Good Influences

he knows where we are he knows what's going on um he knows what we're faced with um I have a special need and I don't know she may be on there I don't see her on there but um my sister got is she on there um this afternoon got word that she she had been struggling with STP now Co has has gotten a hold of her and so I I want you to pray for her um her name is shilia she you uh young and I want you to pray for her um God understands doesn't he and he knows he knows what's going on in our life he knows what we're faced with each and every one of us you know um but would you go to the Lord in prayer would you stand with us so let's go to the Lord in prayer and take our needs right now in the name of Jesus God you see every need that is in this place Lord bring in our needs to you asking Lord that you would reach down and touch each and every one of us speak into our lives God what whatever it is that God needs to shift in our lives that you would you would help us God to understand and we would be we would be receptive of whatever that may be God we ask you Lord that you would reach down tonight God in speaking to every one of these needs Lord whether it be spiritual physical emotional Financial whatever that need may be we ask you Lord to help in time of trouble God you're there and we ask you Lord once again that you touch each and every one of us in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus somebody say in jesus' name amen you believe that give him praise together we love you and thank you Lord thank you Jesus thank you Jesus amen and amen God bless you you may be seated um

I want to Dive Right into our lesson tonight and um and I I hope that something that is said here tonight May um strike something in your spirit I know that I know that God's word uh is alive isn't it it is alive and it and it moves um how many of you have ever read something in the in the word and and uh you read it again sometime later and things that you did not see once before came out the second time right and that's the way that God speaks to us amen you to take your Bibles out if you would and uh we'll put those on the screen as well

we're going to go to Psalms the first chapter and we have been studying about influence influence um we have talked about uh various influences in our life we've talked about how that we are to be the light of the world we've we're to be that one that brings influence to others um and there is anybody that could write the psalmist could write about influence and in Psalms 1 a very familiar scripture and there are many of you that could um you could quote it I know a few people that could uh sing it and uh there's a young lady setting right here in this middle section that could actually wrap it I'm not going to ask for that tonight we uh I I'll tell you a little uh story about that and the reason I said that is uh when we were pastoring in Arkansas um our young people we were teaching them Bible verses and and they were learning different ways of remembering these Bible verses um and how many you know that some people can memorize it with signs there's some that can memorize it other ways but um uh they put together this this little and I say rap um but it's it's it's just it was very very energetic and uh and they the kids started and now to this day we've got young people that are grown and having children and and one of the things that they will tell us when we see them and we we just saw one a couple of years ago and she was like and she started off with blessed is to me and she was going through it and I was but it was just uh but it is it is something how that um we can we can memorize what the word says um would you help us read this together blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsil of the ungodly nor standeth in the ways of Sinners nor sth in the seat of the scornful but his Delight is in the laws of God and in his laws does he meditate day and night and he shall be like a river be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth fruit his fruit in his season his leaves shall not wither whatsoever he doth shall prosper

and I want to stop right there I know we're going to and we will cover just a little bit of the next uh three verses here in just a little bit but I want to stop right there and and just and just kind of talk to us a little bit tonight and I I want to talk to us again we're we're talking about influence but I want to talk to us about how that God wants us to thrive in our influence he wants us to thrive in our influence um you know many people struggle um you know we want to do the right thing and we want to make sure that we say the right thing but but if we would truly study the word of God it can become second nature in our life it can become that part of our life that we don't even have to think before we speak how many of you have have ever been speaking to someone or talking to someone about the Lord and just a scripture would be quickened to your to your mind and it was like and then you immediately said thought oh that wasn't me because I just can't I can't remember that quick but it's God quickening to you these words and and that is the same way and that's that's that's part of that influence that that God his word has on us if we would listen to him and listen to his word as we begin it builds what we call character very first two scriptures In this passage talks about the character of a man that is blessed talks about what his character is and how that he conducts himself and it goes through and it talks about that that blessed man he does not what he doesn't walk in the ways that others would walk he doesn't set stop and talk to them and he doesn't set down where they are there are some things that are uh we could call them the negative points of this and I I want us to turn to Proverbs the 4th chapter Proverbs the 4th chapter verse 14 and verse 15 Proverbs the 4th chapter verse 14 and verse 15 would you someone read that for us not notice the instruction that is given here you you don't even and and part of this that we want to grasp hold of is there is no second thought about entering into that path of someone who is not of God there is no there is no looking to the left or right when it comes to the things of God you you are constantly looking at the things that God has God has put in you and and let's back up what I said at the very beginning there is an influence that happens through the word of God that quickens you

I uh several years ago we were um and I say several years ago position this this been a long time since I've I've hunted I I growing up that's what we did and we were taught that and so I'm I'm with uh my brother-in-law and I'm with a couple of guys from the church my dad was with us and we was we were hunting and uh I won't tell you any of the the things the silly things that was done because most of the time it was me like like they said the deer is running over top of me and I'm on I'm on a stump here and here comes the deer and uh and they hear my gun and they so they come over there and say did you get him I think I did and they look and brother du which is going to be with the Lord he looks up he said I don't think so he's seeing branches that been shot up way up top but we we had to and we did we we went along and we did we did get things we did Kill and took meat home and so we had to have ice and so right down the road was it was a store slash place that a probably you shouldn't be you know one of those um so I we pull in there and and I mean I see neon lights and all my my brother-in-law stopped and he said he we he said they've got ice but he said I'm not going in there and I I was like dumb to it I was like why anyway he we we we got ice and we came back out and my brother-in I was asking him one question later on I said said what was it about that place he said well he said you know see I that was the world I came out of and he said when we pulled up my spirit just wasn't right and and and I I en likened that to the Holy Ghost speaking to us you know I of course I was ignorant to it you I I just I was ignorant to that type of Lifestyle so I didn't have that struggle some people do if you were pulled out of something and God saved you from something you don't go back to it right and and and so you know this is liken to what we're talking about here is those influences that were in our lives we do not want to approach those we know what they will lead us to we know where will take us to and so we say okay no no I'm not going to do that so we have to understand that that the word of God builds that character in us and we do not even uh we don't even look at the paths those paths we don't even we know that that path is going to read lead me the wrong way and so I don't even look that way there are many paths that we can take there are many paths that are available today uh I will say this that in in Rel in the religious World in Christianity there are many paths many but you can say that there's only one way to get to God right there's only one way and that is through that is through true repentance that is through the name of Jesus that is the only way that we get there those are the that is the character that that needs to be built in each and every one of us so when those things approach that I know that I shouldn't do let the Holy Ghost lead you let God's spirit lead you

let's look at what the psalmist says here in Psalms 20 6 verse 4 and verse 5 Psalms 26 verse 4 and verse 5 look at this scripture someone read that yeah yeah do that you reading from ESV yeah so you don't you you do not put yourself in that type of position so th this is a part of character building that you and I must understand this H this has to happen in our life this is not something that you just wake up one morning and say okay I I'm I'm full of the Holy Ghost yeah you you you you've done done all of the things that you're supposed to do you've B you've repented of your sins you're baptized in Jesus name and now you are living for the Lord is that is that saying that you're perfect no as a matter of fact I I I use this uh how many you how many you watched your footnotes I shouldn't asked that should but I used this in our recording when we were talking about foot when we were doing footnotes about the service Sunday is Paul in first Thessalonians he was talking about having patience with the weak the weak in mind having patience with them and and being being patient with them I I know that God had patience with me and he still does because I'm stubborn my sometimes it takes a while to get it across but you have to ask God God be patient with me and likewise I must be patient with others when when we're witnessing to somebody we're we're trying to get them to come to the Lord and we're talking to them about what it means to be what it means to be filled with the Holy Ghost sometimes the light doesn't come on and and it's it's frustrating sometimes and so we have to we have to say Okay God have patience with me because I'm about to lose mine with them but it's a call it's called character we start building character in in ourselves and letting the letting the the power of God and the word of God build that character inside of us

look look at some of the some of the the positives that happen with that man walking when he is walking uh upright and in the presence of God Psalms 40 verse 8 Psalms 40 ver8 it says that we are to Delight we Delight to do the will his will talking about the will of God oh my God he he's you're you're delighting yourself in God's ways and his will and you're you're asking God to help you and and if he does that he talks about the law of God in which our text talked about it that we that we Delight in his laws and we meditate on his laws and we do that day and night but that that God's law is in our heart and when we say law we're talking about the things of God we're talking about the the ways of God uh I don't think that any of you can say that well I've got the Ten Commandments only in my in my heart no it's it's the character of God and and if we had the time we could dive into the character of God and what his character would be like is is that being of a contrite spirit and and and these are things we see in Jesus as he walked the Earth right that's what we would want to be like and we we often times say I want to be like Jesus well I I I don't know do you think you could handle it but I do want God living inside of me I want to have his presence inside of me and so that blessed man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly he doesn't listen to the counsel of the ungodly and quite frankly sometimes it gets to a place to where all the counsil that's out there is the ungodly right God help us to be able to take the counsel of God help us to take Godly counsel and the things of God Psalms 19 verse 47 and verse 48 Psalms 119 4748 want somebody to read this for us he said I I'm going to Delight myself in your Commandments I am going to allow that to be a part of me that that is what I'm going to dwell on that's what I'm going to meditate on your statutes I'm going to meditate on those things we meditate on the things that are of God it's not saying that you do not hold this regular conversation with f f i i mean you you're not going to go around the these and the thou and holy holy no I'm not talking about that I'm talking about you let your spirit let your light shine as we've already we've been talking about you let your spirit shine before men I this to this day and on my job I've been with these people for six years now and and uh I've never one time they they know about me they know what I do but I I've not taken and walked around with my chest out and my head hell high and but when they're around me they don't they don't speak the language that they normally would I've walked up in a crowd and things not be Just Kosher and uh and then they had kind of back off and I'm sorry man I'm sorry like I've never one time condemned a person by that I've never one time spoke up and tried to condemn them for doing that for saying things but there there's a there's a respect that was there and I did not ask for that I didn't ask for it what is it that is in a person that wants that wants to respect that part of of you God help me help me to find a place in myself that that I want to respect those that are around me that that that have the spirit of God dwelling inside of them no it's not it's not a reverence that you're going to praise somebody it's it's about giving just allowing the light of God to shine allowing his his light to shine through you that man dwells on the things of God he is he meditates day and night he he looks at those things that would be Godly and he conducts himself in a way that God would be pleased whatever that may look like whatever part of your life I challenge you look at yourself look at the things that's going on in your life look at the things that you're doing what are are you are you allowing God to build that inside of you or are we filling it with all the other things let's go back to proverb uh Psalms Psalms 119 we're going to drop all the way down to 97 and 98 Psalms 119 97 and 98 somebody else with a loud voice I want you to read that for us next verse amen he is always with us you meditate on him you meditate on him day and night all day all night and and it again I'm not talking about the holier than thou that's that's sitting around and they're carrying a Bible every I'm not talking about that I'm talking about the things of God you you your first your first thoughts that when you see that individual that is in need God what is it that I can do to help them what is it that that they need in their life what is it scripture tells us that that man that walks in God's ways that walks not after the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the ways of Sinner nor sth in the sea the scor he Delights himself in the laws of God and he meditates in those day and night the scripture says that he is going to be like what a tree that is planted by the rivers of water said he's going to bring forth fruit he's going to bring forth the leaves and whatever happens in his life that is is not going to shake it why because he has a source there there is a source there is that that ever running fountain that flows you get in some pretty rough places I I I found this one very interesting

the psalmist writes in 92 verse 12 and through 15 he talks about a particular tree here Psalms 92 verse 12 let's let's start there somebody read now somebody say Amen do you have that picture that I sent to you guys I I want you to look at something hopefully they've got that look at this I think you every every one of you can pull this picture up so it's not something that um but this is a cedar tree that the scriptures talks about that is in Lebanon th this tree and of course they they go into fine detail on it but I want you to look around it I want you to look at the the landscape I want you to look at what is around the Ash and all of the all of the rocks and look at that big roof and see those people that are standing there once you look at the top of that tree it's still it's still flourishing it it is still growing and maybe somebody knows how how many you know how how old is the tree does it tell it's it's it's hundreds of years old but but but when I when I read through the scripture today um I just had to look one of those trees up and this was the first one it actually came to but the scripture talks to us that it would be like a a palm tree and then it went on to talk about the cedar that is in Lebanon all of the uh all of the rough terrain and all of the uh sometimes drought and and there's nothing there and and and where where is it getting its life from and and I I I the scripture en Likens this to to that man that is blessed because he prospers in the middle of of nowhere they there is a particular tree called a date pal how many you ever heard of a date pal and and the it is told that that when this one is seated that there is a number of years I think it's five or six years that that that that tree the seed is placed under a rock in the soil but under a rock and they continue to make that rock and build put that rock and as it grows they feel that they can see where it it's moving and they put a bigger Rock and they put a bigger Rock and and and and they leave it there for the longest for like five years I think I think that's what it was then once they remove the rock then the Cedar uh the uh the palm tree the date palm goes it just starts growing and all of a sudden the winds and the waves come and it's in it's in the middle of just chaos how many you ever seen the the palm trees that we have in our in our Southern States you get hurricanes around there hurricane comes through and all of a sudden it lays that palm tree down what does it do Pastor comes right back up why because there there are root systems that go deep one of the reasons they mentioned the the palm tree is because of its its ability to grow so deep and and able to withstand all of the things that goes on around it the cedar it it's grow it's it's grown around the Rocks it's grown through the rocks it finds a way to to hang on even when things get rough the righteous man that man that that seeks after God is like these trees that have been planted and they're planted there and they have roots that go deep and their roots are going to the source and and it doesn't matter what happens on the upper I can see there's there's missing limbs there there's skent marks there's things that's happened in that tree's life how many can say that there's things that's happened in your life that sometimes the bark gets knocked off sometimes some things happen in your life that that that your tree gets shook sometimes I lose a few leaves and sometimes things just get rough but but all of that there is not the most important part the most important part is what is beneath and what I've latched on to and the things that I've learned to hold fast holding a grip to to that soil that is there that that somehow God provides that water that I'm able to continue to live he is our source he's the one that that we have that ever know the scripture says here that he's he's our Rock holds moisture holds holds to that rock and and and nothing moves it God is that Refuge he's the one that I I I have often times thought about and H I can say this because I think we've all hit those rough times but but job and his life his life tells a story that story that we've all read about that he he had it rough he had some things happen to him and it wasn't just one time thing the there there was there was storm that took away things and there was there was people that stole things and there was things that come through his life and and his life is literally ripped apart one right after another the scripture tells us that as as job is listening to this man tell him what's going on there's another one coming and he's bringing more bad news and there's another one coming I don't know about you but there's times when things start looking rough in life and I don't know it may be the crazy side of me but but I just I just have to laugh Pastor because because I realize that there these things come sometimes and they come and the enemy would love for it to be a destruction and a distraction he would love for that and when you see one thing after another happening it's like okay Lord I I I not here to talk about views today but I do know this that we live in a world in time that there is things going on around us and it it it distracts about a lot of us there's things happening in our world and we're looking at it thinking oh my goodness what's what's going on

the Bible tells us that there are things that start happening when you see these things come to pass he tells us what to do he said look up lift up your eyes says your Redemption draweth n there there are things that go God wants to he wants his church to be successful he wants us to thrive but the only way that we can do that is we have to allow God to speak to us and what we have to do the step we have to walk the right way scripture tells us don't walk after that don't walk after the ungodly don't walk after the those that read it with us again blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsil of the ungodly nor sth nor standeth I'm sorry in the ways of Sinner nor sth in the seed of the scornful but his the law his Delights is in the laws of God he Delights himself in God there are things that we must do not it it's not something that somebody comes out here the preacher don't come out here and say don't do that don't do that no no let your Holy Ghost tell you you don't don't do this you don't do that you do this you do that allow God to lead let God Be Your guide allow him to be the compass in your life and what is it God that I need to be doing in those seasons though the scripture tells us that in our seasons in the seasons that we go through that God's going to allow he's going to allow fruit he's going to allow in those Seasons he's going to allow things that that come to your life in the middle of some of the dellent times of your life how many of you can can think back on times that in the middle of a trying time that all of a sudden there was that bright moment that moment when God changed things and you knew that was a God moment that was something that God did that was something that I could not have done but it was God why because I have delighted myself in him I have put my trust in him I have meditated on his word I have meditated on the things of God I hope that each and every one of you have a a time and a place that you meet God I hope that is that you meet him there and say God allow allow your presence just to just to flood allow that blessing as the scripture talks about that blessed man allow those blessings to flow that blessed man that that glow to come that that ring to set upon you that that that heaven thing that happens when God begins to bless somebody you can your neighbors see it the ones around you sees it why because I am walking in his ways I am doing what he wants me to do that's not a prideful thing if anything it should be humbling to say oh God God help us help us that we humble ourselves in your presence I uh I was studying this earlier this afternoon and and uh

scripture began to talk about and Paul was writing this to the church at g gathia in Galatians the 5th chapter uh we we all know these but I want to remind us of of what those fruit actually look like because I think I think uh sometimes we we read through them but Galatians 5 verse 22 and I don't know if I gave that that to them I if I didn't I apologize but um Galatians 5 verse 22 and 23 says that the fruits of the spirit are what somebody quote them with me love joy peace longsuffering gentleness goodness Faith meekness Temperance against such there is no law in him I meditate on his word in his laws I meditate on them I don't know about you but these are things that we have to practice we have to practice them these are not just I'm telling you if you're expecting it just to pop up in your life you're in for a rude awakening but these are things that we have to practice yeah yeah yeah we have to love one another we have to God help me help me to love my neighbor help me to love that one that that I can't hardly stand have you ever been there God give me and again we the joy that comes I I don't know if any of youve ever been here but even when things are rough and things are are are in turmoil in your life you can still find a joy that no one else can bring you that only God can give you that joy that only comes from him God help me to find joy in the midst of whatever it is in the midst of a trial you can still find that joy and that peace that passeth all understanding that only comes from God again this this uh this next one some people would look at it and say well why is that that in there longsuffering yeah it's there it is a fruit it is it is a part of us gentleness goodness Faith meekness Temperance there is not another one that we can say that that that God works in all of these in our life we're talking about the fruits of the those fruits that that if we're planted as the scripture said by the rivers of water that we bring forth fruit in our season God gives us that ability in the middle of whatever that season looks like he gives it to us he is that one that that we hold on to amen

I uh Proverbs one let's look at this Proverbs one and 10 Proverbs 1 verse 10 and I I probably didn't give that to them either but I want us to read this scripture here somebody have that would you would you 110 very very simple scripture but if you you're ever enticed don't don't allow it why because it's it's a part of Temptation it it is a part that that tries its best to get to you you don't set where you should not be sitting that's what the scripture will say don't don't stand where you should not be standing don't walk where you should not be walking it it is a part of our character seeking the things of God and walking in them saying God I I am seeking your face and I am I am asking you to help me we live in a world that is full of a variety of paths we live in a world that is full of of all kinds of avenues that you and I can take and we call it Christlike but if God would help us we would see that there are a lot of places that we need to stay away from right need to stay away from God help us

I have uh I have some other things that all Jason to this but I want to quickly close with this is it should be a part of our desire to be like Jesus it should be a part of if you are truly full of the Holy Ghost been baptized in Jesus name it should be a part of your life to walk in the ways that he says go when you're doing that there are there are things that will try to restrict you one of them is is our biggest enemy and that is flesh it will do its best to hold you back no you can't do away with it because you're it's going to be with you the rest of your life but when it comes your prayer time if your flesh says you know what I'm just tired I I'm I'm reminded of uh I think it was brother Lee Stone King one time said that he would always pray one hour that was just the way brother Lee Stone King was he very interesting guy so you may have may know him but he said I was going to I'm going to go to my prayer closet and I was going to pray one hour I don't think it was a closet but that's what that's the way he said it it may have been I don't know but he said ' I was going to pray and he said I didn't want to pray that long he said and as soon as that entered my head I just spoke it out loud guess what you're praying two hours you know I did the same thing I laughed about it you know but the more I think about it when your flesh starts saying what it's not going to do I I think it I think it's in our best interest for us to push back and say no you're yes you're going to do this it takes you and I and that comes only through the spirit of God you you just got to make yourself you say God I I I'm I'm going to live for you I I know that I don't want to I just I'm tired I don't I heard Tucker say we're ser service I'm not going to church tonight I said you're not going to church I said what's wrong with you boy he said um I got to stay home do school work of course he's making stuff up I said but budy you better get you better get yourself right with Jesus I'm just tired and you know when he said that I thought you know how many people are that way you know I I'm just tired it was one of those things you know you say okay guess what we're going to church and we're going to get there early and we're going to pray but it's something that we have to work on right I challenge you Le let's start pushing back on the Flesh and again I I've got something I want to share with you next week and I I know that you'll uh that we'll learn something from it but but let's start pushing back on it start pushing back on it

would you lift your hands with us together God in your name we thank you for your word we thank you Lord for all that you have done in our lives asking Lord that you would reach down and you would touch each and every one of us God allow us God to feel your your blessings let us feel that encouragement it only comes from you Lord Jesus let us see those flourishing moments in the midst of a trial in the midst of a test that you show up God you give us what we need for the hour asking Lord that you would reach down you would be with us God as we Endeavor to do your work God In The Name of Jesus in the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah come on let's stand together as you're making your way in from the other classes you stand with me just for a few moments if you can if you can't that's okay you can worship where you where you are but if you will and you're able would you stand and would you lift your hands towards heaven would you entertain his presence for another moment God we thank you for the ability that we have to come together we thank you for your word Jesus for that what we have heard would settle into our mind and our spirit God that you'd help us to take it with us that you'd help us God to put it to action we we believe in your hand on our lives we believe in your hand upon this church God we anticipate Lord that you're going to work and do leading us God to the next Dimension the next level with you Jesus help us Lord to cast aside all of our cares and our burdens Jesus help us Lord to put aside our weights Jesus our differences and everything that inhibits us from connecting with you Lord and help us Jesus to press towards the Mark tonight in Jesus name we thank you for it we praise you for it Jesus we honor you Lord we give you glory we magnify your name Jesus Hallelujah Lord thank you