From My Perspective - - -

Many of us were reared in a time when in both the home and school there was an ongoing instruction regarding influences in ones life. It was couched in general terms – good influences and bad influences. There was the reminder that “birds of a feather flock together” as a word of caution to choose one's associations wisely and well. There was a warning that “if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck” don’t let someone influence you into believing it is something other than a duck. The point was made that ones associations are important in the shaping of ones life. The hope was that “good influences” would serve as a model of and for behavior that would serve one well if it was emulated.

One area where “influence” comes into play is in the “game of politics” as candidates for office spend thousands and millions of dollars so they can “influence” the citizen to vote for him or her. One can be barraged with mail and phone calls informing the citizen why one candidate is “better” than another and how an opponent for office is prone to be corrupt and entangled with those who are negative influences in a particular candidates life and career. A person with sufficient funding can buy radio and television time and saturate the listener and viewer with negative information about others. One candidate has already spent more than $25 Million and his campaign whereas another is seeking to raise $1 Billion for his campaign. It becomes easy for a citizen to become a bit cynical regarding all of this fund-raising and expenditure. It makes one muse: “Are these people trying to ‘Buy’ the respective office.” A related question might be: “Are we foolish enough to let them influence us to the extent that we let them get away with this ploy?”

Another area of influence are the Tracking Polls that are broadcast daily in terms of how voters plan to vote and why they will vote one way or another. There are Gender Polls, Ethnic Polls, Age Polls – polls of every thought and description – telling one of the negatives and positives of a candidate as well as informing us who is more likely to defeat one candidate over another. It seems as though we are succumbing more and more to secular and cultural influences for both our lives and nation. In the midst of the barrage of advertisements and mailings, one needs to arrive at a bottom line, namely, Who is the candidate of Principle, Integrity and Sincerity? Who is a person of Conscience and Conviction in terms of having a Moral Compass for direction of ones life and practice? Who stands head and shoulders over the rest in this regard?

What is basic for one to be a person of Positive Practice and Influence? First, the person must make Godly Choices for his/her life. A place to begin is Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT), “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about His law.” One’s associations matter greatly in terms of the influences and one’s exposure to them. To avoid negative influences, one is instructed to (1) walk not in a wicked place and where negative influences abound; (2) don’t let your self stand and observe what sinners are doing; and (3) don’t allow your self to sit down with them and become one with them. Instead – choose the high road and the  positive influence – the Law and Word of the Lord and meditate in it always.

Secondly, the person must make the Godly Choice in terms of becoming a child of The Light and pursuing righteousness and holiness. In Ephesians 4:17-18, 23-24 (NLT) the instruction is: “Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life & light of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him…there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness - righteous, holy, and true…” Never forget Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” You can and must make Godly Choices in and for all areas of your life. Consider these things with me!