Under the Influence
Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Influence: the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.
In just a short time this year will come to an end and we will see the beginning of a new year.
There will be a lot of festivities going on around the world including parties and celebrations.
The highlight of most of these celebrations will be drinking alcoholic beverages.
There will be a lot of people who will wake up New Years Day not knowing where they are or how they got there.
The reason being they were under the influence of alcohol.
There will be many who will be stopped and arrested for being DUI, or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Drunk driving is the nation’s most frequently committed violent crime. (MADD)
In 1990, more than half of the fatal car accidents in this country were related to alcohol, killing 22,083 people. This is the equivalent of a fully loaded 747 crashing. Three times a week. Every week. . .
In 1995, an estimated 17,274 persons died in alcohol-related traffic crashes--an average of one every 32 minutes. (NHTSA, 1996)
In the past decade, four times as many Americans died in drunk driving crashes as were killed in the Vietnam War. (NHTSA, 1995)
Eight young people a day die in alcohol-related crashes. (CSAP, 1996)
Half of all teenage fatalities are alcohol-related.
Drunk driving is the nation’s most frequently committed violent crime. (MADD)
In 1990, more than half of the fatal car accidents in this country were related to alcohol, killing 22,083 people. This is the equivalent of a fully loaded 747 crashing. Three times a week. Every week. . .
In 1995, an estimated 17,274 persons died in alcohol-related traffic crashes--an average of one every 32 minutes. (NHTSA, 1996)
In the past decade, four times as many Americans died in drunk driving crashes as were killed in the Vietnam War. (NHTSA, 1995)
Eight young people a day die in alcohol-related crashes. (CSAP, 1996)
Half of all teenage fatalities are alcohol-related.
So we can see that DUI is a big problem in America.
Now I want to go back to the definition of the word “Influence.”
It means the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.
As we all know when a person has too much to drink they lose control of their actions and behavior.
They will do stupid things, say stupid things, and generally make a complete fool of themselves.
They will do things they would not normally do when they are not affected by, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Being under the influence takes away all reason and common sense.
In short, being under the influence causes a person to act and say what the alcohol or drugs influences them to do or say.
I want to take these thoughts and turn them around in a positive way.
There is an influence that we all need to be persuaded by;
We as Christians need to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
I wouldn’t want to be pulled over and arrested for DUI, but I wouldn’t mind being stopped for a LUI (Living under the influence; of the Holy Spirit).
Now let’s look at our text again;
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Notice the phrase, “That you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
First of all the word abound means, “being in the state of movement or action.”
So, that you may grow in hope, or anticipation, while living the Christian life;
Through the power, (ability) of the Holy Ghost;
But in looking up the word power I found another definition.
This is a word type, and it means influence.
So God wants us to grow and live our Christian lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Ps 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
So how do we become influenced by the Holy Spirit?
Before I answer that question, let’s look at some things that influence us today.
Television and Hollywood has a tendency to influence our lives today.
They tell us what we should wear. They tell us what to eat. They show us how to live our lives.
We find ourselves copying what we see on TV. We slowly begin to think like the world thinks because we are being influenced by what we see!
Secondly, we are influenced by the people around us. Those we work with, those we associate with, and with our co-workers.
We have a tendency to not stand up for our principles and what we believe in, so we indiscreetly begin to accept what those around us believe in.
Young people are influenced by the wrong crowd sometimes because they don’t want to be different, or made fun of. These are their peers and they seem so genuine and sincere.
Thirdly, we can become influenced by the books we read, or the music we listen to.
Remember, influence means the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.
What or who is having an influence on you this morning?
You may say, “Oh, I’m my own man, or woman. Nobody has any influence on me.”
But someone or something does have an influence on you.
Someone you know, or something you watch, or something you read has a compelling force on your actions, behavior and opinions!
So we go back to the question, “How do we become influenced by the Holy Spirit?”
First of all, we must be filled with the Spirit!
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Now notice what Paul is saying here. This is important because he is trying make a point so we don’t want to miss it.
“Don’t be drunk, or intoxicated, or overpowered, or influenced with wine!”
But be filled with, intoxicated with, influenced and dominated by the Holy Spirit.
In other words, just like someone becomes intoxicated, or lifted up, picked up, or filled with high spirits, rather you become excited, lifted up, affected, and exhilarated by the Holy Spirit.
Let the Holy Spirit influence your life!
Allow the Holy Spirit to become a compelling force in your life to produce effects on your actions, behavior, opinions, and lifestyle.
We do that by asking the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and lives to become that compelling force.
We do that by daily prayer by praying in the spirit.
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
The Holy Spirit will become that compelling force when we prayerfully read and study God’s Word.
As we allow the Holy Spirit to influence our lives through prayer, reading His Word, and being sensitive to the Spirit, we will become better Christians, better soul winners, and more productive in our Christian witness.
For when we are influenced by the Holy Spirit we begin to see things like the Spirit sees them.
We will see lost people as souls dying and going to hell.
We will see sin as God sees it, corrupt and profane.
We will see ourselves in better light prompting us to climb higher.
When I am influenced by the Holy Spirit I will;
Treat my neighbor right
Quit gossiping about my neighbors
Begin to do things that are pleasing to God
When I am influenced by the Holy Spirit I will;
Watch my actions, what I do, where I go, what I say, who I hang out with.
Watch my behavior, watch my conduct and how I behave myself around other people; my language, the jokes I tell, because people are watching our lives.
And then, when I am influenced by the Holy Spirit, I will;
Have opinions that are in direct conformity and agreement to God’s Word.
We all have our little opinions!
Opinions are a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty. It’s just an opinion!
But then when we are influenced by the Holy Spirit which is truth, our opinions become more than just some belief; they are based upon the Word of God which is also truth.
Remember, influence is that compelling force on, or produce effects on, the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.
Do you want the Holy Spirit to influence your life?
Do you want the kind of influence that will make your life complete and meaningful?
Do you want the kind of influence that will cause you to do the right things in life?
I hope the answer is yes!
The wrong influence can cause you a lifetime of misery!
The wrong influence can cause you to head down the wrong road and end up in the wrong place.
God help us to continually be under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
