I Want My Own Account

In 1997 Reed Hasting and Mark Randolph launched a mail order business. The business enabled customers to order movies (in video tape and DVD format) online and have them delivered, thus eliminating the requirement of going into a physical store. Later, these two entrepreneurs took a step further. They decided to leverage existing technology to distribute movies via the internet. That service, called streaming, turned that company, now called Netflix, into an industry standard and a household name. The company revolutionized how movies are created, consumed, distributed and enjoyed.

For several years, Netflix enjoyed spectacular profitability and growth. But shortly after the pandemic, the company hit some unexpected turbulence. Other media companies soon launched streaming services of their own. Then the company failed to reach an expected financial milestone, and was forced to reduce staff, cut programming and streamline its’ production pipeline. Finally, after months of intense research, the company discovered a startling truth that helped them understand at least one reason why the company was not as profitable as it had been.

Netflix discovered that the overwhelming majority of people who were enjoying the Netflix experience didn’t even have accounts with the company. They were exploiting a phenomenon called “password sharing,” which allows unlimited access to any account so long as the password was correct. Researchers analyzed an extremely popular series and unearthed a mind-boggling statistic. Of the over 600 million people who had watched this particular series, only 200 million had accounts! That meant that the overwhelming majority of people who watched the series didn't even have an account with the organization. Armed with this data, Netflix changed their policy.

Netflix faced the uncomfortable truth that if people can take advantage of you without paying for it, they'll do it every time. Netflix discovered the very real, very human, very universal, and very pervasive problem of using someone else's account in order to secure their benefits. People not only borrow Netflix passwords, we borrow a whole lot of things. I grew up in an environment and where they borrowed other people’s electricity, addresses, and social security numbers. Recently, there was a brouhaha between two comedians in which one of them accused the other of borrowing one of his signature jokes and using it to advance his career. Let’s face it: if people can take advantage of you without paying for it, they’ll do it every time.

Now let me add that I do not wish to decry nor demean the borrower. Eventually, all of us will arrive at the point in our lives when we will require assistance that we can’t afford. There's a classic story of a Russian dictator who wanted to figure out if a child had the ability to take care of itself without any assistance or intervention. Well, this perverse experiment ended because none of the babies ever lived long enough for him to find out. We are born dependent. And no matter how independent we grow, assistance and collaboration are prerequisites in order to achieve our fullest potential. Some password sharing is understandable.

But sharing can often turn abusive, manipulative, and unprofitable. And this is exactly what happened to Neflix. So they decided to limit password sharing. They realized that its good business to make people have their own account. And their policy should be our aspiration—to have our own. Billie Holiday used to sing a popular song: Mama may have and Papa may have but God bless the child that has its own—and she was right about it! You want to arrive at the point where you can stand on your own two feet. You want to arrive at the point where you are independent. You want to arrive at the point where you can think for yourself, choose for yourself, and take care of yourself. And nowhere is this more important than in our relationship with God. We cannot borrow anyone else’s relationship with God. We can’t borrow our parents faith, or our grandparents faith, or our Pastors’ faith. We must learn how to stand on our own two feet—and fight the good fight of faith.

I have read the story of David and Goliath countless times. But whenever I reread it, I always find more meat on the bone. That story easily ranks as one of the best known and most loved tales in all of scripture.  A young, unknown shepherd boy triumphs over a battled tested, physically superior warrior with nothing but a sling shot. That story is a perpetual reminder that bigger is not always better, that experience isn’t always an advantage, that God can use anybody at anytime to do anything, and that you have to use your own equipment to get the best results.

When David announces that he will challenge Goliath, his announcement takes the entire nation by surprise. King Saul hears about this intrepid young man, calls him into his quarters and interviews him about his intentions. Apparently, Saul was concerned about David’s sanity, and even tried to dissuade him from proceeding. But after David confirms his intention to go fight Goliath, Saul decides to offer him some assistance. He tries to give David access to his account. 1 Samuel 17:38-40 tells us what happened:

Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before.

“I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.

David's response to Saul’s offer is profoundly illuminating. Essentially, he tells Saul “thanks, but no thanks.” David informs Saul that he can't fight with his helmet, his shield or his sword. David’s decision was neither based on pride nor preference. He simply says that I can’t fight in untested equipment. I can imagine David thinking to himself, “this helmet may not fit, this shield may be too heavy, and I don't have any experience with this sword!” But David did have experience with a sling shot. And with his own weapon, in his own way, and in his own style, he defeated the giant. David used his own account.

When we try to borrow the equipment, the strategies, the ideas, and the faith of other in the battles of life, it rarely works. You may only have a sling shot. But a sling shot may be all you need.

You can't borrow faith.

You can't borrow conviction.

You can't borrow holiness.

You can't borrow knowledge of God.

You must have your own account.