by Samuel Hari
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II. Discerning the Major Influences in your life
Events and people have impacted who I am today and will help me understand “what makes me tick.
- David-family influence, Saul, wilderness influence.
- Joseph-family influence, slave, prisoner, prime minister.
- Children of Israel-family, community, wilderness, conquest.
Q. What are a few events or people that have impacted who I am today, that will help me understand “what makes me tick”?
- Sickness in the family/personal health/personality.
- Traumatic Experience in workplace/loss of job/finances
- Failed marriage/divorce/infidelity/betrayal.
- Racism/Favoritism/Partiality.
- Breakdown of trust in church leadership-church splits, character/trust issues.
Not all of the above are negative but some can be very positive traits.
Is it really important?
Some have mentioned that “we have been redeemed from the curse”. Jesus has broken every curse. It’s true. However, why do we still behave in the same way? Why is there no change in the way we responds to certain things in exactly the same way as we were when we were born again? We are in the process of growth in our emotions. i.e. when we go through a difficult issue at work, we just bind and curse and hope for the best; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t; when there’s sickness, lack, we pray in tongues and quote scriptures and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Why? Then we either get disillusion or blame God or run after another speaker or church or conference that claims to have the answer!
Yes we have been redeemed! No doubt about that. But what did God redeem us for? 1 Thess 5:23; Acts 20:32. He is far more interested in the building of our character, emotions, maturity in and through the process than simply giving us the answer. Heb 6:12. When we were children in Christ, we got milk. We cannot go on with milk but need other nutrients, exercises for the growth of our character/emotion and faith. 1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12-13.
If we don’t learn in the process, we will face it again and again because God is far more interested in us learning and growing than just giving us answers.
“Sometimes instead of giving us answers, He gives us Himself”.
We get a picture of Him, what He did for us; take communion and reflect if you don’t understand. Pray in the spirit to get understanding and to be aware of His presence. Then we actually start valuing the process instead of complaining. Js 1:2-4. God’s desire is that we may be perfect and complete, LACKING NOTHING!
What is the alternative? We are spiritually one mile wide and emotionally one inch deep. And keep coming back to the same mountain and sometimes for generations.
Proverbs 16:32 says - "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."
Proverbs 25:28 says - "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."
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