David Diga Hernandez - Learning to Trust God in Uncertain Times

My friend Spencer Nakamura, who has been experiencing a lot of fruitfulness on social media lately, thanks for being here. What’s that been like? What is it like right now in this season to look at it and say, «Okay, this is actually starting to work, ministry-wise; this is actually starting to work on social media»? You’re seeing the messages spread, and a few of your clips have gone viral. What goes through your mind during this kind of season?

Yeah, it’s interesting. I feel like I thought it would feel different than it does, and you’ll probably relate to this a little bit. I think sometimes when we’re dreaming and thinking about what a season of life will be like—when I started with YouTube—it was, «Okay, I have these goals in mind; I want to hit this many subscribers, whatever that looks like.» But it’s funny because as I’ve gotten into it, I’ve never stopped feeling like, «Oh, wow, it’s crazy that people want to hear what I have to say.» Honestly, I hope I never lose that. I hope I never reach a place where I expect people to listen. I always want to be grateful for that opportunity, and I always want to have a grateful spirit.

It’s interesting because I thought I would feel certain things at 10,000, 25,000, and 50,000. As we record this right now, I’m actually about 50 subscribers away from 100,000. So, I expect to get it today, which is amazing. But it’s so interesting; I thought it would feel a lot different, but in reality, hitting those markers is all by the grace of God. I’m so thankful to be in this season. At the same time, the fact that I hit a number doesn’t really make me feel anything.

I think that’s the trap for a lot of celebrities or influencers—whatever you want to call it—as they gain such a following. It never really makes you feel better about yourself; it never makes you feel more fulfilled or more important. It’s just a number, really. As I’ve experienced this season of growth, my prayer has been, «Okay, Lord, keep me humble and keep this feeling in me of ‘Wow, this is crazy! ’»

We’ve talked about this before, but I would rather live my life feeling like I’m stepping into blessings from God rather than creating those blessings myself. It’s just been incredible. I mean, it’s been fun; it’s just been a dream come true. But the dream is not that more people are following me; the dream is that God is creating all this around me, and I’m really just experiencing it.

You get to see the fruit, and there is something exciting about seeing fruitfulness. You’re right; that’s a trap for celebrities, but it’s also a trap for preachers and pastors who begin to see themselves as celebrities rather than servants. This is one of the things I appreciate about you—you have a humble spirit and the right perspective. You and I would agree that numbers only matter because those numbers represent lives that are being transformed. I appreciate that you’re saying there’s really not a different feeling to it.

People ask me all the time, «What does a million subscribers feel like?» I say, «It feels like 100 subscribers; it’s the exact same feeling.» Yes, there’s celebration, yes, it’s exciting, and yes, we’re thrilled that many lives are being transformed, but it’s not about that. It’s not about the numbers; it’s not about the status; it’s not about the clout. It’s about expanding the kingdom of God, glorifying Jesus, and seeing those lives transformed. If you’re looking to be fulfilled by those numbers in and of themselves, like you said, you’re going to come up empty every single time.

But the season that preceded this wasn’t necessarily that fast-paced; there wasn’t that much traction. So, let’s rewind a little bit. Take me back—just a couple of years ago, you were in a season of uncertainty, right?

Yeah, so what I’ve been doing with this media ministry that we’ve been building has been going on since 2020. That year was uncertain for pretty much everybody. You know, we had the craziness of the world going on. But what was interesting about that season was, when the pandemic hit, everybody’s lives slowed down; everything was closed. It almost became a reflection of how my life slowed down too. At the time, I was working at our home church in Poulsbo, Washington, where my wife and I still attend. I was part of the college team, and I was happy because I love the local church; I love serving.

When my life slowed down during the pandemic, like everybody else’s did, it was almost as if my spirit slowed down a little bit too. I started thinking more about the future and what God has called me to do. I began getting a little bit convicted by the Holy Spirit. I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me, «You are living quite the comfortable life.» What’s really funny about that too is I was living comfortably while serving a church, where we think the idea of God calling us to uncomfortable.