The Power of Influence

            When God led His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, He gave them three commands concerning the native peoples they would encounter in Canaan.  Moses records these in Deuteronomy 7:2-3:

            1.  They were to totally destroy the evil inhabitants that God had judged guilty of vile sin.

            2.  They were to make no treaties with any of their neighbors.

            3.  They were not to intermarry with any of their neighbors.

            God required the Israelites to treat these people this way because He knew the power of their influence.  His people were a nation in training.  He needed to remove as many distractions and outside influences as possible.  The influence of idolatry practiced by the Canaanites had become so strong that the only way to keep His people safe from their evil influence was through these 3 rules.

            However, the Israelites failed to keep these directives.  They just pushed back the enemy nations a comfortable distance – enough to create a “buffer zone” between them.  In time they made business and political alliances which seemed harmless, but were really done to satisfy their own selfish purposes.  And, worst of all, they began intermarrying with idolatrous people.  Perhaps they reasoned that this was a good way to influence these ungodly people to learn about and follow the One, True God. Eventually, though, Israel ended up being influenced to worship foreign gods just as they had been warned by both God and Moses. So God had to punish them for their unfaithfulness.

            The same will happen to us today if we don’t heed the warnings of God’s Word.  The power of evil to influence us into multiple forms of idolatry today is very prevalent and extremely appealing – even to those we consider the most faithful (notice Jesus’ shocking revelation in Matthew 24:10-12, 24). This is why there are so many pleas within Scripture to listen only to God, to beware of the enemy and his schemes, and to be busy doing what we know is right.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Because on this side of Jesus’ resurrection, we can, with the power God gives us, turn the tables on the immoral people around us and influence them to do what is right. With God’s Spirit guiding us, we can be “salt” and “light” to our tasteless and dark world (Matthew 5:13-16). So shouldn’t we be busy finding ways to change things for the better and to enhance not only our life, but also all the lives around us?

God has given each of us the power of influence for good. He has given us His Spirit to live inside us; an immensely powerful weapon to use against Satan and those he influences. I suggest we use it so that we can quit being defeated by Satan and be a beacon of hope to those seeking freedom from the hatred, violence, oppression, and greed that is destroying our homes and souls. 

            Make no mistake; the power of influence is within each of us.  The only question is how it will be used.  Will we allow ourselves to be influenced for the good or toward what is evil?  Will we influence others to love, and care, and assist one another? Or will we continue to allow the devil and his minions to influence us to not care, or to give up trying, or worse, to give in and follow the crowd into sin?  Make your choice. 

            God wants you to love Him with your whole being so that He can influence you to imitate Jesus and mature your faith.  Then you will possess the power to influence others to halt their backward slide toward destruction and get back on the road toward God and eternal life.

Doug