What is influencing your thoughts, your actions, right now? Are you positive, negative, bitter, skeptical, hopeful, or joyful? I tend to find myself touching all of these different mindsets as I move through a typical week.

We each are being guided, influenced by something. Media influences, TV, social media, any news outlet. Government influences. Church influences. Family, friends influence. School, teachers, music, generally, all of our culture influences. Our thoughts, actions, beliefs come from what is influencing us, what is around us, what is getting in our mind, be it positive or negative.

The Bible, written thousands of years ago, is so relevant today. And, God’s Word is full of warnings about the influence of culture.

Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim. Exodus 34:12-13

God is instructing Moses and the Israelites to be careful when they enter the Promised Land. The inhabitants of the land have been influenced by their culture, and there is great danger that the same could happen to the Israelites. The influence of culture could become “a snare in their midst.” Despite the warning, the influence was strong and idol worship would remain prevalent in the land.

There is a strong picture of the strength of influence at the initial trial of Jesus.

The multitudes used to follow Jesus, like a few days before He was arrested. Over and over again in Scripture, we read about the multitudes coming to Christ for teaching, healing, and help. He had great compassion for them, always taking time for the person in need. The Bible repeatedly uses the word “multitudes” to describe the crowds. The multitudes had no doubt flocked to the ministry of Jesus.

Now, very suddenly, things changed.

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. Matthew 27:20

The scene is the trial, if you can call it that, of Jesus. The multitudes of people had a decision in their hands. They could choose one prisoner to release, Jesus, the one who they followed a few days ago, or Barabbas, referred to as a “notorious prisoner.” The people chose Barabbas, and Jesus, who had walked, served, helped, in their midst, would die on the cross. The multitudes had been persuaded, influenced by the leaders of the culture, the chief priests and elders.

The writers of Scripture continually warned of the dangers of the influence of the world, culture.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

The thought from the verse above is that the world can corrupt you, influencing you to turn away from those that need help the most. The things of the world, money, fame, fortune, can most definitely make one cold to those that need help.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

Following the customs of the world, you will never learn God’s will for your life. The influence of culture will capture your mind, rather than God.

So, what influences us today? What comes to mind when you think about the “multitudes” in our world being influenced? What about personally, who or what is influencing?

A lot of different answers or thoughts may be swirling around, but one thing is certain. Something is influencing our world, our government, our church, our family, and me. The battle for influence is a raging war that seems to pick up steam every day.

The key to winning the battle for influence is truth, an ever-evasive thing in our world today. Truth is very relative, not absolute, in culture. Truth has changed with generations. What was true in the world is no longer.

Unless we have truth defined and stable, the world will be shaky, swaying back and forth from the influence of culture.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12

Fight the daily influence battle, for the sake of your family, your kids, those you love, and for future generations. Daily, stand on the only lasting, definitive, stable truth, the Word of God.

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