Transitioning Online Content With Changing Beliefs

To Start Anew Or Continue On?

If you’re a content creator and/or an online business owner you’ve probably felt the pressure of having your work and skill under the scrutiny of the public eye. It’s difficult to hide anything from the public once it’s been released if you have thousands of eyes on you and your businesses. With an online presence most of us know from experience that stepping into a public role requires thick skin.

After all, no matter what we do as creatives someone will most likely have an opinion about our background, choices, appearance, and abilities. Some people can be cruel when they’re hiding behind a keyboard. Some people are flat out mean to our faces and behind our backs, too! It simply comes with the territory. The only way to stop criticism, negative or positive, is to simply stop creating and stop sharing your work publicly.

We can all agree it takes courage to be open with strangers online when you’re making a living off your creations. So, here’s one dilemma. What do you do with content/product that no longer fits with your values and doesn’t align with what you want to do anymore?

Let’s say you had an entirely different audience and customer base before your views changed. Perhaps now you have to decide whether to start fresh, with experience under your belt, or to transition to new things with the same crowd of supporters. You could possibly archive your work, stop selling certain products, leave content up as a testimony of where you’ve come from, or edit and delete content. These are only a few options.

Personally, I didn’t have many subscribers on YouTube before I left my new age account and became a Christian. This blog is also fairly new. It wasn’t a big deal for me to edit and delete the content God wanted to be trashed. Maybe this was my blessing in disguise from God to make my transition from new age, spiritual content to Christian, spiritual content much easier!

However, for some of you with a large amount of supporters online that’s not the case. You were popular and now people don’t like you (or may not like you anymore) due to your new beliefs and how you want to use your voice and talents. I can sympathize with you on that. The public can be brutal with their insults and assumptions about your new life choices. It may seem like an overwhelming transition, but trust that you are being led by God, and not by your own understanding, when you choose to stay in alignment with your core values instead of throw them out the window for societal approval or money.

On the bright side, God will use all things for our good and His glory, even those nasty comments, “failed” business practices, weird DMs, and gossiping mouths. Nothing we go through, no matter how embarrassing or hurtful, will be used as weapons against us when it comes to our Father in Heaven. He wouldn’t have called you out of your old ways if He didn’t already have a plan on how He was going to use you next! It’s nice that we can have that peace of mind when we’re faced with these decisions.

Choosing God Over The Glory Of Man

When it came to my dilemma of starting fresh or continuing on with the same audience I went to God first. He is our Father, our counselor, and holds all knowledge about our lives and future. I asked Him to help me make the right decision. I asked Him to reveal to me what I needed to do to live for His Kingdom and not to please other people or live in sin. I set a date to officially decide what I was going to do (New Year’s Eve 2021) and prayed for wisdom each time I opened my online profiles.

God works in ways He knows will speak directly to us. If we ask for a specific sign from God, be prepared to see and feel it when we are being directed to a better path!

For example, before I took the leap to delete my old content I would randomly stumble upon “new age to Jesus” testimonies on YouTube. I would start seeing Christian posts on Instagram and scriptures I remembered from growing up Catholic. I started to see the Jezebels and Ahabs for who they were under their filters. I saw through the evil devices of the enemy on Snapchat (lustful images) and realized that Satan’s agenda was only benefiting from my energetic presence in these places. Personally, I couldn’t focus on God’s plan for me and what the world wanted from me at the same time. Even after gaining a random 1.5k views on an art video I made during this time, I knew within a few days what my answer was.

As it states in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.“

God used all of this as a test of my Faith. He gave me the choice to stay in the world and have all the approval I wanted, or to sit with Him at His feet and learn how to begin again with proper wisdom and better intentions.

I remember being torn between choosing a worldly lifestyle, making more money and friends, and choosing a more righteous lifestyle and being mocked or misunderstood. As emotionally hard as it was to download my data, delete social media accounts associated with new age, leave friendships based on God’s judgement, unsubscribe from channels I loved to watch daily, and tell all my followers goodbye, it was easier than I’d imagined with God by my side.

At first, it was uncomfortable adjusting to the transition and it was tedious re-working all of my business plans, yet there was this sense of freedom in what I had done. I was no longer living an online lifestyle that displeased God. I was no longer faced with temptations to dive deeper into the occult and stray away from my core values. I was no longer focused on my appearance all the time. I no longer cared about what I was “supposed” to do gain the favor of my peers, to be seen according to generated algorithms, and to have a higher chance at earnings and visibility.

The scripture that comforted me in my moments of doubt (because I was attached to my old lifestyle) was Matthew 6:33. This verse states, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

I had to ask myself, “Do I really trust in God’s plan for me, or do I just want what is familiar, what is already known, and what has been proven to make money and get me views?”

Of course, as public artists, writers, musicians, business owners etc. we want people to see our work and value our skills. We also want to be able to make a profit and expand our enterprises. Some of us have a strong desire to help as many people as we can and we aren’t too concerned about the money, yet we all need our basic necessities. We all want to feel seen and liked in some ways.

What I’ve come to know, see, and believe is that God will provide all you need in the right timing when you walk alongside Him in all you do, create, and think. He is the best boss to work for! And He will tell you what to post, what to write, how to go about your website, etc. He will graciously help you if you let Him.

It Isn’t About You When You’re Called By God

The real, inner dilemma we may face before transitioning content and re-working business plans comes from us turning to the world for identity, purpose and validation. Whether you’re coming from new age or simply wishing to create new content for the Lord, it’s important we don’t rush in without analyzing why we decided to partner with the world in the first place.

Perhaps we were getting satisfaction living a sinful lifestyle because it made us believe we were important and our skills were up to par with who we viewed as the best in our field. Perhaps we were making connections with people at the top before deciding to change our ways. We didn’t want to lose those connections. Maybe some of us simply believed creating popular content, hiding our true colors, and turning away from our spiritual beliefs would keep money flowing, customers happy and ultimately provide us with more freedom.

This is a tricky deceitfulness. It keeps people trapped from living out their true calling and accumulating an abundance of wealth on earth and in Heaven. It keeps people unhappy and unfulfilled when they have to shun their innermost being to be well received. Money can’t fill the voids in our heart and neither can turning away from God’s purpose for our life. All of us can be well-off and well-known without having to sacrifice our ethics, beliefs, and creativity. There is freedom in Christ and freedom in knowing you work for a mighty God!

Yes, certain content will make you rich on this earth and certain content will earn you favor in the public eye. Performing a song by Doja Cat might bring you popularity over singing songs that praise God, but people often forget that earthly rewards will stay earthly when it’s our time to say farewell. Having the attention of millions might be nice when you’re living a worldly lifestyle, but when you are faced with choosing your morals over societal approval, will you be fond of those millions of people sending you hate, questioning the skills you know you have, and turning against you? Think of how many people would turn against Doja Cat if she suddenly became an outspoken Christian and dressed modestly! It could be a great testimony, but following God from the start would’ve definitely saved her time and energy.

Sometimes we might experience heartbreak in the process of losing what we had gained from misusing and misplacing our talents.

The harsh truth is that life simply goes on if nobody likes our posts. Life goes on whether you have an online presence or not. There will always be content and new businesses starting up. There will always be newer artists and bestselling authors. However, there won’t always be a you, and there won’t always be time to choose to use your talents for the good of the generations to come. And as we can see based on the chaos of the world, Judgement Day is coming. I rather be working for God than working for man during these uncertain times!

Additionally, when God calls you, it’s no longer about you. If you’ve been called to be a public figure to represent the Kingdom then you have been called for a reason. It could be due to your inner strength, your compassion, your ability to make people listen, your resources, etc. You don’t have to answer the call from God, but if this post resonates with you, maybe you want to answer and find out what is waiting for you on the other side of this transition. You know you were meant to have a larger audience, a bigger paycheck and a huge impact on your communities. You know you want to use your gifts for good and for the betterment of everyone you come across.

The world needs people like us to create, inspire, invent, and bring hope to the people. The world will not get better by giving into our carnal nature, misplacing our talents, and idolizing people with money they earned selling themselves out. The youth also need role models to show them how God’s people face adversity and overcome spiritual challenges.

If we decide to take the path of going against ourselves, then we decide it’s better to sacrifice authenticity than to lose the approval of strangers and those we know.

If we decide we don’t want to go against societal norms but rather perpetuate those norms, then the world will continue to be a place of suffering for many.

Your gifts are important. You don’t need followers or a blue check mark next to your name to believe this when you’re comfortable in your own skin and confident in your God-given purpose. As I mentioned before, we do want recognition otherwise we wouldn’t be posting public content, but are the things we are building and creating also building others up? Or is it only boosting our ego?

God will always approve of us and help us to grow our talents when we choose to follow Him and build our foundations upon being of service, being of love, and stepping into greater faith.

Ending Thoughts and Reflection Questions

To end this post, I want to give you some journal reflection questions.

I wish I had someone in the physical world to help me through the transition process. God was my main support, as well as my spouse, but it would’ve been nice to know someone else was experiencing what I was feeling during that time. Remember that you don’t have to go about your online presence and life as I have. Social media can be a tool for good, depending on how you use it or abuse it, and whether it brings you closer to God or further away from wisdom. If God calls me back to a platform, I will obey! For now, I’m OK with my YouTube channel and this blog.

Some people are meant to be platform famous and reach worldwide audiences. Maybe it’s you! Some people are meant to be well-known and seen in other ways. Maybe that’s me! Always seek God first when you have to make business decisions and remember that your worth is not found behind a screen or in the bank. It is found in who God has called you to be and what He has planned specifically for you to accomplish in this lifetime.

Whatever you decide to do with your content or business ventures, I hope that you’ll choose to align with the path that is meant for you. I hope that you don’t cave under the pressure to forego your morals to avoid mockery. Jesus was hated and still chose to complete His mission. His mission was way more painful than keeping our eye and ear gates clean. In the end, we always have a choice to do what is right, what is noble, under God’s watchful eyes.

I’ll be praying for those of you who are struggling choosing between worldly identity and spiritual calling. Instagram may go under one day, but God is forever.

May God be on your side in all that you do!

Questions To Ask Yourself If You’re Struggling With Content Transition

• Do you believe you are a good role model currently?
• Do you believe you would receive hate by switching up your practices?
• Would God approve of the type of content you create? How would He judge you based on the content you are feeding your mind with currently?
• What is the reason you chose to go into business and does this reason satisfy you on a soul level?
• How many hours do you spend on social media comparing yourself to others instead of creating from the heart?
• If you had to give up all social media presence, what would you miss the most, or what do you feel you would be missing out on?
• What do you believe your greater purpose to be?
• How can you incorporate your spiritual beliefs into your new content?
• How will you explain to your audience why you changed?
• When you think of starting fresh, do you get anxious, and why?
• Do you have confidence in your identity outside of your status?
• Do you believe that God is calling you to do something amazing for the people of the world?
• Are you able to create efficiently when you’re worrying about what people think of you?
• What are you most afraid of when you think about changing your content or business practices?
• How can you work on developing thicker skin?
• What positive changes can you bring to the world by living in your truth?
• How hard are you willing to work to accomplish your purpose and help bring Light to the world?
• What does your business do to give back to communities, or what would you do with a business that made millions?
• If social media apps disappeared overnight, how would you market your business and content creation?
• Do you trust in your capabilities and in God enough to pursue the new path before you without looking back?
• What are your core values?

Proverbs 10:2: “Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but virtue saves from death.”

Copyright 2022 Angie Vargas