The Power of Influence (Part 1)
“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it”(Genesis 41: 15).
There are Biblical principles that effect our personal life, corporate life, and life in the Kingdom of God. Your success in any of these arenas will be determined by those that influence you and how you influence others. First, let's deal with those who influence you. These are most likely your spiritual leaders, mentors, parents, bosses, etc. Spiritual leaders are great influences. They carry the anointing for your life. The anointing is the burden-removing, yoke-destroying power of God. The Bible says that God has set gifts in the church...first apostles, second prophets, then evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting of the saints and for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11).
The apostolic (Five-fold) ministry's purpose is to raise up leaders who can win the lost and make disciples, who in turn also make disciples. It's a never-ending cycle of reaching people. The only way that you can do any of this is through your ability to influence others. Success without leadership ability will limit you in more ways than you think. To reach the highest level of success will require you to first connect with leaders who can unlock your Kingdom potential. Then your next challenge is to take what you've learned and received by way of the anointing, and help unlock the potential of others. Let's look at an example of influence in the Word of God. There are two ways to influence people. The first way is what I call vertical influence. This is the kind of influence you need when trying to influence someone above you - a spiritual leader, boss, parent, or someone in a position to favor you.
Joseph is a prime example of vertical influence. When the king had a dream that no one in his circle could influence, they sent for Joseph. Remember, when there's trouble in the palace, God will send for the righteous in prison. In this case, prison was not a place of bondage for Joseph, it was a place of preservation until his time to be released into his destiny. Notice when Joseph came before the king, he did not try to correct, insult, or disrespect the king's inability to interpret his own dream. He did not try to take advantage of the king because of his rare gift. Many people destroy their own chances of succeeding because of their wrong approach to those in a position of authority. Learn this invaluable principle if you want favor with the king - never try to correct upward. It's not your job. In other words, don't mess up your favor with those whom God has placed in your life to open doors for you. What did Joseph do? He offered a plan that would protect the king's investments and prosper the kingdom during the time of famine. The rest is history. Joseph's influence worked. He had tact, which is a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relationship with others and avoid offense. This is the kind of influence that gets results. Neither party was left without; and best of all, Joseph ended up sitting next to the king. Now, that's favor! To be continued until next week.....
- Pastor John Barton