You Have Influence – How to Use It

We all have influence. Is it positive or negative? Are you making the world better or worse? We all want to make thing better, right?

Here’s a starting point.

Webster’s Third Unabridged Dictionary defines influence this way: to affect or alter the conduct, thought, or character of by indirect or intangible means.

The words you say, the decisions you make, the life you live all serve to sway others. Some people have a huge audience; others have a small audience. But everyone wields a certain level of influence.

The Foundation

The person you are establishes the foundation of your influence. If you are a follower of Jesus, then his work in your life will be manifested by your words and behavior. You will change your world for the better.

To keep that positive impact you must continually feed on the things of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer, Bible reading, worship, serving Jesus, and doing all he asks you to do will help you stay strong and positive.

The Application

Whether you like it or not, your life changes things. If you are following Jesus, you are changing things for the better.

Even if you don’t intentionally do anything, your life is a passive factor. However, to truly make a difference, you must be intentional. And why not?

The most obvious way to do so is to simply speak up! Encourage with words. Speak up for compassion and justice. Say words that Jesus would say!

Another way to intentionally influence is to demonstrate compassion. It’s one thing to say compassion is necessary, it is something different to actually demonstrate it. Your actions reinforce your words and increase the positive change exponentially.

Your Turn

Who has been the greatest influence in your life and how did they do it? What do you do to intentionally influence others?

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