A Woman’s Powers of Influence & How to Use Them for Good
In a study conducted with ten thousand people they were asked, “Who has had the most positive influence on your religious faith?” “My mother,” was the most frequent answer from every age group. “My wife,” was the second most frequent response from men. This poll confirms woman’s gift of influence.
The gift commonly taken for granted is the woman’s ability to influence. Have you watched a little girl with her daddy? She is already getting to know her power to influence, batting those baby soft eyes or pouting those lips to close the request of what she wants. And don’t leave Grand-mama out as she scours the stores one by one to find that trinket for her beloved granddaughter.
To further confirm this fact, we may visit the fact that almost every ad has a woman present in it. Take the woman out of the ad and sales drop. Why? The truth is God has given women the ability to influence and along with this privilege comes a responsibility to use it for God’s glory. From our physical makeup to the sound of our voice are all empowered to influence others.
Are you using your influence to encourage someone? We can choose to use this power in a godly manner influencing others for the good. We all have an area of influence to be accountable for. For example, are you influencing those around you with encouragement, respect, admiration and your faith in God? Or are you influencing them with negative words, gossip and disrespect? What about your children? Are they being influenced by your graciousness or your temper tantrums?
Let your light of influence be a signal to the weary. Influence others to the good. Godly influencers empower, persuade, and convince others to the reality of Christ and to the common good. There are some qualities (powers) to nurture to become the powerful woman of influence God has created you to be:
o The power of invitation. We as women have the power of invitation. We have the power to attract, draw in, entice, urge, persuade, captivate and so on. Determine to use your power to invite others to obey God. Spend your invitations wisely. Make sure your invitations include inviting others to Christ.
o The power of good counsel. Give good counsel. Why is it that the woman is often the friend everyone brings his or her problems to? Is it because she listens better than her male comrades? I believe its because God has gifted His woman with the ability to give good counsel. Ask God for wisdom with any counsel you attempt to give. Sometimes, the best counsel is to listen and allow the Holy Spirit to whisper the answer to the person talking.
o The power of encouragement. Are you influencing your husband, your family, or those in your area of influence to God or away from God? Are the decisions in your life and family lining up with God’s plans for your life? For example, God has called you and your family to a holy life. Are you suggesting you go watch the latest R rated movie? Or are you influencing your family to obey God and purify your lifestyle?
o The power of empowerment. Give the gift of empowerment. Decide to use your power to influence to empower those around you. According to Webster to empower is to ‘influence; to give power to or to enable.’ Every now and then we all need a little appreciation. Our families, our co-workers, our associates need to know they are affirmed and appreciated.
o The power of good example. Your life is often the only Bible some will read. Is anyone being influenced for Christ by the life you lead? Remember the wife of the unsaved husband. The Apostle Peter’s advice to her was even if her husband did not obey the Word of God, that he could perhaps be won over by her godly life and observing her purity and reverence (1 Pet. 3:1,2).
o The power of graciousness. Be gracious. Have you learned the power of a soft answer, well-chosen words or silence? The writer of Colossians puts it this way, “Let your speech at all tines be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned (as it were) with salt, (so that you may never be at a loss) to know how you ought to answer any one (who puts a question to you)” Col 4:6 AMP.
o The power of enthusiasm. Stir others to action. Tap into your enthusiasm. Share your enthusiasm with others. It is contagious. According to the writer of Ephesians enthusiasm has the power to stir others to action. Rejoice in God’s gifts to you and use them enthusiastically. Remember Mary that Jesus spoke to first after his ressurection. I believe it was not just because she happened to be at the tomb crying that day. But he chose her to go tell the others that he would meet them because he knew she was passionate. He knew that she would communicate the message with such strong compelling enthusiasm that it would stir the others to action.
With all of that said, I couldn’t close without saying beware of the enemies to good influence. I’ve listed some examples of women in Scripture that failed to use their gifts of influence for good. Each example points to a wrong choice to guard against:
- Used her power of invitation to invite husband to sin. Eve, created to be a helper for Adam, invited him to join her in sin.(Gen. 2:18 and 3:6)
- Drew others away from God. Solomon’s wives drew his heart away
from God. (1 Ki 11:4) - Stirred to evil action. Jezebel stirred up her husband Ahab to
commit acts of abominable wickedness. (1 Kings 21:25) - Gave evil counsel. Job’s wife counseled him to “curse God and
die.” (Job 2:9) - Convinced or persuaded her husband of an evil plan. Rebekah
willfully deceived her husband Isaac. (Genesis 27) - Despised her husband. Michal despised her husband David. (2
Samuel 6:16)
We as women in Christ are equipped with qualities for good influence. I exhort you to use your gifts to become influencers for Christ through the good you do. Let it be said that by the power of your influence you invited others to Christ, drew some toward God, stirred others to action, gave godly counsel and persuaded many to God’s perfect plan.
Earma Brown, author of W.O.W. Women of Worth! Becoming an Extraordinary Woman Using Ordinary Tools inspires women around the world to become women of destiny, purpose, and victory through speaking engagements, her books, and Bible studies. Sign up for her latest free resource 21 Day W.O.R.D. Challenge or get WOW Women books and resources for your Bible study group.
Earma Brown, twelve book Christian author and founder of WOW! Women Global inspires women around the world to become women of destiny, purpose, and victory through speaking engagements, her books, Bible curriculum and studies. She is author of the trilogy of Wow! Women books: Women of Worth, Women of Destiny and Women of Legacy, the Armorbearer Training Series, Prayer Fulfilled Life book set and Writing A Book God’s Way book and course. She currently lives in Arkansas.