Dangerously InfluentialSample

Influence Is All Around Us 

Have you ever noticed how hours after talking about a new restaurant, product, book, or brand, you get a sponsored ad on Instagram from that exact company? It’s kind of creepy. We can chalk it up to marketing magic—but if we call it what it is—it’s influence.

Language works the same way. Words like “lit,” “fire,” or phrases like, “cash me outside,” blow up the internet because of gifs, memes, and pop culture. Then, all your friends are saying it. What is that? Influence.

It happens in our inner circles, too. The fact is—we become like who we spend time with. If your friends have on-point shoe games, you probably start becoming more interested in shoes. If your friends say certain words with an accent, you might slowly start doing it, too. That’s influence.

As much as we are unique individuals, we are also highly susceptible to influence. In today’s culture, influence is even harder to spot. From your favorite YouTuber, to that one Instagram account you always go back to, we are being influenced regularly—whether we realize it or not.

In fact, being an “influencer” as a career is now one of the number-one dream jobs for teenagers. So, there’s a growing market in this digital age for influence. That brings up a critical question: Are the influences you’re choosing leading you closer to God or pushing you away from Him?

Now, before you start muffling your phone mic or unfollowing your favorite vlogger, it’s important to note that not all influence is bad. And if we stay in our own little bubble, we’ll never gain the influence that we’re called to have as Christ followers. But, who we listen to matters. And if we’re going to become influential, we’ve got to listen to the right voices.

Jesus talked about the importance of recognizing His voice when He compared Himself to a shepherd, and us to His sheep. The sheep know the Shepherd’s voice. Recognizing the voice of Jesus in our lives helps us reconcile what other voices we allow. His voice sounds different to all of us. It’s usually not audible. But the Bible promises us that when we seek God, we will find Him. And if we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us.

We become like who we spend time with. So, over the next few days, we’ll take a look at how we can choose our influences wisely, why influence matters, and how to use our own influence to glorify God.

Challenge: Brainstorm a list of people, accounts, or online personas who influence you most. Evaluate how those influences affect you. Would you say those influences lead you closer to Christ, push you away from Him, or neither?