Influence with Intention

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Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purpose. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the Men's Morning Devotional. Let's get into God's Word. It's time to man up. Good morning, gentlemen. It's Steve Alessi and it's Friday. If you've missed any of our episodes this week, make sure you go back and give a listen to it and get ready for Monday where Pastor Christopher, my son, will be bringing another week full of devotionals. So let's get ready for today's Man Up Moment. We're talking about influence, as every one of us is influencing somebody. The question is, what direction is your influence taking them?

Proverbs 11: 0:58

30 says, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. This is a great picture comparing a righteous man to a tree of life. Now think about what a healthy tree does. It'll provide shade and fruit and protection. It'll become a place where others can find something that they need. And here's the important part. The tree doesn't eat its own fruit. The fruit it produces is for somebody else. Gentlemen, that's how God wants us to live. Your life is producing something every day. The words that you speak, the attitude that you have, your decisions that you're making, your marriage, and the people around you, your family and coworkers and friends, they're eating the fruit of the life that you are living. So a great question to ask is, What kind of fruit are people getting from me? Are they getting encouragement or criticism? Are they getting faith or fear? Are they getting wisdom or foolishness or peace or drama? Are people stronger because they spent time with you? Because according to Proverbs, fruit of a righteous man should bring life to other people. There's an old story about an elderly man planting small trees along a road. A younger man watched him and finally asked, Why are you planting those trees? By the time they're big enough to provide shade, you'll probably be gone. The older man smiled and said, All my life, I've enjoyed the shade of trees planted by men I've never met. Now I'm planting these for the people who will come after me. Guys, that's a man who understands his influence. He wasn't only thinking about what he could enjoy. He's thinking about what he could leave behind. And every man listening to me today is planting trees. We're planting them in our children, in our marriages, in the younger men and women that are around us, and in our businesses, and even our churches. The question is, will somebody find life under the shade of what you're planting? Then Proverbs says, He who wins souls is wise. That means a wise man understands that people matter. Yes, we should build our businesses and careers and wealth and our homes and our lives, but don't spend your entire life building things and forget about building people. Ultimately, as followers of Christ, our greatest influence is helping somebody find their way to Jesus. And it starts with simply living in such a way that somebody asks, what's different about you? Maybe it's encouraging a struggling coworker. Maybe it's mentoring a younger man. Maybe it's inviting somebody to church or even sharing your story. It could be praying with a friend who's going through a difficult season. The point is, you don't have to preach a sermon. Just use the influence God has already given you. So, gentlemen, here's your man-up challenge. Identify one person you can intentionally influence toward living a better life today. Once you identify him, then go encourage him or call him on the phone, maybe even invite him to lunch. Whatever it is, Make sure you're spending time influencing others. And don't just ask, what am I accomplishing with my life? Ask, who's becoming better because of my life? Because one day, the cars, the houses, the position, the titles, they're all going to belong to somebody else. But the people you influenced can carry your impact into another generation. So gentlemen, that's your man-up challenge. Man up, plant something that will outlive you, and win somebody over today. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the influence you've given us. Help us become righteous men whose lives produce good fruit for the people around us. Let our wives and children and friends and coworkers and even the next generation find life through the example that we are setting. Give us wisdom to recognize the people you've placed in our path. Give us courage to share our faith with them and give us a heart that cares about winning people more than simply winning in life. And help us plant something today that will outlive us all. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's Word. Now go live it. Lead well. Stand strong. Honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother. Remember, every day is another opportunity to man up.