I heard a story told recently about a king in Africa who had a close friend that he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive and negative) and remarking, “This is good!”

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took and took them to their village. They tied his hands stacked some wood, set up a stake, and bound him to the stake. 

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the kind, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”

“No,” his friend replied, “this is good!”

“What do you mean, ‘this is good’! How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?”

“If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you!”

Again….Romans 8:28…

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Some things happen in our lives over which we have no control…but for Christians…thank God for Romans 8:28. BUT MUCH MORE OF WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR LIVES, MORE THAN WE REALIZE, IS THE RESULT OF CHOICES. GOD GAVE US ALL THE FREE WILL TO CHOOSE HOW WE WANT TO LIVE AND TO DIE.

influence - def. the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.

synonyms:  effect, sway,  pressure, guidance. impress, move, direct. incite, rouse, arouse, instigate, induce, persuade.

INFLUENCE IS POWERFUL. I am not necessarily against television…but who can measure the negative influence it has had and still having on our nation and families.

WHO HAS HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOU SO FAR?

1. Parents
2. Teachers / Coach
3. Youth director
4. Girl friend? Boy friend?
5. Friends
6. Social media
7. Movies? Books? Magazines? Internet? Video’s?
8. CHRIST?
9. THE BIBLE?
10. CHURCH?
11. Crisis?

Can we control who or what influences you? YES! BY THE DECISIONS WE MAKE DAILY.

GOD WANTS TO INFLUENCE YOU AND HELP YOU SUCCEED AND PROSPER (JOSHUA 1:8)

Today I want to challenge you NOT to guess your way along, or follow the crowd, or “gamble” with your decisions….

NO RISK! NO GAMBLE! GOD’S WORD HAS NEVER BEEN WRONG ABOUT ANYTHING. CHRISTIANS HAVE ACCESS TO “INSIDE INFORMATION” CALLED THE BIBLE. 

“BEHOLD, I have set before thee an open door…” (Revelation 3:8b)

The door of hope, possibilities, power, true wealth, answered prayers, victories over temptation, addictions, the devil, … are most often forfeited!

Satan has plenty of “open doors” too…he is a master of deceit and a counterfeiter….trap doors! Doors that lead to darkness…disaster…death.

THE DOOR OF SALVATION IS OPEN TODAY! “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD, shall be saved.

THE DOOR OF THE BIBLE! It is more of an “answer” Book than a “rule” book. However, rules, commandments, Biblical principles are love notes to us from God. “Don’t hurt yourself!”

THE OPEN DOOR OF PRAYER! “Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. 

THE OPEN DOOR OF THE CHURCH! If we attend faithfully the “right kind of church” (Biblical) it will help us make good and right decisions.

THE DOOR OF FORGIVENESS! (I John 1:9)

THE DOOR OF UNIMAGINED BLESSINGS!

“No good thing will he withhold from him that walketh uprightly.”

“Delight thyself in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thing heart.”

THE TWO GREATEST DECISIONS YOU WILL EVER MAKE IS TO GET SAVED AND THEN TO GIVE YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST!

Jesus often used a paradox in His teachings: a seeming contradiction but a great truth for the Christian who is not of this world. The world believes they are foolish.

Most people do NOT want to lose, and yet Jesus taught…

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and he gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35)

Most of us want to win! Nothing wrong with that in sports, but in life….if want to succeed, prosper, reach your highest potential for life…BECOME A LOSER!

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.”

Let’s just be honest…most of us seem to depend on God less when are blessed the most. We become consumed with the blessing rather than the BLESSER. I believe every blessing is a test and how we handle our blessings will determine future blessings. Too often after God blesses us we become more independent; that is, relying less on our heavenly Father. We can never lose our salvation, but we can lose blessings. “If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.” (Malachi 2:2). 

So…how should we handle our blessings?

1. Give thanks to God immediately. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the LORD has done!”
2. Brag on God to others! Tell them what God has done for you; not because you earned it or deserved it; but because of His amazing grace and loving kindness.
3. Share your blessings. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are comforted to comfort others. We are forgiven to forgive others. God gives to us so we can give to others. Don’t be a “storage tank”, be a pipeline!
4. Focus on the BLESSER! WORSHIP! 
5. Never use your blessings as an excuse for not serving God. Too often someone prays for a new job then when God gives it to them, they say they are too tired too come to church. I have known parents to even use their God-given children as an excuse for not being faithful to God. “A faithful man shall abound with blessings.”

“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22)