I’ve been on Twitter for over a year now, and I must say that it has really helped me grow my online presence. The majority of this website’s traffic comes directly from Twitter.

One of the many things I have realized about Twitter and other social media websites is that it provides an opportunity for average people to have a strong influence on people. This is great, but I often get people asking me how this is possible. The whole reason I try to expand my influence is because I want to share God’s love and truths with others. In a world where negativity abounds, we have the awesome opportunity to share the message of hope with others. That message is Jesus!

In the process of expanding my influence, I have noticed three common characteristics of accounts that are able to expand their influence. Unless you’re a world-wide known celebrity, it will be hard to expand your platform without these three things:

3 Ways To Increase Your Influence

Tweet Quality Content- This is probably one of the most important things. People want to read quality content. No one likes to read constant negativity or immature random thoughts. It gets annoying! Instead, focus on tweeting content that is worth sharing.

This also goes for retweets. Retweets are great, but stay away from retweeting things that don’t help someone else.

Follow People Similar To You- Many people are afraid to follow people they don’t know. However, if you want to expand your influence, you must be willing to follow random people. Following people similar to you allows you to connect with others. I’ve made great connections with people from simply following a bunch of random people who share similar interests.

Regularly Engage With Others- If you give off the impression that you’re too busy to connect with people, it will be hard to expand your influence. The reality is that people want to connect with someone who is willing to connect with them.

I highly encourage replying to tweets if they warrant a response. I also regularly direct message followers. It’s nice to connect on a more personable level with people.

These are just a few tips to expand your influence. As Christians, we are called to be the light to this dark world. I believe one of the many ways we can do this is through social media.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

-II Corinthians 5:20

Words without actions are meaningless. If you follow me on Twitter, you have probably seen a tweet about that phrase. I’ve posted it a few times. True influencers are able to back up their words with actions.

If you think about it, would you rather listen to someone who just tells you what to do but is unable to execute it personally? Or would you rather listen and follow someone who actually lives out what they say?

I would choose the second option.

I have received numerous emails from teens across the country in the past few months that have really inspired me to write this post and a few others. Most have started connecting with me through Twitter, but a few have actually kept me updated on things through email and text messages. It is awesome to connect with people around the nation whom I have never met before.

When I was reading and responding to the different emails and twitter comments, I noticed that they all had to do with the same thing: making a difference. For guys and girls who strive to live a strong Christian life, it is discouraging to see what goes on in the world. Many of the emails I received explained how hard it is to make a difference in a corrupt world.

I agree.

It is hard to make a difference. You often feel alone…like you are the only one who cares about even trying to make a difference.

Making A Difference

The reality is that if you want to make an impact on others, you have to be authentic in your words and actions. In other words, what you say must line up with your life.

Even though you feel alone, you are not. God is with you the whole way, and He is pleased with your desire to make an impact on others by setting the example.

• Stay consistent
• Set the example
• Stand for your convictions
• Pray for others

When others know what you stand for, they will have more respect for you. This can open doors for you to make a difference.

It is hard trying to Amplify God’s Kingdom, but God will love the fact that you are faithful to Him and the missions He calls you to.

Do you find it hard to make a difference?

This was an updated post from a previous blog on this site.

Most of you know that I am partnered with several different book companies that send me books to review. Recently, I received “Live Second”, a devotional to help one make Jesus first in one’s life.

I’ve read quite a few devotional books, and I would be the first to admit that most are sub-par. However, I thought that “Live Second” was actually decent. It is practical, and it can be used along with your personal Bible study.

This devotional was actually inspired by the #IAmSecond movement. If you are on social media, you are probably familiar with the hashtag. This devotional actually is centralized around making Jesus first and using social media to honor Him. Because I think it is a decent devotional book, I have decided to give away a copy of it! Yay!

How To Win A Live Second Devotional:

The winner of the giveaway will be drawn at random. I use random.org to determine the winner. However, the more things you do, the more your name is put into the giveaway. This means you have a better chance of winning! AWESOME!

Comment on this post- Say anything in the comments, and you will earn +5 entries!

Tweet This Giveaway- Tweet about the giveaway (don’t forget to mention me so I know who did it) to earn +3 entries!

Share On Any Social Network- Share on any social network, and I’ll reward you with +3 entries! Just let me know.

Those are the first options, but now let’s get crazy!

If you subscribe to the website via email, I’ll give you +25 entries! If you are already subscribed, you will automatically get these. However, make sure you comment to enter.

I will also be doing retweet and Twitter challenges to earn entries. Stay tuned!

This contest will end Saturday at 11:59 EST. I will announce the winner shortly after that. Good luck!

***UPDATE: The winner for the contest is Hannah T! Congratulations! I will be in contact with you soon, so I can send you your prize.

I have never done a video blog in the history of this website. Many have been requesting it recently, so I decided to make a short one for you all. I was interviewed by my good friend, David Bunce.

In this video, we talk about what it means to amplify God’s kingdom. It all comes down to living an intentional lifestyle. Hope you enjoy!

If you can’t see the video, click here!

If you liked the video, consider sharing it!

Also, let me know if you would like to see more of these!

I made a graphic to share the other day about the difference between reputation and character.

What’s the Difference Between Reputation and Character?

According to the dictionary, we get the following definitions:

Reputation: overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general

Character:  the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual

If you take a look at the definitions above, you will notice that reputation is simply what others think of you. It is a formulated opinion. It is important for others to think highly of you, but your life should not be based on it. Character, in contrast to reputation, is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Character is who someone is! 

As Christ followers, we should desire to possess character that models Christ. We all will mess up at times, but our life should be characterized by following God. I found this quote that directly correlates with this post:

 

“Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

-John Wooden

Although my reputation means a lot to me, I would rather possess Godly character over all of it. Even though it is important to set a great example, it is more important what God thinks of you…rather than what others think of you. As Christ followers, we are supposed to set the example. But if the example is artificial and not really a part of your life, that will eventually hurt others.

God calls us to lead others authentically, not artificially.

Obviously, it is important to have both a great reputation and Godly character. As a follower of Jesus Christ, these should line up the same in your life. It doesn’t mean that someone will come along and try to destroy your reputation. People will always try to tear you down.

Our whole purpose on this earth is to bring glory to God and His kingdom. We are to “Amplify God’s Kingdom!“. In order to do this, we must set the example (reputation) and live it out (character).

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

-2 Corinthians 5:20-21

What are your thoughts on reputation and character? Feel free to share in the comments!

This past month has been crazy for me! I have not been able to write much because I’ve been focused on finishing up school. The semester is finally over, and I graduate later this week!

Because I haven’t been able to post much, traffic has been down considerably. Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads this blog anymore, but I get emails and messages every week from people saying how much they enjoy reading it. It’s hard to keep a site like this running, but reading those messages makes it all worth it. However, I do wonder about the traffic because it is so low.

Top Posts In April

What Is A Christian?

Living An Intentional Lifestyle

Developing A New Mindset While Living An Oxymoron

Pure Mind Equals Pure Living

Complicating Prayer

I was excited when one of the guest posts made it into the top list! I love featuring new guest posts on this site, so if you are interested in publishing something here, let me know! The guest video blog from Adalenne was so good. The message is applicable to everyone. The video is below just in case you missed it! Be sure to watch and share!

 If you can’t see the video, click here!

Hey everyone!

I have been thinking over the past few months about the purpose of this website. From the mission statement, it is to amplify God’s kingdom. I feel that there are endless ways to do this. The website is just one of those ways.

Recently, this website has hit an all-time low. Traffic has never been so low in the history of the website. I’m honestly not sure what the problem is. I enjoy managing this blog, but I want to only do it if it is helping and encouraging other people. I noticed this traffic plunge a few months ago. It started off gradually, but it has now hit rock-bottom. Yesterday, the site had 3 visitors.

This brings me to the ultimate question that I need your help on. Should I continue this site? I’ve honestly never been so close to discontinuing the blog, but I want to invest my time into things that will amplify God’s kingdom. I’m working on finishing up the last two years of my undergraduate studies in neuroscience, so it is a lot of work. I don’t feel that God wants me to waste time on something that isn’t making an impact for Him. Life is precious, and we are all called to live intentionally by investing our time into things that will bring glory to God.

So what do you all think? I need your advice! Thanks!

Today, I have the honor of having Adalenne as a guest on the blog. I got connected with her through Twitter, and we have had some awesome conversations recently.

If you want to connect with an awesome individual,  follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her YouTube channel!

Adalenne has created a video blog specifically for you all on having a pure mind and how that translates to a better relationship with Christ. Enjoy!

If you can’t see the video, click here.

What are your thoughts about the video?

Please share links to this video and remember to leave a comment!

When you wake up and your feet hit the floor, a new day begins. It is important to have a purpose. God gives us another day to live for a reason. When I wake up, I make an attempt to realize that I’m alive and breathing for one reason: God has a plan and purpose for me.

To be successful in our lives, we have to realize that we have a purpose.

If you go about your day with no purpose, it can be a waste of time. Instead, God calls us to do the complete opposite.

As Christians, we are called to live intentionally.

It’s hard to live an intentional lifestyle if you’re always focused on the latest reality show or other insignificant things. Life is precious, and we should do everything we can to make an impact on others by showing God’s love.

What Is Your Purpose?

This can often seem to be a hard question to answer. The ultimate purpose for every Christian should be to glory God and to make Him known to others. The way we can do this effectively is by living intentionally. Wherever God places us, we should be ambassadors for Him.

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

-2 Corinthians 5:20

God has placed you where you are for a reason. He desires for us to live intentionally where He places us. Unfortunately, it is easy to forget to always live intentionally. It is easy to get “caught in the moment” of what we are doing. This distorts our vision to be able to see our purpose.

Realize that God has placed you where you are right now for a reason. Live intentionally.

So what is your purpose? Are you doing everything you can to live intentionally?

The issue of life in regards to abortion is a heated topic in our society. As Christians, we know that God is the author of life.

I posted the graphic above on my social media accounts. It received a good response, so I thought that I would post it here. Feel free to use the graphic!

Do you feel that the issue of abortion is a hot topic? Opinions?