Who is Your Influence?
ICS Daily Devotions
1 John 2:16-17 (NKJV) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
We live in a city that is driven by the desire to be rich, because many think that riches will bring them happiness, acceptance, security, status, recognition, power and love, but not every rich person is happy and fulfilled. Otherwise, why would they be looking for spiritual retreats? It is because the vacuum in their lives can only be filled by God.
There is a certain spirit within a city that is influencing the people and you can identify it by listening to people’s conversations. The prince of the power of the air, the ruler of the air, the principalities and power has certain influences over a city, but the kingdom of God also rules and reigns in our lives. Therefore, we are able to live our lives differently in accordance to the Word.
Christ should be the centre of our lives, or everything else will be meaningless. One of the many referrals to thorns in the Bible is people who influence our lives. Thorns always grow faster than the seed. Likewise, it is easier for us to learn about wickedness and bad behaviour than to change for good. The Bible says that the thorns grew up among the seed and choked the growth of the seed. That is because the thorns blocked the sunlight from reaching the seed. Therefore, the seed yielded no crops.
Not everyone whom we associate with is a positive voice of influence in our lives because they might not hold the same values and principles as us. They might value their investments, work, status, possessions, and everything in this world as being more important than God, relationships with family members and church. The devil will continue to tell the same lie and tempt everyone in the same way that he tempted Jesus.
We may not know that we have been deceived until we come to a realisation or be awaken by the foolishness of it. Satan can use it to shackle us and get us off course. Therefore, what we need is another voice that will influence us correctly, and that is the voice of God through His Word and godly counsel. It should be the seed that is sown into our hearts to lead and guide us so that we will truly experience the God-led life.
Sermon Series: Don’t Let It Be Stolen
