What's Influencing Us?

LISTEN TO EPISODE 2 HERE.

As Christians, we are called to be men and women of influence. It is essential that we first understand what is influencing us. We can't expect someone to journey with us to a desired destination if we can’t shift out of neutral or if we're still tethered to the dock.

We are living in a time when the volume and impact of the forces of influence around us are incredibly penetrating. But, here is the good news: what shapes us does not define us. However, while we don’t have to be defined by those things which influence us, we do need to be keenly aware of what those things are. If ignored or minimized, they can define who we are, how we do life, and how we climb.

Every one of us has what is called a Cumulative Life Narrative. This refers to the layering and collective impact of all the formative factors that have shaped who we are (For example: people, environments, messages, experiences…etc.). Those who are unaware of this dynamic script that has written our life story will likely live as subjects to the cumulative message of that narrative. 

Negative life influences can wreak havoc in our lives by:

• Lulling our spiritual senses to sleep.
• Filling our minds with corrosive content.
• Encouraging us (much like Eve) to choose fulfillment rather than faithfulness.

One especially concerning area of influence is the alarming amount of information that we are inundated with every day. Did you know that around half of all Americans spend 4-5 hrs a day on their phone, with most people checking their phones 58 times a day?

We are being saturated with an influx of content.

So, what do we do?

For most of us, this deluge of modern-day information and cultural messaging have turned the focus inward. We have been trained to look at life through the filter of me. As Christians,  we must learn how to shift our perspectives in a way that (1) reframes how we see ourselves and (2) deals with the lie that we will lose our sense of meaning, purpose, and identity if we surrender ourselves to the purposes of God.  

Here is where the perspective shift is key.

Our natural man is wired to protect us. This is the natural default setting of our flesh. It will constantly be speaking to your heart saying... if you give yourself to God or you give yourself to others YOU will get lost. You will be forgotten. You will not matter. You will not be seen. You will become inconsequential. You will be lost. And in that state of lostness, you will no longer matter or have value.You will not have what you need. Others will have power over you. You will suffer a slow and painful fate of nothingness, having your needs and desires unmet and being left exposed and vulnerable.  

However, the truth is that Christ came that we might have life and life abundantly outside of the enclosure of self-preservation. This completely defies human logic, but there is a life and joy that is found when we give ourselves away.

God has a life of impact that far exceeds anything you could hope or image, but it is not found by making life about you. God invites you to join him on a journey to the heights that will far exceed anything you could imagine. And one day, when your journey here is done, you will stand before the King of Kings and be given opportunity to lay down the fruit of your lives at His feet. This is when you will hear the King say, "WELL DONE my good and faithful servant!"