Tuesday, September 09, 2008

A Battle for Influence--Who Will Win?

Think for a minute.  What is your scope of influence?  Who do you rub shoulders with, spend your time with, have the ability to encourage and bring truth? 


 


It may be your immediate family and the checker at the grocery store.  It may be your classmates.  It may be a whole youth group or even a church body.  Maybe it’s the people at your office or the crew you work with.


 


Whatever your surroundings may be on a daily or regular basis, this is the group of people God has placed in your life for the purpose of change.  Change for the better.  Heart changes to affect eternity.


 


What better place for satan to bring defeat into our lives than with the very strengths we may have to influence those around us? He will bring the greatest force of his attacks to tear us down and ultimately to cause our influence to be weakened.  His final victory would be for us to be so overcome with sin or discouragement that our influence would even be completely gone.  He’ll take our greatest strengths and bring lie after lie, wearing us down to believe it.


 


You know the pastor that fell because his love and care for his church was turned into love and care for another woman.


You’ve seen the gifted musician that is so insecure that he can’t break through into the freedom of worship.


You’ve seen the moms that so love that new infant and then are so overwhelmed with frustration as they grow up there may eventually be broken relationship with that child.


You’ve seen dads that totally give up their responsibility.


You’ve seen or experienced sibling rivalry that disintegrates into hatred.


 


What is your greatest strength? Your greatest area of influence?   Do you recognize how badly satan wants to remove you from that place?  How he will use your very strengths to bring defeat into your life?  How it can begin with you believing even some very small lies?


 


I feel so strongly about this, I challenge you to be aware of this conflict.  It’s a battle we don’t have to lose.


 


Are you struggling with this right now?  Don’t try to make it alone. E-mail me, or find someone that will agree to pray with you and hold you accountable to your calling. 


 


Will we believe the lies or stand in His truth?  It’s a daily choice.


 


 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.  I Pet. 5:8-9



 


 


 


Robin

10 comments:

  1. My Friend please read my blog today (tuesday).

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  2. Oh, this is so true. Thank you for bringing the truth! I needed to hear this today. I'm going to go put on more armor right now! :)

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  3. Great advice! I have been caught off my guard before and I pray that it doesn't happen again!

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  4. This is enlightening. I'll chew for a while.

    And pray.

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  5. I love reading the new blogs everyday and trying to guess who wrote it before I get to the bottom. I was thinking Anna the whole time!

    Good post, great message!

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  6. I agree with Katie it is fun to try and figure out who wrote it. Of course I only really know of few of you so far.

    Nice message

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  7. I'm passionate about this too, robin. The lies are powerful if we let them slip in.

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  8. What is amazing to me is that he would want to waste his time trying to take me away from anything. So I guess I really don't see where I have influence. I am just a small fish. :)

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  9. Ah....Theresa. He's already whispering.....hear him? "I'm a nobody. Nothing I do or say matters. I'm just a __________" .

    Don't go there! :)

    You ARE important in His Kingdom, and you have GREAT influence...YOU ARE AN ENCOURAGER, remember?

    Don't believe his deceit and lies!!!

    Love you!!

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  10. I like that verse..

    he roams around LIKE a roaring lion, but Christ is the Lion and the lamb. We need to not fear the imitator and stand firm against him!

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