The internet is teeming with every manner of “influencer,” people seeking to make their voice heard on their particular field of expertise. Have you ever considered that everyone of us is already an “influencee”? While we aren’t exactly pieces of clay molded without resistance by those around us, neither are we completely objective machines, uninfluenced by the voices all around us. For this reason, it is important for us to be aware of the voices influencing us, what they are saying, and how to assess their messages.
I think of the competing voices of the spies in Numbers 13. Twelve men, one from each tribe, were sent to check out the land that God had promised to the people. They all saw the same things. What was the raw data? “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large…” (Num 13:27–28).
What were the competing voices or influences about the raw data? Caleb (and Joshua): “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it” (Num 13:30). The others: “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are” (Num 13:31).
To which influence did the people listen? Obviously, to the bad report. Moses recalls the incident in Deuteronomy 1:26-28, “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. And you murmured in your tents and said… ‘Our brothers have made our hearts melt.’”
Moses recalls trying again to persuade them:
“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God…” (Deut 1:29–32).
What objective reality should have been used to assess the competing voices? The promise and command of God (Deut 1:8). Any voice leading the people to doubt the promise or disobey the command should have been rejected (see also Genesis 3!).
There are, therefore, some questions we can ask ourselves to assess the current state of the competing voices in our lives, their relative influence on our thinking, and how we might evaluate them in order to keep our thoughts and lives headed in the right direction.
What are the main voices in my life? I encourage you to take a few moments to list them. Which friends, fellow workers, media figures, social media voices, radio/TV/podcast/blog/book voices do you spend time listening to? You are the influencee. These are the influencers.
How do these voices rank in terms of time devoted to them? We can’t necessarily control the time spent with each one. Work influences specifically are difficult to maximize or minimize since they are rigidly scheduled for us. However, taking note of the time spent with each influence is important because it can give us an idea of the relative pressure each influence may be exerting on our lives.
(Notice carefully how the previous sentence reads. More time with an influence does not necessarily mean we are actually being conformed by that influence. Strongly held beliefs might never be overcome no matter how much time is spent with a particular influence. However, there may be subtle changes in our attitudes/outlook that can come as a result of long-term exposure to the pressure of a particular influence.)
What is the primary worldview of each influence? Does a given influence pressure me to view all things in light of God’s existence and truth? Or to view all things without reference to God and His truth? We must keep in mind that every voice has a worldview and that all worldviews must be measured by the objective standard of the Bible. Every voice at any given moment, whether intentionally or inadvertently, is either an influence toward truth or away from it. God’s Word is the plumbline.
What is the overall picture? Those influences which I can't control (like work influences)...are they pressuring me from a godless perspective? Those influences that fill up my free time...what is the ratio of godless to Godward? Prior to this exercise, have I given any thought to the relative spiritual benefit/detriment of any? Have I regarded any with suspicion or received them all with equal acceptance? In other words, to what extent am I currently a passive influencee?
What can I do to minimize the pressure of godless voices and maximize the pressure of Godward voices? The key to both of these necessities is to spend ample time in the study of the Word and under the ministry of the Word. Anything we can do to fill the well of our minds with truth can only help us as we engage with the world. As our minds are filled with the Word, they are strengthened against ungodly voices and are moved to say, “Amen!” to godly voices.
If a voice is primarily godless, that does not necessarily mean we need to eliminate it. We simply need to have our heads on straight as we listen. We need to regard that voice or influence as a training tool for discernment, asking as we listen, “What is this voice teaching and how does it conflict with God’s truth?” In this way, even godless voices can benefit us. However, there may be some voices that are so toxically godless (i.e., they tempt us to sin or expose us to the sin of others) that they have little redeeming value and should be eliminated.
Again, we are all influencees. Let’s be aware of the influencers and subject them to the objective measuring stick of God’s Word.
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