not, what might be holding you back from embracing that truth?

Day 5: God Works through You

READ: Jude 22-23

Not only does God save you as soon as you put your faith in Christ, but He also uses you in His work of saving others as well. Your story, your past, and your future can all be used by God to reach someone with the love and grace of Jesus.

RESPOND: Who has God uniquely placed in your path that you can pray for today?