There has been a remarkable transformation in the life of a popular YouTuber, JiDion, who became a Christian probably sometime in 2023, Premier Christian News writes.

He has over 7.7 million followers on his YouTube Channel and in October 2023, he deleted all his videos, except one.

This meant 121 of his 122 videos were gone. Many of them had millions of views, with several exceeding 10 million.

They were mostly prankster videos and his byline, before the deletion, basically described what he did.

“I like messing with strangers…” JiDion wrote.

JiDion deleted those videos because they conflicted with his decision to follow Christ. This decision comes complete with a new byline, “Retired menace. Full time follower of Jesus.”

JiDion has since added two new videos, one of which explained his decision to delete the videos.

“If I’m gonna truly give my life over to God, I gotta also take out the wickedness that I put into the world,” JiDion said. “As an influencer, I failed this generation horribly…I can’t be the way I was anymore, and I won’t ever be the way I was anymore…So, if you won’t cut me off, I need to cut myself off from you.”

I don’t think we appreciate how big a decision this was for JiDion.

Not only was he a person of influence, but with that type of viewership, he was undoubtedly earning thousands of dollars a month in ad revenue from YouTube.

It was a costly decision.

It reminds me a bit of the story of the rich young ruler mentioned in Mark, Matthew, and Luke.

Having obeyed all the commandments since he was a youth, there was still something missing in the rich young ruler’s life.

Mark writes that he ran and knelt before Jesus, and asked what he could do to be saved (Mark 10:17).

Jesus said, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

While all three Gospel writers state he was rich, Matthew adds an adjective, stating that he “went away sorrowful, for he had GREAT possessions.”

He was extremely wealthy, which meant Luke probably knew who the man was. Similar to Elon Musk, Bill Gates, or Jeff Bezos today, he was known for his wealth.

Luke adds that he was a ruler (Luke 18:8). In addition to his wealth, he was also a man of influence.

Since he had obeyed all the commandments since his youth, it’s unlikely he would have been working with the Romans. This meant he may have been the leader of a local synagogue, or perhaps even a member of the Sanhedrin.

After he left, Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

To which the Lord’s disciples asked incredulously, “Who can be saved?”

Jesus responded, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27 NASV).