Doug Hannah “If I Were The Devil”
Every so often, Paul Harvey’s If I Were the Devil begins circulating online again.
People share it because Harvey understood something important: evil rarely announces itself. More often, it works through small lies repeated until they begin to sound like truth.
So that got me wondering…
If I were the devil, and my assignment was you as a Christian radio air talent, what would I do to take you out of the game?
Well, one thing I would not do is try to convince you to stop loving Jesus. Most of the people I’ve worked alongside over the years love Him deeply.
No, I’d whisper things no one else could hear but you.
I’d whisper:
The little things you do every day are irrelevant. Unless every break is profound, hilarious, touching, or gets some kind of reaction, it has no value.
I’d convince you that the only meaningful spiritual moments happen in the songs, or in the break you carefully planned. Since you didn’t pull it off today, forget it.
Then I’d hand you one of my favorite distractions.
I’d get you focused on mentioning Jesus and worshipping Him a lot more.
Now, I can’t convince you that’s a bad thing. Even I know better than that. But it’s wonderfully easy to reduce faithfulness to checking a box. Keep saying “Jesus” while quietly forgetting to call sinners away from themselves and toward Christ alone. I’ll take that trade every day.
I’d fill your attention with metrics.
How are the ratings?
Which post was best in the A/B test?
Which topic gets the phones ringing?
How many people liked that reel?
Those things have their place. I just need the machinery of content production to become so loud that you mistake producing content for ministering to people.
Then, when you take off the headphones after every show, I’d whisper:
“You didn’t really make much of a difference today.”
I’d remind you of the awkward break, the missed opportunity, and the kicker line that didn’t land.
I’d urge you to compare yourself with other talent.
I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ll never run out of creative ways to hit you where you live.
Eventually, you’ll forget the person who smiled because you laughed…
…who found courage because you spoke honestly…
…or who heard one sentence that turned their attention away from themselves and back toward Christ and His finished work. (I HATE acknowledging that!)
Here’s what I’ve learned after all these years.
The moments that stay with people are rarely the ones you can predict.
Sometimes it’s a story you almost didn’t tell.
Sometimes it’s admitting you need the same mercy your listeners need.
Sometimes it’s simply reminding yourself and those listening that God’s promises remain true even when your feelings do not cooperate.
Most of those moments will never appear in research or ratings. You may never know what God did with them.
That is probably good for us.
The fruit of this work does not rest on your cleverness, warmth, ratings or ability to craft a meaningful moment. It rests outside of you, in Christ, who has already done what needed to be done.
So sharpen your craft, respect the format, welcome good coaching, and do the work well.
But don’t let the Accuser turn excellence into another self-salvation project. Modern Christianity has more than enough of those.
You’re not a content factory proving your worth or carrying the spiritual weight of every listener.
You’re there because God has given you neighbors to love, and they are in your audience.
And because Christ has already done what needed to be done FOR YOU, you’re free to serve them with zero to prove.
If I were the devil, I’d try to convince you your ordinary voice couldn’t possibly matter.
Don’t believe him.
God has always been pleased to work through ordinary people, ordinary words, and ordinary vocations.
The promise was always in Christ.
Doug Hannah is a strategist, programmer, and thinker who has served in Christian media since 1984. Currently he is an air talent for Smart Radio Suite and SiriusXM, and hosts the podcast “Anchored In Christ” on YouTube. Contact Doug HERE
