If you look back over your life, you can probably point to some people who have influenced you. Parents, grandparents, teachers, preachers, friends and any number of other people helped mold you into the person that you are today. Some of that impact was positive and some was negative, but the people in our lives make an impression. Many of them show us how to handle certain situations and how to live a life that’s pleasing to God. Some of them may have been a walking illustration about what you don’t want to be. Whatever the influence they had on you, the fact remains that they had one.
You’re a person of influence to. You may look at that statement and think, “I’m not in any position of leadership. I can’t be an influence!” But that’s simply not the case. Whether you’re the CEO of the company or the night janitor, you have an influence on people in your life. Perhaps you’re not a parent, guardian or teacher; that doesn’t mean that you don’t have an influence on young people in your life. You may never stand behind the pulpit on a Sunday morning at your church, but God has a design for your life that includes influencing other people.
But how do you use your influence for good? Understanding how to use the platform that God has given you, no matter its size, is an important part of walking in God’s will for your life. The most impactful way to use your God-given influence to impact the lives of the people around you is to display the fruits of the Spirit that Paul described to the Galtian church.
Galatians 5:22-23 (TPT)
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
That’s certainly a great list of attributes to have, but what do they look like when we put them into action in our lives?
Joy that Overflows
Many people mistake happiness for joy even though the two are not the same thing. Happiness is largely dependent on your present circumstances. A bad day at work can leave you feeling unhappy. Trying to figure out a way to be a teacher for your children who are having to do their schoolwork at home can certainly leave you unhappy. But that doesn’t have to impact your joy. Joy is something that is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Happiness comes and goes while joy is a long-lasting trait. When people see you continue to smile through the face of ongoing adversity, they will see that there is something different about you. You can then point them to the Source of your joy.
Peace that Subdues
We live in some very turbulent, tumultuous times. If there’s anything that people need now more than ever, it’s peace. The Bible says that we have access to the “peace of God that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6). That peace changes the way that we view our current circumstances, and people around us take note. Much like our joy, they will wonder how we can be so peaceful during times where there is so much anger and animosity. Our peace can allow us to influence others to the same feeling.
Patience that Endures
Patience is a hard one, isn’t it? It’s so easy to let the stress of daily life create an edginess inside of us that leaves us prone to explode on the next person who crosses our path. But patience is a great tool that can be used to influence the people in our lives. Maybe the people you work with aren’t doing their fair share. Instead of blowing up on them, understand that they may be dealing with hardships at home that you know nothing about. Perhaps your spouse is displaying some behaviors that annoy you. Instead of an argument, find out if there’s something going on at work that has him or her distracted. Your patience speaks volumes.
Kindness in Action
James said that if you say you have faith without works, he will display his faith by his works (James 2:18). When we put our faith into action, it produces works of kindness. As God’s children, we are called to evangelize to the people around us. Most people aren’t interested in how much you know about the Bible until they see that you actually care about them. Putting kindness into action gives you more influence than memorizing a hundred Bible verses. It opens up the door for you to point people to the One that you have put your faith into. A little kindness goes a long way when trying to influence others.
A Life Full of Virtue
Virtue is defined as a life of moral excellence. The most powerful way to influence the people around you is to walk in moral excellence. That means that you don’t lie to get ahead at work. That means that you don’t step on people on your way to the top. It means that you don’t take shortcuts at the expense of others when you’re trying to get ahead. God has given us moral standards that we are expected to live by. When others see those morals in action, they understand that we are the called.
Faith that Prevails
How do you look at the current state of the world and declare that everything is going to be alright? There’s fighting in the streets, death on every hand, riots, violence, murder and chaos everywhere. Faith doesn’t mean that we do not acknowledge the chaos of our society; it simply means that we understand that this world is not our home, and we are citizens of another city (Philippians 3:20-21). Faith does not mean that we are unsympathetic to the pain of those around us, but it does mean that we point them to Something that will change the way that they view their current problems. Faith prevails over all of the chaos that’s going on in our world.
Gentleness of Heart
How easy is it to reply harshly to the people around you? Let’s assume that you’ve had a stressful day at work, you get home, and you have one child who has to be at soccer practice while another child has dance lessons. You’re trying to get dinner on the table and your spouse tells you that they’re going to be late and can’t help you with the kids. The stress is rising just before one of those kids spills their drink all over the kitchen table. If there was ever a time to blow your top, this is it. But when gentleness grows inside of you, it comes out to those around you. What seems like an insignificant moment of “that’ll be OK. We will clean it up” can have a lasting impact on those children who can sense your stress. Instead of blowing up at everything that goes wrong, focus on how blessed you are to have a job, a spouse, children, food and drink. When you approach people with gentleness, it’s an indication that you are being led by the Holy Spirit.
Strength of Spirit
Most translations use the term “self-control” to wrap up the fruits of the Spirit. While it may seem like self-control and strength are contradictory terms, nothing could be further from the truth. It takes more strength to practice self-control than it does to give into every desire. Again, others will take note of your ability to deny the desires of your flesh and to live a life pleasing to God.
When you allow God to cultivate these fruits inside you, you will gain a better ability to influence people around you. When they see these powerful traits at work in your life, they will want to know more about why you behave the way you do. The key to using your influence for good is to allow yourself to be a vessel for the Holy Spirit to work through.
A Closing Prayer:
God, use me to influence those around me. Regardless of my standing in society, there are people around me who look to me as an influence. Help me to use that influence to further Your kingdom. In Christ’s name, Amen!