The Ingredients of Influence

¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We are the salts of the earth. But what is the use of salt? Salt is used as a preservative. Our Job is to preserve and keep the world from sin. Salt is also used to add flavor, making a dish taste better. As salts of the earth, we should make the world around us increase with quality. As salts, we should focus on 3 main aspects;

1. Integrity- Integrity should be our standard of living. Our lives as salts of the earth should be an open book. Let our lives match our faith.
2. Interest- Passion and Enthusiasm. We must show passion in people and in the things of God.
3. Investment- we need to give our time, effort and resources. Before you can influence someone, you must invest in their lives.

We are not only salts of the earth, but we are a  also light of the world. A candle stick gives light, therefore we must influence and impact people around us positively. Our lives have to shine so bright that people around us would have no choice but to acknowledge the work that God is doing in our lives.

What are the ingredients of influence?

1. Oil- for a candle to burn, we need the oil. The anointing is the oil. We need the oil to go far in life. In order to influence the world, the oil is required.

Acts 1:4- And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.   

Your influence shall extend to other parts of the earth, and not only Judea. Therefore, we must look not only in our immediate environment but also outside.

• Focus- Proverbs 4:25-27; ²⁵ Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. ²⁶ Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. ²⁷ Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

We need to concentrate at the task at hand. For fire to burn, it needs focus. Do we know how a magnifying glass can be used to start fire? When sunlight hits magnifying glass and is focused on a spot for a while, fire starts. when time and focus come together, results happen.

• Passion- Passion keeps you on track. It is the fuel to your engine. The fire that keeps you going. Find out your area of influence and commit your passion into. Do not listen to discouragement. Avoid those with nothing constructive to say.
• Good Character- Good character is a necessity. Matt 5:16;  ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Your good works will not be seen if your influence is covered with bad character. Imagine a cake that tastes so good, that it will make anyone pay any price. But the icing on the cake is so ugly that it doesn’t draw anybody close enough to even try to taste it. Bad character is a smell that keep people and blessings away from you. Make sure you good works are garnished with good character.

In order to truly change the world for the better, we as children of God need to increase our circle of influence and make sure that we touch the lives of people in our society .

God help us all in Jesus name. Amen.