Should we as believers try to gain influence? What is the purpose behind us gaining influence? There was an unfortunate situation that happened recently in which I saw influence play a major positive role. We had one of our staff members at Trackstarz who was attacked in his home with acid. He is still in recovery and going through intensive surgeries. He did not have any health insurance and has major medical bills stacking up. A gofundme was started for him and his medical bills. We, Trackstarz, started sharing the information and it got around to Derek Minor who took up this cause and pushed it on all his platforms to bring in awareness. He then reached out to Lecrae, Andy Mineo, and others who also shared the story and because they did, more people heard about the story and donated to the cause.
One definition of an influencer is an individual who has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of his/her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his/her audience. The above story isn’t a purchase, but a cause that needs financial support. Becoming an influencer is about having the trust of those around you. Since you have people’s trust and you are considered an authority figure, you can ask your audience periodically to do or buy something in order to help others. Pastors can ask their congregation to donate to a certain ministry, politicians can ask people to vote on certain bills, and music artists can ask people to support certain businesses, artists, and/or causes.
In the Body of Christ we are to support one another and help each other in times of need. Influencers are able to get others to pay attention to certain stories that their audience may not have heard about otherwise. This is a huge responsibility for influencers. One thing they have to keep in mind is how many times they ask their audience for something. If an influencer is always asking their followers to give money, purchase something, or vote for something, their audience will get drained after a period of time.
Having influence is not a bad thing if the individual with the following has the right heart. Imagine if the CEOs of Facebook, Apple, or Google were believers. They would be able to help out great causes in major ways. Not only with their influence, but their own personal finances. This is one of the main reasons why I created the Business with Bordeaux Podcast is to help people grow in their journey and find marketplace success. This can lead to influence, which can in turn lead to helping the Body of Christ worldwide.
As you continue on your journey, be sure to pray for those who are in an influential role. Pray for their hearts and your own as well. We all have influence over someone, so lets use it wisely.
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