Can you name who or what influenced you the most growing up? I can remember when I was very young, awaking early on Saturday mornings, waiting for the Saturday morning shows for kids to come on TV. The most influential show, on me at the time I can remember, was " The Roy Rogers and Dale Evan's " show. From the influence of "Roy Rogers" I obtained a cap pistol, cowboy boots and hat, and a BB gun. I was one tough little dude, the "Roy Rogers" of State Line Road, fighting the bad guys on Saturday mornings. I also had a pony named Trigger. Fifty plus years later, my three year old grandson, Grady, is "Hiccup" and his sidekick is "Toothless". He watches them on TV. You will just have to google them. I am not in the know on who they are. He has a Hiccup costume he wears and has a sidekick dragon named toothless. Grady tells me they go after the mean guys. Times have not changed with the years. Good or bad, children are still vulnerable to influence, whatever that influence may be.
I would like to tell you of another hero from many years ago, and he wasn't a fictional character. He was real and had great influence. His name was David, the son of Jesse, the man after God's own heart. He was an ordinary and lowly shepherd boy, who was greatly influenced by God. This young David developed such a faith and trust in God that allowed him to be the fullest God had created him to be.
Who else influenced David? Was it the stories about Joshua and Caleb? Were these stories told to him by his mother? Was she a servant of God? (Psalms 86:17 and 116:11) Did his father Jesse have much influence on him? (1 Samuel 16:11, 17:12,15,17,18,20 and 58) David obeyed his father. His father maybe taught him how to be responsible, because he trusted him with his livelihood, the sheep. (This is just my assumption.)
Who else had the opportunity to influence him? David's "cause" dictated who he allowed to be an influence on him. The men of Israel and his brothers fled into hiding when the giant, Goliath, challenged them. His older brother, Eliab, was not an influence, but a discourager to him. (1 Samuel 17:28) King Saul was surely not an influence. He had the best of weapons and armor of the times and he offered it to David to fight the giant. He should have been the one leading the battle, but was going to sit back and let a young inexperienced shepherd boy go to battle in his stead. (1 Samuel 17:33,38)
Now let's read who had the greatest influence on David. David had a "cause". (1 Samuel 17:29) The "cause" was, he wanted the God of heaven to be known to all and he did not like anyone defying the one true God. (1 Samuel 17:45-47) The main influence for him to honor and bring glory to God was God Himself. David enjoyed God's beautiful creation day and night while tending his father's sheep. He experienced first hand what God could do with a simple shepherd boy. ( He can do the same with us.)
Did David have any influence? Let's look at some he influenced. Please read 1 Samuel 17:51-52. When David, an ordinary young man, believed, trusted, and loved God, he did what was thought impossible. He killed Goliath, the giant, and cut his head off. When the Philistines saw Goliath's severed head, their courage withered, and they fled. When the men of Israel saw it, they came from hiding and trembling to gaining new courage. With this new courage, they pursued the Philistines and defeated them. The influence of the servant of God, David, with a "cause" of wanting his God to be glorified, caused both of the actions I just mentioned.
David killed his giant and God's people benefited. But, did you know this encouraged four of his servants to do the same? Please read 2 Samuel 21:15-22. Here we read of God's people at war with the Philistines again. David in his fighting grows faint. Then one of the giants thought he could kill David, but one of David's servants came to his aid and killed the giant. Then David's servants told him he should not go to battle with them anymore. They did not want the lamp of Israel (David) to be quenched. After this there was another battle. Again, another giant was killed by one of David's servants. Then, in another battle another giant, a brother of Goliath, was killed by one of David's servants. And finally, Jonathan the son of David's brother Shammah,(1 Samuel 17:13) killed the giant who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.. In 2 Samuel 21:22 it reads, These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Did you notice one of the servants was David's nephew? He was the son of one of David's brothers who was present when David killed Goliath. He also went and hid from Goliath with the rest of the men of Israel when Goliath challenged them. How ironical. I am glad he was influenced by David instead of his father.
These young men had been told the story. They protected their aged and valiant leader. He had taught them by his actions, not to fear when fighting for the Lord. A good example of a second generation facing the giants of the day by the leadership of the first generation. Also, notice the writer included David as a slayer of these giants along with his servants. I believe the writer is showing the courage of David influenced his servants to imitate that same courage. In doing so, he was responsible for the outcome.
Everyday I influence someone. I may be old like David before I see the fruit of this influence. This fruit may exhibit courage to fight the giants in this life that go against everything God stands for, or this fruit may wither and rot, never to nourish any righteous deed.
Our country today is reaping the influence of the 60's generation. Out of this generation three ugly giants appeared. I write in detail about these giants of immorality in my book, The Heart Behind the Stone: Develop a Giant Slaying Heart. These giants of that day came out and challenged the people of God just like Goliath challenged the armies of Israel. We did not produce a champion like David. Our voices were only among ourselves like the men of Israel's. Their voices were only heard among the rocks where they were hiding. The voices of Christians were only heard inside the four walls of their church buildings.
Like the challenge of Goliath, (1 Samuel 17:9-10) the forces of the unseen challenged us to send a champion, a man of God that had been made righteous by the blood of Christ to fight them. Whoever lost would serve the other. We had the power of our savior Jesus, but we didn't trust in it. We instead turned the battle inward among ourselves, dividing and splitting, weakening any unity we may have had. Many of our young people were attracted to the world.(James 4:4 and 1 John 2:15-16) They made friends with the world. Fornication was called free love. Abortion was called the woman's choice. Evolution was brought into our schools, and God was moved out.
The apostle Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16:13 to, Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. You and I are not going to watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave and be strong unless we have a "cause". My "cause" is to bring glory and honor back to God in this nation. If we lived in the way God has laid out for us in His word, can you imagine what our country would be like today?
We need men to be God's men. Men after God's own heart. Men with the knowledge to put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18) The way I choose to live my life is going to bring my children and grandchildren either closer to God or closer to the world. I choose to influence them to be closer to God and not friends with a world that disregards God. Which way will your influence turn them? Where are they now? Will this country be a better or worse country because of our influence?
Whether you and I follow Jesus or not, one day our choices turn into just one last act. We will not have a choice in this one. On judgment day, the last act of humankind on this earth will be to bow the knee before the Lord. This is mandatory. When I bow my knee before Him, I want to bow it in joy, knowing I have kept His commandments out of love for Him. I want to bow before Him with gratitude for the plan of salvation that was simple for me to follow and obey. I want to bow with reverence, thanking Him for dying for me, so I could be righteous before God. I want to bow with joy knowing my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. are bowing their knee before Him with those same thoughts. Finally, I want to bow my knee before Him knowing I will be changed from this body of flesh to a spiritual body like Christ to live forever in the place He has prepared for me. (John 14:1-3)
What about you? When your knee bows before the Lord ,what will your thoughts be? What will be the thoughts of the people you loved and influenced?
Please send comments to rhepler52@gmail.com and go to www.amazon.com to preview and purchase my books, The Heart Behind the Stone: Develop a Giant Slaying Heart and 123 Tips for My Grandchildren and Yours.
Let me help you slay your giants. Send me an email or pm on Facebook. I will be glad to help you and you can also help me slay the giants I face.
Thank you very much for reading.
Rickey
rhepler52@gmail.com
