Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. Hebrews 2:1 says,
“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
It’s interesting to think about this picture of drifting away. Let’s say we went to the ocean. We found a spot in the sand to put our stuff and run out to the water and jump in. We swim out a ways, to the point where we can’t touch the ground any longer. We look back to the shore and can see our stuff on the beach. We turn back to the horizon of the water and have fun swimming up and down the waves.
Since our feet are not on the ocean floor we are susceptible to the current. If we don’t pay attention we can easily find ourselves drifting down the shoreline without even knowing it. But if we know there is a current, we regularly look back to the shore and find our point of reference so that we don’t drift away.
It’s possible to be influenced by an idea that sounds good and appears to be truthful, but is actually incorrect. Let’s take humility for example. What is humility? A lot of people think that humility is thinking of yourself as unimportant, without value, with nothing good to offer. This teaching can sound good, but the truth is that this teaching is really identity crisis masquerading as humility.
If we think we are unimportant, without value, with nothing good to offer, what kind of impact do you think we will actually have? Not much, if any. And what is worse is that we could influence others to believe the same thing.
What is humility? Humility is the ability to restrain strength. Humility is not the absence of strength, or value, it’s the ability to control it. Arrogance is not thinking too low of yourself, its thinking too low of others. This is a small perspective shift but has a massive impact on your identity.
Don’t fall for a fine sounding argument that doesn’t line up with the truth. If someone hands you a bowl of cow patties with whipped cream and sprinkles and says, “Here is your ice cream sundae,” don’t eat it!