The Weekly Encourager – June 14, 2017 – Under the Influence

It's graduation season. Are you driving under the influence of alcohol? After surgery on Friday, I was told not to drive while under the influence of narcotics I had been given. Since then, I've been thinking about what other influences I may be under.

A Christian brother shared about the negative influence of depression in his life. We reminded him that many of these thoughts are whispers from Satan. Having suffered from depression myself, I have learned that many of the Downer D feelings – depression, discouragement, destruction, doubt, and their denizens – come straight from the Devil. As Bible teacher Kay Arthur says, we need to “Philippians 4:8 it.” In other words, put a filter over your ears to reject whatever is not pure, noble, good, and beautiful.

As people who follow the Lord, we must take every thought captive to Christ. Lots of folks wear earbuds these days. We need to let the Word of God act as a permanent earbud, filtering everything we hear before it becomes ingrained as a pattern. This is especially true of negative self-talk. Any time we catch ourselves thinking what horrible people we are, having already repented of sin, we can counter that lie with Truth. Counter D with T. God sent His only Son to die for us, forgiving us of every sin (yes, even the ones we struggle with the most). We are wholly accepted and beloved in Christ, adopted into His family for all time. God is able to pour His power into our hopeless situations; nothing is impossible with God; when I am weak He is strong. Thanks be to God!

Such positive promises of Scripture are our lifeline in the Downer D times. But if we're too far down, we may forget to reach for that lifeline. At that point, Satan steps in the door and asks, “Where's the beer?” Resist the human tendency to welcome this salesman into the house for a party! We need to be ready at all times for whatever the world, the flesh, and the devil may throw at us. We need to operate under the influence of God's Word at all times, whether driving a car or lying in bed, whether alone or interacting with other people.

I saw this on Sunday evening when two friends stopped by unannounced. I had no warning of their visit, so I had no opportunity to get my mind prepared and to pray that I would be a blessing to them. I wasn't particularly under a godly influence at the time either – my mind was wandering as I watched a series on Netflix. (Did I mention that this series, while very well done, is kind of a Downer?) The two well-meaning friends caught me unaware, so I had few filters on my speech, and I ended up saying some hurtful things to dear friends who came only to show me kindness! What a shame that I wasn't more gracious. Next morning I had to send out an apology.

How do we build godly earbuds? I love what Pastor Steven Lawson said, “Do you want to hear the audible voice of God? Read the Bible out loud.” Certainly, reading the Bible is the place to start, and it's even better if you can do it out loud. Studies say there are many different kinds of learners, so use whatever method works for you. You may learn best by reading aloud, listening, writing it down, studying it, acting it out, telling others about it, drawing a picture of it, or some other method. Not sure how you learn best? Try them all. (Parents, note: your child's best learning method may not be the same as yours.) Ask the Lord to help you develop the habit of interacting with the Word morning and evening, even if it's just reading one verse. As a bonus, I've found that reading the Bible as I go to bed at night is helping me to get better sleep, which is a real answer to prayer!

Sing to the Lord! I can tell you with confidence that music is a very powerful learning tool. We all know it's much easier to memorize lyrics of popular songs than silent lists of dreary facts. Let's use this gift of song which God has provided to learn His promises. Here's part of my personal testimony: At age 13, I was saved through the influence of neighbors who invited me to a charismatic fellowship. There I learned dozens of songs whose lyrics were straight out of Scripture, and those songs have stuck with me for decades. Time after time, the Holy Spirit has brought those words to mind at just the right moment when I really needed help. God's word will not return void. It's always a good influence.

Who or what has the greatest influence on you at this moment? Jesus, help us to be under Your influence.

God is faithful,
j