Following Jesus in the Age of Endless Advice

I wanted to improve–to write better blogs and create better content. So, like most people learning a new skill or trying to improve their craft, I started searching for advice. 

What I discovered was that there is no shortage of “helpful” information out there. In fact, there’s almost too much.

The rabbit hole is very deep and very wide, and before long I felt like I was tumbling down it–SEO, headlines, keywords, graphics, hooks, paragraph length, algorithms, calls to action. Every answer seemed to uncover three more questions.

Much of what I found was genuinely helpful. But there comes a point where too much information becomes overwhelming. I realised that if I tried to master everything before pressing “Publish”, I might never post another blog.

The Problem With Endless Advice

And then it struck me.

We often treat following Jesus in exactly the same way.

We collect books.

We watch sermons.

We listen to podcasts.

We practise spiritual disciplines.

We search for the next technique. The next habit. The next book that promises to help us grow.

Most of us genuinely want to grow. We want to become more loving, more patient, more faithful. That’s a good desire. The problem isn’t our longing to grow; it’s believing that transformation comes simply from acquiring more information.

None of these things are wrong. In fact, they can all play an important part in our life with God.

When Growth Becomes Another Form of Striving

But when they become another item to tick off our to-do list, a way of measuring our spiritual success, or a distraction from the One they are meant to lead us towards, they stop being helpful. Instead of drawing us closer to Jesus, they can become substitutes for walking with Him.

For example, I can read every book written about gardening without ever growing a garden. In the same way, I can know the Bible incredibly well and still fail to follow Jesus or become like Him.

Knowledge matters. God has given us minds to learn, think and understand. But information alone cannot transform us.

Jesus Is Not Another Voice Competing for Your Attention

Transformation doesn’t come from accumulating more information. It comes as we apprentice ourselves to Jesus–living alongside Him, learning from Him, listening to Him and allowing Him to transform us into His likeness.

At the heart of it all lies a simple question:

What is Jesus actually inviting us into?

For many of us, the Christian life can become centred on acquiring more knowledge, adopting better habits or trying harder to live well. We can begin to believe that if we learn enough, pray enough or practise enough, we’ll eventually become the people God wants us to be.

But Jesus’ invitation was never simply to make a decision and then carry on with life as before. Nor was it merely to accumulate more knowledge about God.

His invitation was to become His disciple–to enter into an apprenticeship with the greatest Teacher who ever lived.

"Follow me."

Following is relational. It is a daily choice. A lifelong journey of walking with Jesus—learning His ways, listening to His voice, trusting His leading, and gradually becoming more like Him.

This is why knowledge must always lead somewhere. We can know a great deal about Jesus without ever learning to walk with Him.

In Jesus’ day, being a disciple meant far more than agreeing with a teacher’s ideas. A disciple walked so closely with his rabbi that, over time, his life began to reflect the life of the one he followed.

This is exactly what Jesus was inviting people into. He wasn’t calling people to simply learn a new set of beliefs or master a religious system, but to know Him, walk with Him and allow Him to reshape their lives.

Somewhere along the way, we have sometimes reduced the gospel to making a decision. Faith becomes something we possess rather than a life we live. We can begin to think that because we’ve prayed a prayer or agreed with certain truths, the work is done.

Of course, every journey begins with a decision. We cannot follow Jesus without first saying yes to His invitation.

But the decision was never meant to be the destination—it was meant to be the doorway.

Jesus never treated faith as a finish line. He treated it as the beginning of a lifelong journey—an apprenticeship of learning to walk with Him, listen to Him and become more like Him.

That is still Jesus’ invitation today.

God has always wanted our hearts

Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly challenged His people when their worship became little more than empty ritual. They were offering sacrifices, observing festivals and keeping all the religious traditions, but their hearts were far from Him.

God wasn’t rejecting their obedience. He was exposing their worship that had become disconnected from relationship with Him.

Through the prophet Hosea, He says,

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Hosea 6:6

The Hebrew word translated knowledge is much broader than simply knowing facts. It speaks of an intimate, personal knowledge that grows through relationship and experience.

God has always desired people who know Him personally. The goal was never simply to understand more about God, but to live in relationship with Him—to walk with Him, listen to Him and allow Him to transform us.

Learning to Listen Again

We cannot learn the way of Jesus unless we first learn to be with Jesus.

Reading the Bible matters. Prayer matters. Spiritual practices matter. They are all amazing gifts that shape us and help us to know God more. But they are not an end in themselves. They can never replace relationship with our Father in Heaven.

The goal has never been to become experts in the Christian life.

The goal is not simply to know the right answers. It is to become the right kind of person—the kind of person whose life reflects Jesus.

The goal has always been to know Christ, walk with Him, and allow Him to  transform us into His likeness.

Perhaps you’ve spent years searching for the next book, the next sermon, the next spiritual practice or the next breakthrough, hoping it will finally transform you.

I’ve found myself doing this many times in my own journey. As a gardener, I spend a lot of time working on my own, and it’s easy to put in my earbuds and listen to music or a podcast, convincing myself that I’m using the time wisely to learn more about God. 

But I began to realise that, often, this had become a habit rather than a relationship. I was taking in more information, learning more facts and discovering new ideas, but I wasn’t always creating space to reflect, listen or allow God to shape me through what I was learning.

I was gaining knowledge, but not always being transformed by it.

So I made a decision to limit my time with the earbuds. Not because music or podcasts are wrong—they are valuable gifts—but because I wanted to create more space to talk with God, spend time in silence before Him, and allow what I had learnt to become part of my life.

One Voice Is Enough

I’ve realised that Jesus is gently reminding me of what He has always said. Perhaps you can hear His invitation too:

“Follow me.”

Not because you’ve finally learned enough.

Not because you’ve finally got everything right.

But because transformation has never begun with mastering information.

It begins by walking with Jesus.

Day by day.

Step by step.

As His apprentice.