DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God…” — 1 John 4:1

There will always be something new, something shiny, something loud, and something that promises to change your life overnight. The world is skilled at creating hype, noise that convinces us we must have something, must move now, must upgrade, and must chase what’s trending. But today, I want to encourage you with a simple truth: don’t believe the hype. Everything that looks good isn’t God, and everything that sounds right isn’t righteous.

Sometimes what you’re looking at seems like the best thing in the world. It glitters. It sparkles. It promises more. It looks like the upgrade you’ve been waiting for. But hype has a way of making what you already have feel insufficient. It makes what God already blessed you with seem outdated. It makes you question what was perfectly fine until someone told you it wasn’t.

I experienced this firsthand not long ago. I had the chance to upgrade my phone. The salesperson made it sound like the greatest invention on earth. The commercials were convincing. The features were shiny. The pressure was real. But here’s the truth, my old phone still worked. It called. It texted. It took pictures. It did everything I needed it to do. Nothing was wrong with it except that someone convinced me I needed “the next best thing.” That’s how hype operates: it pushes you to move before you think, buy before you pray, and jump before you discern.

But the Word of God teaches us to slow down, think, and test what we see. “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.” (Proverbs 14:15) The prudent person pauses. The prudent person evaluates. The prudent person prays. God never called us to be impulsive; He called us to be discerning. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit…” (Colossians 2:8) Some things sound deep but are empty. Some opportunities look big but are hollow. Some voices speak well but mean you no good.

Jesus Himself warned us that deception would increase. “Take heed that no man deceive you.” (Matthew 24:4) That means discernment must increase too. Before you follow the crowd, follow the Spirit. Before you chase the next big thing, chase the voice of God. Before you upgrade your life, upgrade your discernment. Because hype fades. Trends shift. Opinions change. But God’s truth stands firm.

So today, hear this clearly: What you’re looking at may look like the best thing in the world. It may sound like the best thing ever. But don’t believe the hype. Test the spirits. See if it is of God or of man. If it’s God, it will bring peace. If it’s hype, it will bring pressure. And pressure is not your shepherd, the Lord is.

Bishop Charlene M. Jamison

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