We are continuing in January with a church wide emphasis on increasing our prayer lives.
“The one concern of the Devil is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”― Samuel Chadwick
We are commanded to “Pray without ceasing” in 1 Thess. 5:17, encouraged by Jesus that “men ought always to pray and not lose heart,” in Luke 18:1, and commanded by Jesus that “my house shall be called a house of prayer,” in Matthew 21:13.
Prayer is the lifeblood of Christianity. Even the disciples knew this when they asked Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray,” in Luke 11:1.
In November we looked at the first part of the prayer of Jabez. It is a prayer we will examine over the next three weeks. It starts with a man asking God to bless him. Not only did Jabez ask for God to bless him, but now He calls on the God of Heaven to enlarge his territory. That word means borders, expand my borders for you.
Jabez was asking for God to increase his influence for God. He wasn’t asking for more property or more wealth he was surveying his circumstances and asking God to help him do more in God’s kingdom.
That is a significant statement because Jabez name means PAIN. To a Hebrew your destiny was tied to your name. Jabez was praying what Jesus commanded in “Let your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (CEV)
Prayer shapes into positive people. Negative people don’t pray. Oh, they will pray in a pinch, but positive people have spent time alone with God in prayer.
This part of the prayer of Jabez speaks of influence. We are either influencing people, our family, friends, and future positively or negatively for Jesus.
We all are influencing someone and it is either positive or negative.
W.M. Taylor said, “Influence is the exhalation of character.” Our character determines what kind of influence we are:
Biblical Example of Negative Influence
The Bible gives us many examples of those who had influence. In Numbers 13 and 14 we read that twelve men were sent to spy out the land. These spies came back—ten with a bad report and two with a good report. The ten persuaded the whole congregation to believe their report, thus influencing them to say "no" to God and not to enter the Promised Land. The influence of ten men cost the lives of several hundreds of thousands of people!
But listen. They influenced the whole nation to turn its back on God!
Probably many of the heartaches the Jewish nation has experienced in the last nearly two thousands years are the result of the influence of those ungodly men. And even though they’re long since gone, their influence lives on.
We all have areas of influence and it’s in these areas that God expects we influence the world for Him. The Bible says in: 2 Corinthians 10:13-16 (ESV)
“... the area of influence God assigned to us is to reach you. (Now) our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you.”
So today if we have expelled sin, and are willing to serve Him, why not pray that God will use us to the fullest? Why not ask God to be used for His glory? Let’s examine three areas of influence.
I. Influencing Your Family
Parents, husbands and wives, soon to be parents or one day you’ll be one, now that covers just about everybody, listen up—you’re greatest influence you will ever have in life is your home. Your home is the single most powerful arena on Earth to change a life for God. Why wouldn’t God want your family to be mighty for Him?
A. A Mother’s Influence—“Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future generations, as all other causes combined.” John Abbott.
A mom has an enormous impact on the family. Prov. 31:10-31 speaks of this virtuous wife who submits to her husband and takes care of the needs of her family. Mom’s don’t you ever let Satan slip you a lie that you are not making a difference because you are changing the world through the lives of your children.
Thomas Edison once said, “I did not have my mother long, but she cast over me an influence which has lasted all my life. The good effects of her early training I can never lose. If it had not been for her appreciation and her faith in me at a critical time in my experience, I should never likely have become an inventor.
I was always a careless boy, and with a mother of different mental caliber, I should have turned out badly. But her firmness, her sweetness, her goodness, were potent powers to keep me in the right path. My mother was the making of me. The memory of her will always be a blessing to me.”
B. A Father’s Influence—The Bible clearly teaches the responsibility we have as dads to influence our children for Him. Ephesians 6:4, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” This is a command not a suggestion. It is in the imperative in the Greek which means this is something to must do.
The word wrath means anger, or exasperate. What it means is we are not to be unreasonable in our demands, outrageous in our punishments or inconsistent in our example, or rules.
In his book, Between Parent and Child, Haim Ginnott writes, “A child learns what he lives. If he lives with criticism he does not learn responsibility. He learns to condemn himself and to find fault in others. He learns to doubt his own judgment, to disparage his own ability, and to distrust others.” (pg.72)
Let me give you 4 truths about influencing you children:
1. Your child has potential—might be in an area we don’t have.
2, Your child has a purpose—packed with a purpose from God.
3. Your child needs patience—they are not perfect.
4. Your child needs a plan—guidance to find God’s purpose for their life.
If you and I can remember those 4 truths we will be able to lead our children and influence them for God’s glory and God’s will for their lives.
I. Influencing your Family
II. Influencing Your Friends
Everyone needs to belong — to feel connected with others and be with others who share attitudes, interests, and circumstances that resemble their own. People choose friends who accept and like them and see them in a favorable light.
But you and I are to influence our friends for God. Listen to the command in Jeremiah 15:19, “You are to influence them; do not let them influence you!” Jeremiah 15:19 (NLT)
So let me start with our youth do your friends influence you or do you influence your friends?
Supermodel Kim Alexis said, “I made the decision as a teenager to be abstinent. I wanted to take control of my future.
It wasn’t a popular decision then, just like it can be an unpopular decision now. It doesn’t always make me more friends. But the friends I have are true friends. True to themselves and true to me. We know each other’s goals and dreams and we encourage each other to achieve them.”
If you are blessed you will have a few friends in your life that you can be you around. I have been truly blessed to have friends that have greatly influenced me in my walk with Christ.
I do believe what the Bible says in Proverbs 18:24, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
(NKJ) Our ultimate friend is the Lord Jesus Christ but if we are going to have friends we have to be friendly.
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” — Dale Carnegie
Do we have friends who challenge us to be Godly and do we influence our friends to honor God in their lives?
III. Influencing the Future
We get all kinds of opportunities to share and show Jesus. To lost family, friends, co-workers and even to other believers when they choose to act ungodly.
But you and I are to be ready for those opportunities especially to share Christ with the lost around us. The Bible says, “Make the most of your chances to tell unbelievers the Good News. Be wise in all your contacts with them.” Colossians 4:5 (LB)
We get many opportunities in life to live beyond our lifetime and our legacy is being written every day of our lives whether it is in school, with our brothers or sisters, with friends, as parents or with coworkers. Our legacy is carved in the granite of our character. Paul J. Meyer reminds us, “Everyone leaves a legacy, whether you have children or not. We all influence the people we encounter. If we want to leave a godly legacy, we will need to live for God’s glory, teach God’s ways and confess our sins.”
Our influence lives beyond the grave. God has given us a great opportunity to build our influence: the Bible says in Romans 14:7, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” (NKJ)
So if we all are leaving a legacy how do we break it down to bite sized morsels?
How do we practically understand this and really make a difference in the Kingdom of God? “Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:16 (NLT)
“If you would take your riches into the life to come, convert them into good deeds.” Caleb Colton
Nothing goes unnoticed in God’s economy. He’s adding up the times we shared Him and the times we showed Him a kind word, a donation to someone in need, how we treated others as peers and those who are beneath us at work.
God’s adding up the times we lifted up others with encouragement, and the times we didn’t criticize. He’s taking note of how many times we went and tried to make amends with people and how many times we humbly say I’m sorry.
We forgive and encourage not because people need it but because we need it. Someone whose caught in a cycle of criticism, gossip and ridiculing their fellow man is in their own prison. So why not Christian set yourself free by forgiving and encouraging someone else?
We’re all leaving a legacy. You will pass on something to your children and grandchildren…the question is, what?
Conclusion: Proverbs 20:7 says, “The just man walks in his integrity, his children are blessed after him.”
We are affecting far more than one family. From in-laws to generations our standards and obedience to God is passed down.
“The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.”
― E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer
We are influencing our family how’s yours right now?
We are influencing our friends how are you impacting them in their spiritual walk?
We are influencing the future how are you today sharing and showing God’s love?
PRAY
