Tim Tebow urges Christians to stop finding their worth in social media ‘likes’ 

Tim Tebow says too many Christians have fallen into the trap of social media – constantly comparing themselves to others and measuring their worth by likes and followers – and need to anchor their identity in the Word of God instead.

The television analyst and college football legend tackles social media and other distractions in his new devotional, 40 Days to Look Again, a book that helps readers see how achievement, status and success can distort their sense of worth and what it means to find their identity in Christ. It is a companion to his 2025 New York Times bestseller, Look Again: Recognize Your Worth. Renew Your Hope. Run with Confidence.

“God’s Word doesn’t change based on who’s watching or how many people approve,” Tebow told Heartlander News.

By contrast, opinions on social media shift like the wind.

“Almost every platform has the same feature: a like button. It trains you to chase approval instead of building something real,” Tebow added. “I’ve thought, what if it was a respect button instead? Likes are fickle, someone agrees with you, they like you; they disagree, they unfollow. Respect is harder to earn, but it lasts.”

The 40-day devotional doesn’t focus solely on social media, but it does address its harmful impact on how people view themselves.

“God doesn’t hand out crowns based on achievements or social media followers,” he writes on Day 2. “He gave you worth the moment He created you.”

On Day 3, he urges readers to perform a social media “audit” by unfollowing or muting “any social media accounts that feed comparison or make you feel ‘less than.’”

“Then, replace them with ones that lift your spirit or point you back to God’s truth.”

The Day 8 devotional warns that social media creates constant pressure to “do more, be more, look better, hustle harder” – a message at odds with God’s call to contentment. Too often, he acknowledges, “I’ve let the expectations of others weigh me down.”

“We live in a culture that chases likes, followers, trophies, and applause,” he writes on Day 32. “But none of those things will matter in a hundred years, let alone for eternity. What will matter is how we loved. How we gave. How we stayed faithful when no one was watching.”

Tebow, a former homeschool student who uses his fame to combat child sex trafficking, told Heartlander News he hopes the devotional encourages readers to ground their identity in Scripture and approach each day with peace and confidence in their God-given worth. 

“In Genesis, it says we’re made in the image of God, that’s a value statement. And then that value gets demonstrated on the cross,” Tebow told Heartlander News. “Jesus, giving His life in exchange for ours. You know how we usually measure what something’s worth? By what someone’s willing to pay for it. God was willing to pay with His Son. That’s the worth we’re talking about.”