INFLUENCESample

Unseen Influencers

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t make a difference? There have been so many times in my life that I felt that way. Even worse were the times that I had an answer to the problem at hand, but because of my age or my stage of life I was ignored. The thing about influence is, it doesn’t come from a position, it comes from who you are.

There is a story in the Bible about a powerful general called Naaman. His story includes two kings, and a prophet of God, but it wasn’t their influence that God wanted to use. It was a slave in the background of this story full of powerful people whose words led to Naaman being cured of leprosy; a career-ending, life-changing disease. 

A young girl was taken captive from Israel and became a slave serving Naaman’s wife. The girl told Naaman’s wife that there was a prophet in Samaria-Elisha-who could heal Naaman. Surprisingly, this powerful general, a man that always gave the orders, decided to follow the instructions of a slave girl! Then, Naaman was angered because Elisha’s instructions to bathe in the Jordan River seemed beneath him, but his SERVANTS urged him to follow the prophet’s orders. The result was Naaman’s restoration to health and his declaration, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”

What a beautiful picture of our role as followers of Jesus Christ! We are called to be people of influence—the Lord’s servants who point others to the One whose touch can change their lives. Influence is not a position, but a gift that God wants you to take hold of and use to benefit those around you. Don’t make excuses, God can use you right where you are!

Challenge:

1. THINK ABOUT IT! How would you define influence?
2. REFLECT! What makes it hard for you to use your influence to help those around you?
3. PRAY! Ask God to show you ways that you can influence those around you positively for the kingdom of God.