Sermon Tone Analysis

Influence

For the last ten years Princess Elisa Carolina Casaretto Borghese has been a virtual prisoner in her own palatial residence in Genoa, Italy.

Heiress to a million dollars, the 77-year-old Princess was mesmerized by a certain Baron Waldemar Von Hoyningenp-Huene, who along with an Italian woman, moved into the Princess’ apartment.

The Princess was forced to live miserably in a servant room adjoining the apartment, a small, dirty place without even an electric light.

When neighbors began to notice the Princess’s threadbare clothes and torn stockings and to hear her beg for a little money, they reported the matter to the police, who then uncovered the whole strange story.

Said the Princess: “At first they moved into my home as friends, and then became strangers, and I didn’t know how to get free.”

She gradually came to believe that she was poor and that she had to do whatever the baron said, but she couldn’t explain why she felt so intimidated.

“They gave me a drip-drip-drip feeling that nothing would last, that nothing would endure,” the old woman sighed.

Now back in her apartment, the old Princess is trying to begin life anew.

“Now that I know they were evil, I can’t stop wondering how they got control of me.

It’s been a nightmare, and now I am free.”

Definition of influence: The act or power of producing an effect without appearing to exert force or direct exercise of a command.

-Marriam-Webster.

So what we can learn from influence is that it is Not Directly Commanded.

Nobody forces you to do it but rather you are persuaded.

So what are some things that influence our life:

Friends, Family, Music, Television, Videogames, Books, Teachers.

So how do we rate the degree of influence that something has on us?

Movies are only a couple of hours long and depending on the movie they are only seen once.

The influence is very low.

-admittedly-

Teacher’s are seen on a daily basis for at least an hour if not more if you have after school activities.

Television if watched in series are a little bit more than teachers.

However, watched individually are lower than movies.

Movies are only a couple of hour

Music tends to have a longer influence due to the repetitiveness including ear worms!

They may be short but the message sticks with you longer than games and movies.

Also, music can be accessed anywhere now.

Video games can be up to 60+ hours on average.

Core messages may not be as obvious but can still have a strong impact.

Books on the other hand have the possibility of influencing us much longer due to the amount of time they may take to read.

Family is a big influence and arguably could take the top spot.

However, the biggest Influences are your friends.

They tend to be by your side consistently.

They influence the video games you play, the books that you read, the music that you listen to, and the television shows and movies that you watch.

-Scarily enough, they may even influence how you act towards your family or how you feel about your family.

The one thing we can take into account is this: Nobody is making you do it.

Who you let into your life is your decision.

This includes family.

You were running well.

Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

This persuasion is not from him who calls you.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you.

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

We have to face that:

Influences are something that you can’t avoid.

However, can pick what your influenced by.

In conclusion: I leave you with this..... How you know that your being influenced is if the bad influence starts influencing you.

It’s ok to be around someone that was bad, Jesus did this all the time.

He had the same temptations that we struggle with.

However, when the person your trying to influence in turn influences you then your in a bad position.

Be thinking about those who influence your life.

Be thinking about those who you influence in life.

Be thinking about how you can influence for the kingdom of heaven.