THE ALGORITHM’S GONNA GET YOU

Sunday Teaching

Nov 15

The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and can also be accessed directly at this link.

Everything I’m wearing today (shoes, socks, pants, belt, shirt, even this watchband) is something I bought from ads that were served to me on social media. And I’ll be honest with you… I’m glad I did. I was happy to buy this stuff. I’m also happy that I’m not getting ads for clothes Mitch Jessup would wear. He’s in his 20s, has a full head of hair, and likes to look sharp. I’m in my late 50s, bald, and I like to look like I’m ready for three days in the backcountry. So yes… in that way, the algorithm got it right.

I understand and appreciate the positive side of algorithms. They give us a curated experience. They skip millions of things we’d never care about and show us the few things we might. They help us find gear we like, content that fits our world, and ideas we probably would have searched for anyway. That part is helpful. But there is another side to this that we rarely slow down long enough to notice; it can subtly disciple us away from Jesus' teachings.

And for those who are ready to wave me off with an oh, advertising has always been like that, here is what you might be missing. Old ads were one message to a crowd, scheduled and static, with almost no feedback. Algorithms are active. They rewrite the pitch to you specifically in real time, personalizing prices and changing the order of items you see. They do not wait for you to come back next week. They follow you across devices, across apps, and across moods, and they tailor every moment to your weak points.

Algorithms do not just notice what we like. They train on it. They track the hover of a finger, the extra second of eye contact on a picture, what we zoom in on and what we scroll past. The companies spend billions studying how to hit those triggers for you: novelty, variable rewards, personal identity hooks and fear of missing out. The result is not a neutral feed. It is a system built to hack your psychology and convert your attention into purchases and more time on their platform. That is why this is not simply more advertising. It is formation, which is why Christians must answer it with formation of our own.

THE RICH FOOL’S LIE

The algorithm retells the rich fool’s lie of Luke 12 with new psychological hacking tools. Allow me to unpack that jarring reality.

Please read Luke 12:16-34 before moving on.

Jesus describes a man who is staring at his overflowing barns, wondering what to do about his abundance.

Then, the breakthrough the man thinks is brilliant:

I know… I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones.

Then the man convinces himself of the lie that more space = more stuff = more security = more happiness.

Then comes Jesus’ jarring response: “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?”

And then He drives the point home:
“A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

The algorithm is out to get you with the fool’s same empty promise. It works to convince us that the next click will bring the escape, the ease, and the curated item that will finally make us happy.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. —Luke 12:22–23”

The algorithm pushes the very things Jesus tells us not to obsess over up to 200 times a day. Food. Clothing. And Jesus reinforces this again in verse 29: “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things.”

Then in verse 31, He widens the whole category: “All these things…”

Not just food and clothing.

All the stuff the algorithm begs us to obsess over — cars, condos, entertainment experiences, upgrades.

The algorithm is relentless. It is targeted. It is designed to stir the very anxieties Jesus calls us to reject.

Ever since God woke me up with this thought at 2 a.m. on November 3rd, I can’t stop thinking about its impact on Christians who are not armed against it.

To be clear, the very things Jesus says we are not to prioritize or worry about at all are the algorithm's primary objectives. Its goal is simple: turn you into a purchaser, a consumer. God’s goal is the opposite — to free you from prioritizing or being overly concerned with “things” so you can put all of your mind and heart into being a builder of and an active participant in His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

NOT LETTING THE ALGORITHM GET YOU

We should not fear the algorithms, but we also must not let them shape us. Jesus calls us into practices that loosen their grip on our desires and our consumer habits. So here are a few non-negotiable practices of biblical financial discipleship and a few practical habits that can help you break the Rich Fool’s lie in your own life.

BUDGET BEFORE YOU SPEND

In Luke 14, Jesus tells us that no one builds a tower without first sitting down to count the cost. Wise followers of Jesus plan before they act. Budgeting is simply that: sitting down, counting the cost, and choosing in advance how to honor God with what He has provided. A budget puts your values on paper before your emotions take the wheel. It helps you see clearly, spend wisely, and live within the boundaries that lead to freedom instead of anxiety. It is a tool that trains your heart to follow Jesus with your finances. A helpful Resource from Good Sense Financial Ministry.

GIVE FIRST

When you experience financial gain in your life, give to the work of God’s ministry first. In Luke 12, the rich fool’s mistake wasn’t having abundance. He believed his abundance existed only for himself. He built bigger barns. Jesus calls us to build a bigger Kingdom. Giving first breaks that reflex in us. It reorders desire, loosens the grip of “more”, and reminds our hearts that everything we have comes from God and belongs to God.

When you get paid, the practice is simple: give to God’s work before you spend a penny. Make it your priority in both your financial and spiritual life. This is how you teach your heart who comes first. It is how you remind your soul that you trust God more than your paycheck. And it is how you step into the freedom Jesus describes, a life where giving is not an afterthought but the starting place for everything else. Article: What Is Tithing

GAIN A STORY BY SKIPPING A PURCHASE

Skip one significant purchase this winter and turn it into a story of generosity. Take the money you planned to spend and bless someone directly: the Free Store, a single mom trying to hold her world together, a mission you trust like Newstart’s Child Development Center in Guatemala, or a young couple barely making ends meet.

Trade the short-lived dopamine hit of buying something for a story of real impact. You gain a moment where you know you joined God in meeting a need. Paul reminds us, “You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” —Acts 20:35.

If the algorithm already has you trapped in a buying cycle, here are a few great practices you can try:

24-HOUR CART RULE

For any non-essential purchase, add it to your cart and wait 24 hours before checking out. This simple pause breaks the algorithm’s hack on your brain by interrupting the triggers of novelty and the fear of missing out. It also gives your mind time to settle, cutting through impulse buying and helping you see whether you truly want the item or if it was just a moment of boredom, stress, or emotional pull.

THE BARN INVENTORY

Before buying, name and write down what you already have that serves the same purpose and works just fine. This counters the reflex to chase upgrades you don’t need and re-trains your mind to value what is already in your hands. It also exposes how often the desire to upgrade is emotional, not practical. The Barn Check slows you down long enough to see that you are already provided for, and already capable of living faithfully with what you have.

UNSEE AND UNSUBSCRIBE

Unfollow the accounts that constantly make you want to buy. Delete the deal-saving apps that exist solely to push you toward another purchase. Turn off all shopping and deal notifications. And unsubscribe from the email lists that flood your inbox with the next “must-have.” Every step quiets the noise. Every click you remove breaks a little more of the algorithm’s pull and gives your mind room to breathe again.

THE PRUDENT CONSUMER - THE ALGORITHM WILL NOT GET YOU!

Being a prudent consumer is about recognizing that money is what it is: a tool God trusts us with. It means training our desires to follow His lead instead of whatever pops up on our feed.

A prudent consumer knows every dollar has a job and every purchase has a consequence. So we slow down. We ask the uncomfortable questions. We refuse to let impulse, stress, or boredom make decisions for us. We spend with intention, give with joy, and plan like it matters, because it does.

A prudent consumer understands that contentment is not automatic. We build it. We build it in the pause before we hit “buy”, in the small daily habits that keep our hearts steady, in the honest moment where we look at what is already in our house and say, “This is enough for today.”

And when we choose prudence over pressure, discipline over impulse, and generosity over grabbing the next thing, we step into financial freedom instead of the slavery of the algorithm’s consumerism.

GUIDED PRAYER

Set down your phone, your thoughts, your hurry.

Take a deep breath.

Jesus, thank You for reminding me that so much of our world is built to keep me wanting more stuff.

I confess that:

• The ease of buying has led me to purchase things I didn’t need.

• My habit of browsing, clicking, and shopping has fed my wanter.

• I’ve filled my cart at times when I should have been praying and listening.

Jesus, You told us that life is more than food and that our bodies are more than clothing.

You warned us not to build bigger barns when what we really need is a bigger heart.

So today, I bring You my spending and the impulses that keep pushing me to buy.

Teach me to want what matters and to make Your work in this world my first desire.

Holy Spirit, guide me to replace comparison with gratitude and impulse with wisdom.

Let generosity and contentment grow in my heart.

God, send me out as a person who lives differently in this world that’s always selling something.

Let my giving and my spending reflect the Kingdom I belong to.

May my spiritual and financial habits be louder than any algorithm that would woo me toward consumerism.

Amen.

Greg McNichols