Last week, an influencer and his wife publicly shared a sensitive personal decision. Their choice is not mine to judge, but it reminded me of a central truth: those with audiences—especially influencers with vast followings—have significant impact on people of all ages, including children and teens.
In today’s world, many forces influence us, and social media is a major one. Ads and content often sway our purchases and decisions, sometimes without us realizing it. Even if you think you’re immune, we are all affected.
We find ourselves influenced to adapt to group norms, reflect our peers’ emotions, or respond to subtle marketing strategies.
The world around us shapes our everyday decisions. Consider those last words—
The world around us shapes who we become.
With influence everywhere, let’s make a deliberate choice: allow Christ to be our influencer above all others.
With this being said, I began to question influence, and I found an impressive statement:
We’re always exerting influence by simply being who we are, saying what we say and doing what we do. The only real choice we have in the matter is whether or not the influence we exert is good or bad. (Alex Lickerman MD The Power of Influence)
This led me to reflect on how I affect others. Consider asking yourself: How am I influencing those around me? In what ways do I hope to impact the people in my life?
Don’t we want to influence those around us to follow Christ? To do this, we must reflect Him and guide others by living a Christ-like life.
I found several things that were shared on the internet on how to influence others to follow Christ, including:
- · Displaying the Fruits of the Spirit– peace, patience, love, joy, self-control, kindness, faithfulness
- · Show Up- Serve Others– actions speak louder than words, serve others selflessly, listen actively, invite people to your table,
- · Share Your Story of what God has done in your life and how he has changed you and brought you hope in the darkest of situations
- · Pray for God to open doors, to give you the right words to say, and to prepare your heart for what is coming next. Pray with people and for people.
After I read all of this, I thought about what it means to truly influence rather than be influenced. This is what I came up with:
To be an influencer for Christ we must strive to have a strong personal relationship with Christ surrounded by His hedge of protection which gives us the discernment to use our gifts and be effective influencers for Him in whatever areas suit us best.
It is our job as Christians to walk into the world and share Christ with others, influencing them to build a relationship with Him. Jesus shares the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20. He commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.
Today, our calling remains the same: influence others so that they are drawn to Christ. Make it your mission to lead with faith-driven influence.
Be an Influence for Christ not influenced by the world.
To train yourself to be an INFLUENCER FOR CHRIST do these things:
- Show up for JESUS every day – Start your day in the Word.
- Show up for OTHERS – Serve others, whether or not they are like you, whether or not they annoy you, or are difficult to understand. That is what Jesus did; He showed up for everyone.
3. Show up for YOU – Fill your cup before you help fill others’ cups.
WE WILL FIND JOY WHEN WE SHOW UP FOR JESUS, OTHERS, AND OURSELVES.
As Father Mike says, “You pray for me, and I will pray for you.”
As Tara Leigh says: He’s where the joy is.
Have a great week, Cupcake loves you and so does Jesus.
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