I believe there’s been some confusion within the body of Christ as to what our responsibilities are as individuals in the kingdom of God. Many, well-intentioned kingdom brothers and sisters have decided that they are going to change the world. They are going to do everything in their power to transform hearts and minds and cultures. Whether at their workplace or their schools or through their daily outings, they have decided they are going to impact their culture by their words and their actions. While I believe God desires for us to be influential, I don’t believe He expects it to happen through our own doing.
Something powerful takes place when we make Jesus King of our lives. His reign doesn’t just empower us to do more, create more and speak better. His influence in our lives encourages us to actually become who He says we are. When we take on His yoke, our positions as sons and daughters are no longer something we strive to attain or prove. That sonship or daughtership is something we become. It is something we walk in.
We gradually become what and who Jesus is. We trade in our efforts, our dreams and our desires, and we begin to realize the excellence that is formed in our being. In a recent episode of the Next Level Podcast With Michael McIntyre, I had a discussion with actor and producer Fab Altamura of Bethel Church. He explained that recognizing your God-given gifts, talents and desires is an important first step in becoming the influencer you were created to be.
“Be excellent at what you do … people notice that over what you say,” he said. “If you’re good at what you do, if you’re fun to work with and if you’re humble, that’s going to speak more than anyone going and saying ‘I want to be a star. I’m going to go and convert Hollywood.’
“That’s not the way to convert Hollywood,” Altamura said. “Our mandate shouldn’t even be to convert Hollywood. Our mandate should be to go and do what you love doing and be fruitful in what you love doing. Because that is going to be an expression of who God created you to be. When you are like that, you become infectious.”
That’s it. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about allowing the character of Jesus to infect you. To transform you. It’s not about perfectionism (which is something we can strive for); it’s about excellence (which is what Christ working through us looks like). If we can learn to become who we were created to be, we will then learn to do what we were created to do.
I’m not against effort. I’m actually someone who practices and preaches effort: not holding back and giving your best. But I am against the mindset that tells us we have to do to become. I believe we should become so that we can do. It’s the position of sonship or daughtership that I want to launch my efforts from. And if I know who I am as a son in the kingdom of God, then I can expect His excellence to flow through me in every area of my life.
Now that’s being influential.
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