5 Things You Will Likely Struggle With As A Christian Blogger

Updated June 4th, 2021

Today, I wanted to talk about some things you will more than likely experience, as a Christian blogger. Let’s get right into it!

Low Stats/Competition

When I first started my blog in 2016, I was totally focused on numbers. I remember telling myself, “Remember when you have 10 views, and that’s a good day for you. Remember when you have 12 followers, and that’s an accomplishment. Remember and be thankful when you only had one comment.” 

Of course, then I wondered if my numbers would ever grow. It was something I had to give to God. I knew I had to let go of the idol of numbers because when the numbers grew I wanted to point back to Him, not myself. I’ve been blogging for almost 5 years now, and honestly, it’s not about how many people are reached, but the people who are ministered to. What matters the most is the truth of Jesus Christ.

If only one person receives the truth of Christ, that matters. Comments, follows, likes, engagement, it does not matter. Sometimes, the people we help we will never know, and it’s okay. Do not use numbers to affirm. We can have highs and lows, but our constant should be Jesus Christ.

I see bloggers who have thousands, ten thousands or more of followers and they STILL struggle with numbers. It does not matter how far you get, if you are struggling with your numbers. It is always going to be about the next milestone, wondering why people aren’t commenting as much, or x, y, and z. Be aware now!

Be thankful for every comment and every blogger. Do not try to assume why people do not follow or comment like before. Do not become envious of others! Recognize when you make numbers an idol, or use numbers to affirm yourself. Christian blogger, your identify is in Jesus Christ, not numbers! Repent, if you have sinned.

Scriptures To Remember When You Struggle

(NLT) 1 John 5:21, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” (ESV and many other versions simply say “Dear children, keep yourselves away from idols. But I love the connection to the heart, as the heart is our storehouse, and if we have an idol, it, absolutely, is in the heart, storehouse. Luke 6:45)

(ESV) Jonah 2:08, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.” (Jesus is our Hope and He shows us the love of God. Romans 5:08)

Photo by George Becker on Pexels.com

Letting Numbers Validate Your Writing 

It is very common to believe that numbers determine whether or not something is well written or if it was “good.”

After I had grown to a bigger following, I would occasionally reshare my older posts because few people had seen them in the beginning. When I did, people responded to these posts. It was not because the post was originally bad, it was simply because growing a community takes time. And there is nothing wrong with editing. Sometimes growing with few numbers is a blessing, it allows for growth. Less retractions and clarification, which can be hard for those who receive a following quickly. We can be tempted to keep who we have, even though the truth might turn them away.

Sometimes it is not the quality of what we write. Sometimes it is simply because we haven’t found our community yet. It’s easy for us to want to feel validated by everyone else, except God, and here, we again, have the issue of idol worship. Self.

FOCUS ON CHRIST! The people God wants to be touched by our posts will be!

Scripture To Remember When You Struggle

(ESV) Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Worried About Post Topic

As a Christian blogger, it is very possible, at some point, you may cover a topic that will be hard to for others to read. First off, it is important you pray before writing the topic.

Make sure you are not writing a topic out of frustration or in a passionate state, this can cloud you. It’s okay to be angry about something that goes against our Lord and Savior, but it is also really easy to switch from our focus on Christ, to focus on our own feelings. Be careful and accountable. I’m not innocent in this, either.

If writing harshly, consider why. Is it really needed? What are you trying to illustrate (as when God or others in the Bible spoke harshly they illustrated a point to be made).

If we claim to be a Christian blogger, Christ needs to be presented correctly. We are representatives of Jesus. Leave the, “I don’t care what anyone else thinks, this is my blog,” out of it.Truthfully, everything we have is not our own, but the Lord’s. Do everything unto Him. Be accountable and be a good steward with what you have been given, including your blog. This is His, too.

(ESV) Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Know the HOWS & WHYS of the topics you want to cover. There have been some topics I’ve wanted to write on, but I had to wait. I didn’t know enough scripture explaining the topic or the amount of research the topic required. You may have to wait and be willing to be patient before you have everything you need to know to write a proper post.

Talk with trusted counsel on the topics. Get viewpoints. Hear their perspective.

Make sure to edit, edit, edit. Read your post out loud to yourself. Cut out needless babble, tangents, or unneeded repetition. Pray and seek God’s hand in guiding what you are saying. Ask for Him to prick your spirit, if you need to change or clarify anything. Reflect on scripture for conviction from the Spirit, as well.

Is your post emotional or focused on scripture? If it is scripturally sound, are you gentle with your approach or are you throwing fire and pointing fingers (is it needed, are you making yourself a hypocrite with your words)? Sometimes we do need to be more aggressive, but this is something to prayfully consider. A blog post receives a variety of readers, and some readers will be weaker. They will need encouragement. Make sure you have a balance to your approach. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

If you can, once the post is written but not published, have others hear it.

Pray before it publishes.

Pray after it publishes. 

Pray for God to help you respond. 

You can never pray too much, it’s a reminder I, myself, need.

Scripture To Remember When You Struggle

(ESV) Proverbs 16:24, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

Challenging/Uncomfortable/Opposing Comments 

This leads us to the next part.

Nearly everyone at some point has these kinds of comments. It is CRUCIAL you understand what kind of comment you are receiving. Comments that are challenging and opposing do not mean that someone is trying to purposely hurt you. In fact, God may very well use them to open your eyes to something. In many cases, I’ve been shown how I was not clear in particular posts, and I needed to write another post for clarification or edit.

I would recommend, and I’m still working on this, to not respond immediately to a comment that riles you. We may read something strongly, but that may not be the intention of the commenter. Step away, look at what the overall comment is saying. Is there any truth you can agree with or at least see where the person is coming from? Agreement is a good place to start on before dissecting what we disagree on.

If you can’t respond because you are upset, don’t respond and know why. You might have to trash the comment, but don’t do it simply because you disagree. Choosing to approve every comment allows you the time you need to respond, without anyone else seeing the comment. (It’s good protection.)

I’ve noticed some people really struggle with comment moderation and will comment again in frustration. It usually happens in less than 24 hrs from the original comment, and the commenter is rude and makes assumptions or slanderous remarks. Should commenters do this, it’s a good indication what kind of intention their original comment held (if it was not already obvious). I tend to disregard this type of behavior and not engage.

Comments unrelated to the post, disrespectful, or become disrespectful do not have to be approved. Do your best to judge wisely before responding. This is your blog. You have the authority over what gets seen by others and what does not. Personally, I choose to protect my readers from false theology and twisting of scripture. Choose what works best for your blog.

Please note, though, opposing comments can be helpful. They can edify. When we KNOW we post something that is controversial, we cannot think everyone will agree with us. When you write a heavy post, walk in knowing this or do not write the post at all, if you are not ready to handle it. These posts can get intense, not only the writing portion, but the feedback you receive after publishing. Be as prepared as you can be. Be ready to defend your faith in a manner that gives God glory and is Christlike. (1 Peter 3:15)

With this in mind, do your best to handle opposing views IN THE POST, so that should troubling comments come, your post already addresses those concerns. Some people just want to argue, and they don’t care whether you’ve addressed their concerns or not. Some people will stick to their bias, and often these comments are not helpful and cause division. If you think responding will be beneficial to OTHER readers, consider what needs to be said. Remember, your focus should always be on Jesus Christ. 

Disagreements can create good discussion, but again, be wise.

Scripture To Remember When You Struggle

(NLT) Proverbs 15:23, “Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!” (ESV version is: “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!”)

Struggling For Post Ideas

I started a series to help with this, and to make the last point of this post lighter. 🙂

• 5 Post Ideas For The Christian Blogger

Finding a consistency, a schedule, what to write on takes time. Make sure to have a notepad of some sort (physical or digital) nearby for ideas. I’ve also covered this in more depth here.

• 5 Ways To Be Inspired With Ideas As A Christian Blogger

– I hope this was helpful to you 🙂

If you would like to see MY comment rules, and how I address it check out: Rules For Comments (Why Some May Not Appear)

Bible Study can inspire a lot of topics for posts. Here are some posts I’ve written on if you would like to work on Bible Studying. Check out: Bible Study Tips | The Four R’s Of Bible Studying, Bible Studying Tips | When Going Over 1 Chapter Of The Bible, Why We Need To Read The Bible In Context | Bible Study Tips & “Translation” Cautions, 3 Ways To Study The Bible Better, Importance Of Bible Study (UnAshamed)