How to Have Influence
What is Influence – Week 3
INFLUENCE
WE ARE MULTIPLIERS
“So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 TPT
LOVE
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal “1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT
THE CHARACTER OF POSITIVE INFLUENCE
How not to be a negative influence
How not to be negatively influenced
How to Become a Person of Influence
All we need is interaction to have influence
If our lives in any way connect with other people we have influence
“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim.
“Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them…Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her…So she sent them away, and they departed. Then the two men started back…and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.””
Joshua 2:1-24 NIV
God will use anyone who is willing
Leadership depends less on titles than it does influence
“…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:10 NLT
1. A Person of Influence has integrity with people
2. A Person of Influence Nurtures People and Relationships
Nurturing
The heart of the nurturing process is having genuine concern for others
When a person feels encouraged, they can face the impossible and overcome adversity
“Oxygen to the soul” - George M. Adams
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 NIV
for most people, it’s not what they are that holds them back. It’s what they think they’re not.
1. Believe in people
2. Be present and help People
3. A Person of Influence Has Faith in People
Most people don’t have faith in themselves
Difficulties seldom defeat people; lack of faith in themselves usually does
Most people don’t have someone who has faith in them
Emphasize people’s strengths
Be in the Trenches with Others
“Pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the lord’s people” Ephesians 6:18 NIV
4. A Person of Influence Listens to People
“No Man would listen to you talk if he didn’t know it was his turn next.” - Edgar Watson Howe
My leadership became more effective the less I talked and the more I listened
“A fool is in love with his own opinion, but wisdom means being teachable” Proverbs 12:15 TPT
1. Listening Shows Respect
“Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery.” - Dr. Joyce Brothers
When we don’t pay attention to what others have to say, we send a message to them that we don’t value them
“the first duty of love is to listen”
Be impressed and interested, not impressive and interesting
2. Listening Builds relationships
“everyone needs someone who he feels really listens to him.” - C. Neil Strait
Our connection with God is a relationship not a one-way request line
Look at the person speaking!
Don’t interrupt
Focus on understanding
Determine the need in the moment
Check your emotions
Suspend your judgment
Always make listening a priority
5. A Person of Influence Seeks to Understand People
“The biggest mistake you can make in trying to talk convincingly is to put your highest priority on expressing your ideas and feelings. What most people really want is to be listened to, respected, and understood. The moment people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.” - David Burns
As believers we don’t justify sin
“Half of the controversies and conflicts that arise among people are caused not by differences of opinion or an inability to agree, but by their lack of understanding for one another.”
Everybody needs somebody
Everybody needs Grace