5 Tips To Build Influence

Building Influence

Sphere of Influence

Everyone has a sphere of people in their lives, including family, friends, church members, coworkers, clients, etc. It is our goal, as we obey Christ, to reach our neighbors. These are people you can influence for the Kingdom of God. To do so, we must build a platform where we earn the right to speak into people's lives.

In an age of technology, when we communicate by text, IM, email, and social media, we have lost real communication. Good communication is built on connecting well with others, which comes through valuing them. You can’t move people to action unless you first move them with emotion.

“Connecting is the ability to identify with people and relate to them in a way that increases your influence with them.” —John C. Maxwell

How do you build influence?

1. Value others.

   “This is the great and supreme commandment. And the second is like it in importance: ‘You must love your friend in the same way you love yourself.’” —Matthew 22:38-39 TPT

   It's not always easy. People can be annoying—rude, selfish, ignorant, mean, godless, etc. Yet God wants all people to confess that Jesus alone is Lord. We need to value others as God values them. Everyone is worthy of His grace and love. Let’s be conduits of His compassion and mercy. Ask God for a greater love for Him and your neighbor. Ask Him to pour His love for the world into your heart.

   “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” —Luke 6:36 NLT

2. Walk in humility.
   Pride and arrogance are natural turnoffs when speaking to others. A know-it-all is an insufferable person to be around. Pride is a terrible driver. Humility opens the door for grace from God as well as with others. Humility will allow you to speak into someone else’s situation.

3. Take an interest.
   Taking an interest in others makes them feel special, valued, and wanted. Taking an interest is like putting credit in the bank. It encourages and supports others, and then, when it’s your turn to talk or share the truth of the Word, you will have something in the bank to withdraw.

4. Ask questions.
   This is an extension of number three. Asking questions shows your interest, demonstrates that you care, and keeps the focus on others rather than yourself.

5. Listen to understand, not to respond.
   Too many people listen just to have a snappy comeback, especially Christians who want to argue their faith or political points. We know we’re right, or we have a scripture to prove it, or we have some apologetics ready—but those answers will only be effective if we truly understand the other person’s position. We don’t have to agree with them, but we should seek to understand them.

As we practice the love of God within our sphere of influence, we will build a platform from which we can naturally and confidently share the message of Christ and give an account for the hope that is within us.

Put Fight Back In Your Faith

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”-Philippians 3:14 NLT

Ready for Battle

Notice that the scripture here says PRESS. We must do something on our end. We must aspire to know Christ and make Him known. Perseverance/Endurance is the lost art of Christianity. Faith and Patience are the power twins. Faith believes God. Patience or perseverance carries it out.

Perseverance puts the fight back into faith.

Faith Works by Putting Action to it.

James 1:2-4. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

12. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

25. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 2:26 ESV For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

God wants to do something great, but He is waiting on you. Your hands, your feet, and your will align with His Will.

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20 AMP

I remember when my dad lay in the hospital with COVID-19 starving for oxygen. We couldn’t see him, we were still in China. We felt led to stay and finish our work. But as the days lingered, I prayed about going home early to see my dad. Another challenge was that it was during the Pandemic and it would be hard to get in to see him anyways. My mom was the boots on the ground as she took him his Bible but he responded that he was too weak to read it or even pray! Covid had sapped him of all his energy and will. It was terrible to hear about my dad in such a state and we could do nothing about it. We couldn’t do anything in the natural but we turned to the Lord the God our healer. We persevered in prayer.

We in the Spirit joined hands, and through prayer and standing on God’s Word, we said, “You’re going to make it; don’t back down, don’t give up, stay the fight” We believed in the God who heals and who makes a way. Finally, COVID was beaten and my Dad was released from the hospital. Though he could not fight for himself he was surrounded by those who knew how to persevere in faith.

Bravery in Spirit Led Leadership

Lion attacking a snake

Bravery is a command from God. That’s not a topic or quality that we often think about. But it’s true. Here are four points of bravery that every Christian who aspires to be a Spirit-led leader must adhere to.

1. God has given us the ability to overcome fear, which is called being brave.

Being brave is taking action despite fear.

Bravery is not grounded in our ability, skill, or courage. Courage does not come from within us; it comes from the Holy Spirit working and moving through us.

• Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success[a] wherever you go.- Joshua 1:7-8

  Success formula. Bravery + Obey the Word = Success

  2. Choose Bravery

• Many of us are willing to settle for the good. Your life is good. Your job is good. Your kids are good. Your church is good. Your existence is good. Existing is good. The problem is a gulf between where you are and who you want to be. You are not seeing the results; you have a mindset gap between scarcity and abundance. You need to come face to face with your bravery and decide to change.

  3. Bravery to Take the Labels Off

  Don’t conform to the corruption of this world’s standards, but instead, renew your mind by replacing labels with truth. Part of being a victim is accepting the labels of man that have been put on you. You might have been told by a parent, teacher, or coach that you were “stupid, ugly, slow, worthless, will never amount to anything,” how about “can’t you be more like your sibling?” etc.

  It is time to take those labels off, reject the lie, and put on the labels of the truth of God’s Word. “More than a conqueror. I have the hope of glory in me. I have the mind of Christ. I lack no good thing. I can do all things through Christ.” 

  4. Bravery Means Responsibility

  A common phrase that people say when they don’t want to take the burden of responsibility for growth or change is “Fake it till you make it.” Don’t fake it till you make it; get better, and you’ll make it. The choice you make makes you. Responsibility isn’t easy, fun, or glamorous, but it is necessary.

  As you accept responsibility in your life, it gives you more and more power. Responsibility will give you the power to change your life from where you are and help guide you to where you want to be. A natural leader doesn’t pass responsibility but accepts it and then makes it work for them.

• If you enjoyed this teaching, check out Butterfly Leadership, available at www.imprintinternational.com

Why Valentines Day?

Valentine in the dungeon

The True Meaning of Valentine’s Day

Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? Is it just about writing cute cards, buying chocolates, or taking our significant other out for an expensive dinner? While Valentine’s Day focuses on romantic love, its origins run much deeper. At its core, it is rooted in the love of God and the courage to stand for what is right.

In the third century, during the Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius II decreed that young men should not marry. He believed that soldiers would be more focused and loyal if they were not distracted by wives and families. To enforce this, he forbade marriage among men of fighting age.

However, a priest named Valentine saw things differently. Believing that marriage was a sacred gift from God, he secretly performed weddings despite the emperor’s orders. Eventually, he was discovered, arrested, and sentenced to prison.

Even in prison, Valentine’s faith in God remained unshaken. He befriended his jailer and even tutored the jailer’s young daughter in reading and writing. His kindness and love reflected the teachings of Christ, showing that true love reaches even beyond barriers of enmity. We should love our neighbore as we love ourselves. According to tradition, he signed his notes to the young girl, “From your Valentine.” This is believed to be the origin of the practice of exchanging Valentine’s cards.

John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The emperor eventually gave Valentine a choice: renounce his Christian faith and worship the Roman pagan gods, or face execution. Valentine chose to stand firm in his faith, refusing to deny Christ—even at the cost of his life.

The Moral of the Story

True Christian leaders:

• Stand up for what is right, even when the government says otherwise.

• Share the love of Christ with everyone—even their enemies.

• Remain faithful to Christ, no matter the cost.

Valentine’s Day is more than just a celebration of romance. It is a reminder of sacrificial love, unwavering faith, and the courage to stand for truth.

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