INFLUENCE 4 - My example can encourage others to come to Jesus.

influence 4 - English files

Einfluss 4 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about John 4:5-42

The emphasis in this lesson isn’t the usual one for this passage—Jesus’ personal evangelism methods—but rather it’s about the woman’s spontaneous evangelism from the moment she discovered who Jesus was (4:28-30).

Knowing her questionable background revealed earlier in the story (4:17), many of us might hesitate to call her a good influence, but in this area she certainly was. She went to tell the people in her life that Jesus was the Christ whom God had promised to send.

Those people admitted that her faith influenced them to believe, bringing them to the well to find out for themselves who Jesus was. Imagine all the questions they must have peppered Him with in the two days he spent there! At the end, their initial interest had become their own faith, and the woman’s initiative hat set it all in motion (4:42).

Lord, please give me the courage to follow this woman’s good example.

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INFLUENCE 3 - People who love Jesus should be my heroes.

Influence 3 - English files

Einfluss 3 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Influence

Do you remember someone who had a bad influence on you during your childhood? Maybe it was neighborhood kid or someone at school. Did you follow that bad example because you were afraid of something or because you hoped to get something out of it—or maybe both?

Who were the good influences? For me it was chiefly my parents, consistent Christians who took the Bible and prayer seriously and taught us to stand alone for our faith. I also had some great Sunday School teachers and pastors whose enthusiasm for the Bible helped to kindle my love for it. I’m very thankful for them all.

Surely your influence has also left its mark—probably on your children and grandchildren and maybe others in the family or neighborhood or church. We can’t imagine how closely younger people are watching us and looking to our example for guidance.

Lord, help me be a good influence whose life points people to You.

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INFLUENCE 2 - My friends have a strong influence on me.

Influence 2 - English files

Einfluss 2 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about 1 Kings Chapters 11 and 12

We’re all susceptible to peer pressure—not just kids. And even intelligent people aren’t exempt from it. Solomon was a universal genius with an extreme level of wisdom as well as expert knowledge in several fields of natural science (see 1 Kings 4:29-34). But sure enough, Deuteronomy 17:17 turned out to be as prophetic for him as it did for many of his descendants.

Kids are especially impressionable, and as they progress through the pre-teen years, their friends’ approval is becoming more and more important to them. Some don’t even have friends and are desperate to attract anyone at all. Because many can’t imagine where a bad influence could lead them, it’s hard to convince them of the danger.

Lord, please help us to set an example by focusing our own lives on You. And help us show kids from the Bible that Your approval is the most important.

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INFLUENCE 1 - It's not always a good idea to copy others.

Influence 1 - English file 

Einfluss 1 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about 1 Samuel Chapters 8-10

Influence seems to have come into its own. For centuries it’s operated mainly behind the scenes, often imperceptibly and unexpectedly, but now people are freely admitting to “following” someone online as a subscriber or imitator.

The influencer is an entrepreneur who creates digital content sufficient to attract and retain a large audience. The followers often imitate to the extent of asking their influencers for brand names and sources for their tools or wares.

But classic influence still works the way it always has. People are still impacted the most by those with whom they spend the most time. And deep down we seem to be convinced that the majority must know best. Admiration mingled with envy motivates us to imitate others.

The Israelites were to live out God's rule before the Canaanites in the neighboring countries, instead of following their example. Even after the many drawbacks of a monarchy were spelled out for them, the Israelites persisted in their demand for a king, thus setting the stage for dire consequences in later centuries.

Lord, don't let me forget that it's sometimes the worst punishment when I get my own way. Help me to follow You.

Downloading lesson files

If you're interested in the lesson file, simply click on the appropriate link above to download it in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next post and lesson will be the second in the topic Influence.