CALLED TO INFLUENCE
In this day and age, influencers rule the world. They are the people with the ‘best' cause, the most attractive look, the most controversial opinion. They are the ones with tonnes of followers and who get all the paid partnerships. But what if I were to tell you that God made YOU to be an influencer? YOU, my friend, are called to influence.
Influence, in its simplest form, is effecting someone’s character or behaviour. If we look to God, and if we look to His word, we can see Him COMMANDING us to do this:
Matthew 28v19-20 “Go and make disciples of all Nations” - Go and influence.
Matthew 5v16“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” - Go and influence.
John 13v35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - Go and influence.
2 Corinthians 5v20 - “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” - We are influencers for Jesus.
1 Peter 2v9 “You are a chosen people… that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness, into his marvellous light” - You are an influencer for Jesus.
Jesus was the ULTIMATE influencer. An ‘ordinary’ man from Nazareth called 12 people to follow him and 2,000 years later - here we are! The church is alive and there are billions of people still being influenced by his teachings today. So if we are called to influence for God’s glory, let’s look at the ultimate influencer and see how He did it.
Relationship with God - everything Jesus did flowed OUT of relationship with God.
Jesus put his relationship with God FIRST, He knew him, He spent time with him, He prayed with him. If Jesus lived out of a place of prayer, then we need to! Spend time with God, speak with him, and listen to him. John 15 - “remain in me as I remain in you and you will bear much fruit.” - it is not about the doing, but about the being.
Know your Bible: Psalm 1V1-2 “Blessed is the man who… delights in the Law of the Lord… He is like a tree whose leaf does not wither, and prospers in all he does.” The Bible is a great way of getting to know God and seeing his heart for humanity. It also has some really good (and terrible) examples of leadership and influence!
2. Identity - Jesus knew who He was, and whose He was
Look at the Bible, read and declare the promises of who God says you are. You are chosen, you are beloved, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. When you rest in God’s opinion of who you are, then the opinion of others is irrelevant and you will be free to influence for God, without worrying about the approval of others.
3. Character - Jesus was God, and bore his character
God doesn’t rate people the way we do: 1 Samuel 16:7 “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” When was the last time you were as concerned about the state of your heart as the state of your appearance? We need to have Godly character, marked by the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5v22-23). These characteristics are far more attractive than a new haircut anyway.
4. Service - Jesus was a servant King
Mark 10:45 “the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve”. Jesus was a humble leader, so secure in his identity that He was happy to serve the least in society because He was totally motivated by His love of others, not His love of reputation. How often do we let our pride stop us replicating the teaching of Jesus who told us: “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.” (Mark 10v44)
5. Challenge - Jesus was no stranger to challenge and conflict
Conflict is NOT always bad, and doesn’t always have to be negative. In life and in leadership, challenges will arise but these need to be addressed and learned from, not brushed under the rug. Ephesians 4:26 “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge.” Anger is a God-given emotion, and the right way to respond to injustice. Give your anger and your frustrations to God, show him how he would have you use them to bring His Kingdom closer to earth.
6. Vision - Jesus had his eyes set on the cross
You can’t lead people to an unknown destination. If you try, you won’t be leading, you’ll just be going on a nice walk. God has a vision for our lives to be light in the darkness and to grow His Kingdom. Our purpose isn’t what we do, but who we are in what we do. Is Jesus our vision?
We all have a responsibility to influence others towards the way of Jesus and to be a representative of him. This is a joy and a privilege, not a burden. What an incredible honour that God calls us to partner with him and work to bring his Kingdom to earth!
YOU are called to influence. YOU were made with a purpose to bring a bit of heaven to earth. You might not have a blue tick on instagram, but you have the God of Heaven and Earth verifying YOUR status as an influencer.
Written by Chloe Hopkins - Kyria Network