Being a Person of Influence Begins at the Cross.
A person of influence must be committed to God. Carol Harrison describes how the life of a person of influence begins at the cross of Christ.
A Positive Influence and a Person of Influence
Having that puzzle piece marked positive influence and becoming a person of influence has a key. I like to think of puzzle pieces having different shapes and in some puzzles, especially the easy ones for children, the makers cut the pieces into fun shapes. I think of being a person of positive influence as a key shaped piece—important in opening the doors to finding out more about who God made you to be. It also is key to developing a deeper relationship with God so you recognize when He sends you to be that person in someone else’s life.
The Key
The key to being a person of influence that leads to eternal consequences begins at the cross. Key to the principles we looked at last week of storytelling, asking good questions, walking and talking with someone else, showing compassion & showing unconditional love is summed up in what Jesus answered was the greatest commandment, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and the second is like this to love your neighbour as yourself.
What does it mean to love God with all your heart and soul and mind? How do we get to know God better and learn to recognize his voice? Loving God should be our primary motivation for mentoring others.
Spend time alone with God. Luke 15: 16 tells us that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. We also need to take time to praise God and worship Him. Psalm 100 talks about worshiping and praising God.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 34: 1-4 says,
I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Praise and Worship
What does praising God and worshiping him look like to you?
We need to take time to learn from God’s Word. The Bible is God’s love letter to us. Letters are not as common today. It seems to be a bit of a dying art form. When we talk to someone we learn to recognize their voice. Talking to God and listening to him through what the Bible says is a way to get to know God more and figure out what He is saying to us. What does time learning from God’s Word look like to you?
We also need to take that time to talk to God. Prayer is personal and powerful, our direct line of communication with our heavenly Father. There is never a busy signal. We never have to wait in line. We just need to come and talk to him, anywhere, anytime. God knows all our needs. He knows everything about us but He still waits to hear from us, waits for us to spend time with him.
Listen To God
We also need to be ready to take time to listen to God. Psalm 46: 10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” God meets us where we are, but we need to be still and listen for him. The more practice we have in spending time in the presence of God, time alone with God, the more it will become as natural to us as breathing. It will be part of our daily routines. It would be nice to have big chunks of uninterrupted quiet time alone with God but our busy lives, our little ones, our work, our health concerns and many other things may not permit huge blocks of time. We need to try to have some blocks of time but even more important we need to have the inward solitude of heart and an attitude of communing with God Where is your favourite place to be alone with God?
The first prayer must be the sinner’s prayer of repentance for it is the starting point of our relationship with God. Prayer stirs the heart of God. Even though he knows our struggles and needs, he wants to hear from us, acknowledging that we need his help. Prayer can be private or corporate, simple or profound, the important thing is to talk to God. Prayer is always answered by God. Sometimes we don’t understand or like the answers for the answers are not always yes. Prayer is one of our highest privileges for we can’t live our life on our own power. We need the power of God and for that we need to be in a close relationship with him, done only through time we spend with him.
A Person of Influence – Who Me?
So when you ask, “A person of influence – who me?” , the answer is yes we can. It means we need to love our neighbour as much or more than we love ourselves. We must see the need, listen to the hurts, be compassionate and then do whatever we can to help. It means being available to God and living authentic Christian lives, full of integrity, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.
Questions to ask ourselves include: Who in my circle of friends, family, and acquaintances is going through something that God has already taken you through?
Then we need to go and be a person of influence. Isaiah 42: 6
Do you struggle with perfectionism? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Carol Harrison
Listen to Carol’s program Puzzle Pieces Of Life or visit Carol’s website carolscorner.ca
Carol Harrison B.Ed is a speaker and published author with one book, Amee’s Story and stories in twelve anthologies. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and ability levels find their voice and reach their fullest potential.
She knows, through personal experience that some of life’s experiences are tougher than others. She encourages people that even in the twists and turns of life God’s amazing grace provides hope.
She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Brian. They have four adult children and a dozen grandchildren.
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