Text- Romans 8:28- “All things work together for good to them that love God, and to them that are called according to His purpose”
For some days now, we have been talking about the operational forces of life. We have talked about wishes and opinion. We’ll go on today to talk about the third operational force of life – INFLUENCE.
Influence is the ability to produce an effect upon others; it is a special advantage with which you can affect other people’s thinking and actions. This special advantage may be based on reputation and/or relationships.
We all go through life receiving influence from and giving influence to others whether we are conscious of it or not, and that is why God wants each and every one of us, by the operational force of influence, to consciously choose to make positive impact, and affect everyone around us positively. That is why he likened us to salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”
To be a good influence, functioning as salt and light on this earth, there are basically three things involved:
Character: This is at the core of being a good influence. You simply can’t give what you don’t have; if you are a bad guy, you will influence everyone around you in a bad way. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil” (Luke 6:45)
Confidence: Firstly, God-confidence before self-confidence. Make God the primary source of your confidence, and let that confidence radiate through you everywhere you go. Stand up boldly for what is right, and charge people with confidence to do things the right way.
Constructive Criticism: Don’t be an “Everything goes” kind of person. Be willing to do constructive criticism, and be ready to face criticisms too. Rick Warren said, “Criticism is the cost of influence. As long as you don’t influence anybody, nobody is going to say a peep about you. But the greater your influence... the more critics you are going to have.”
Finally, I want you to know that our God is a God of influence! God told Moses in Exodus 10:1- “Go in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart, I have also hardened the heart of his servants; that I might show these signs before him, and that you may tell in the ears of your sons that they may know that I am the LORD”.
After Pharaoh kicked against God’s orders, God began to influence his response to Moses so as to sufficiently show forth His power in such a way that it would forever be a memorial in Israel. No wonder, Bible says in Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will”
PRAYERS
1. Lord, please forgive me for the times that I have failed in exemplifying the character of Christ to those around me. Help me forthwith to lead a life that will influence others positively.
2. Lord, grant me the boldness and strength to stand up for truth and to influence others around me so to do.
3. Lord, help me to avoid passing superficial judgments on other people and grant me the wisdom and serenity to correctly handle criticisms when they come my way.
Image Credit: atdnebraska.org