You are to influence them; do not let them influence you! Jeremiah 15:19 NLT
…the area of influence God assigned to us is to reach you…But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you. II Corinthians 10:13-16 ESV
As I was listening to Doc's message this morning, I wondered how I was doing in the area of stewardship of influence. Am I making a difference in this world? Is the influence I leave with people good or bad? How am I in the seven streams of influence in my little world?
- The Church
- Government
- Art & Entertainment
- Education
- Business
- Media
- Family
A couple other questions that came to my mind were, "Am I being the salt in this world? Am I enhancing my area of the world?" I loved the word picture Doc gave when he asked, "If you were a light, what kind of light would you be?" Would I be considered one that is dim or one that is bright? Do I allow circumstances or people to dim my light? I sure hope not.
In order to be doing what the Lord calls us to do, we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Obedience must be foremost on our minds. If it isn't, we will miss out on so many blessings. I was thinking about how when the Holy Spirit prompts me to do something and I don't do it I am always disappointed afterwards. There have been times where He prompted and I hesitated but those times are few and far between. I've realized the importance of obedience.
It seems funny….no that's not the right word. I shouldn't be surprised about how the Lord blessed me today after hearing this sermon. As I was pondering about my influence on others someone shared with me about how they asked a person who is dealing with cancer if anyone had ever asked them about accepting the Lord. Their reply was, "Yes, Sheila has." Woo hoo! When you pray with someone in the hospital, you pray they are sincere but in the back of your mind you wonder. There is no wondering with this lady. She allowed me to pray with her…she accepted the Lord…she knows where she will spend eternity. What a blessing!
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the words You gave Doc this morning to share with us. Thank You for the reminders of just how important it is to be a good influence. Thank You also for the reminder of the one who accepted You. Thank You Lord for guiding my steps and my words to do Your Will. I praise You, Father, for being My Influence! Amen.
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