GODLY INFLUENCER!

Matthew 5:13-15 (TLB) 

“You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world? And you yourselves will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see.  Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.”

 

The world today is full of influencers of all kinds—especially social media influencers—who, through our technological devices, become part of our daily lives by our invitation. An influencer is a person who inspires or guides the actions of others, able to generate interest in something or someone by posting about it on social media. We now have many influencers in varying sectors, organizations, product lines, and more, but there are comparatively few in the spiritual setting. The few Christian influencers that exist do not seem to be making the same impact as worldly ones because they are not promoting anything outrageous, immoral, toxic, or sinful, which sadly seems to be what grabs most attention.

Believers, however, have been called to be influencers wherever they find themselves. We carry Christ within us, and the light of Him must shine through us to influence our world. The Bible speaks about influencers mainly in the context of believers being called to positively influence others by living out their faith with integrity, love, and obedience to God. Jesus calls His followers to be "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world," meaning that by our faithful example and good deeds, we influence others toward God and righteousness.

Social influencers often tell us how to do things, where to go, what to buy, and when to act. Their influence is far-reaching and impactful to the extent that some believers even follow them instead of the Scriptures.

Many people have completely abandoned the culture and lessons they were brought up with, choosing instead to follow the fads promoted by influencers as the “now” thing. The Scriptures strictly encourage us to follow the teaching of our parents according to Proverbs 1:8-9 and not to be influenced by anyone who speaks contrary to what is right. We are also warned not to entangle ourselves with the ways of the sinner or the wicked as stated in Proverbs 22:25.

Our generation often follows the advice of influencers—social, financial, professional, and otherwise. There are influencers in every sector, and they have followers willing to do anything to look, be, and sound like them. But as believers, what we should be doing is letting the light and the word of God in us influence those we interact with. People should look at us, see God in us, and desire what we have.

Even Satan has more influence than many believers do, as we see in the number of people Jesus delivered from satanic influences in the Scriptures, such as the man who was mute until delivered in Matthew 9:31-33, among many others.

As influencers, we must be sure that we represent Christ and His kingdom properly. We cannot afford to do things that will turn people away from God, the church, or salvation.

It is the good, positive, and upright things we do that influence others and allow them to glorify the Lord, our Father in heaven—whom they cannot see but see through us.

The world uses subliminal messages to influence people to commit terrible acts, crimes, and create false problems. Yet, the Lord says in 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 that we have received the word of God so that we can become examples or influencers to others.

Today, many quote social media influencers in everything we do. We look at what they are doing, eating, wearing, and the way they act to determine our own actions, when the Scripture should be our standard.

We must learn to love the Lord above all else and follow His teaching, leading, and guidance rather than the world and all its content seen in 1 John 2:15-17.

History is moving toward a conclusion planned by God, and ungodly influences and influencers are accelerating that pace by drawing people away from the truth and salvation.

You are an influencer. God made and called you to be a fisher of men in Mark 1:17, to be godly and spiritual influencers—so influence people for Christ.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

-In what ways are you currently influencing others—either positively or negatively—in your daily life? 

-How can you allow the light of Christ to shine more brightly through your actions and words? 

-What spiritual habits can you develop to strengthen your role as a godly influencer? 

-How do you discern between worldly influences and godly guidance in your life and the lives of those you lead?

PRAYER: Lord God, help me to be a faithful and godly influencer, shining Your light in every area of my life. Give me wisdom to represent You well and courage to stand firm against ungodly influences. May my words and actions lead others to glorify You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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