People are constantly watching you, so—how are you influencing them?
Flying back from North Carolina after the holiday, I had been through a series of cancelled flights stretching over several days, when—I finally made it to the St. Louis. It was 0100, and I was exhausted, standing in the lost luggage line, when I noticed a couple of young Marines in line behind me. I asked if they were headed to Ft. Leonard Wood and they told me they had to pay $250.00 for a taxi, so I offered them a ride. I explained I only lived five miles from the base and am a military mom and that hoped someone would do the same for my son. It was 130 mile trip, and I had many choices about the tone I was going to set for the conversation. Would it be all about impressing them or entertaining them with mindless chatter just to stay awake?
God revealed that He had presented me with this opportunity, so I asked Him to take control of the conversation. By the end of the trip, they knew Jesus was real and—they knew they had heard from Him—through me. One of them made the comment: “I’ve learned so much about God in this short conversation,” and I knew—God had been working through me to influence them to want to know more about Him. I didn’t preach to them; rather, God led me to share the real-life stories about how He had worked in my life—including my salvation.
The entire encounter was the work of the Holy Spirit influencing them and—it was awesome!
My life has not always been an influence for Christ. In the past, I’ve influenced people the wrong way by…
- leading them on;
- leading them down;
- leading them in circles;
- leading them astray—and,
- leading them to a dead and empty life!
We ALL have the opportunity to influence—in every aspect of our life! Think about these examples and see if you recognize any of them: An egotistical boss who manages employees with an iron fist. A lazy employee who has zero credibility with co-workers. A woman who uses her body to influence a man. A man who uses his money or power to woo a woman. A politician who talks in circles to avoid the truth. A “friend” who introduces you to marijuana. A mother addicted to her smart-phone. A workaholic father. The number of bad influences are endless; but—we have a choice!
We EACH must understand that we are all leading someone to do something—just like we’ve ALL been led by someone.
If we are children of God, then we have been given such a privilege to lead people to discover their DIVINE destiny with HIM. Think about the time you spend yesterday, and ask yourself: Who was I influencing to God? If there is no one you are intentionally influencing to find God, then you are cheating yourself out of the greatest leadership opportunity and blessing of your life! God gave you both this physical life and an eternal life and these gifts are meant to be SHARED—even when the airline loses your luggage at 1:00 a.m.!!!
Everywhere you go; everyone you meet today is—an opportunity to lead.
Jesus was the greatest influencer that ever walked the planet. He set the standard and reminded us that we must be willing to submit ourselves to His plan in order to also be a great influencer LIKE HIM. Like all great leaders, He did not ask us to do anything that He did not also do Himself. He said:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?“
Luke 9:23-25
When we live for Christ, we find our true identity and we are never “lost” in the influence of the world. We each have the same opportunities to influence others because when we belong to God—we have HIS SPIRIT. Today, choose carefully how you influence those who are watching you. Ask God—He will show you the way and He will. He loves you so much!
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
