WEBVTT 00:02.400 --> 00:03.441 [SPEAKER_00]: Christian parenting. 00:10.544 --> 00:16.367 [SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome to a special summer series of the Truth Seekers podcast. 00:16.927 --> 00:18.648 [SPEAKER_00]: I am so glad you have joined me. 00:19.108 --> 00:25.091 [SPEAKER_00]: For the next eight days we are going to be talking about what it means to be an influencer for Jesus. 00:25.852 --> 00:28.033 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you know what an influencer is? 00:28.673 --> 00:31.615 [SPEAKER_00]: There are a lot of influencers in the world right now. 00:32.335 --> 00:36.338 [SPEAKER_00]: Chances are, if you've been on YouTube, you know what an influencer is. 00:37.058 --> 00:40.700 [SPEAKER_00]: An influencer is someone who tries to influence others. 00:41.301 --> 00:45.243 [SPEAKER_00]: Now you may be thinking, okay, so what does it mean to influence someone? 00:45.983 --> 00:52.828 [SPEAKER_00]: To influence someone means to have an effect on someone's character, on their behavior, on their attitudes, 00:53.608 --> 01:12.273 [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever been influenced by someone, has someone ever had an effect on you so much that it caused you to do or say or feel a certain way that you might not have, if they had not influenced you, did you know that you can be influenced in a positive or a negative way? 01:12.913 --> 01:17.734 [SPEAKER_00]: Let me give you an example of how I have been influenced in a positive way. 01:18.414 --> 01:24.860 [SPEAKER_00]: When I was younger, I would go to church during the days when I was on summer break with my grandparents. 01:25.661 --> 01:29.244 [SPEAKER_00]: I loved to help my grandmother during the week prepare for Sunday school. 01:29.885 --> 01:33.768 [SPEAKER_00]: She would prepare the songs and puppets and the object lessons. 01:34.669 --> 01:40.615 [SPEAKER_00]: I loved it so much that it influenced me to want to be just like her when I grew up. 01:41.275 --> 01:45.316 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I love to share the message of Jesus to children just like she did. 01:45.956 --> 01:47.277 [SPEAKER_00]: She influenced me. 01:47.677 --> 01:48.297 [SPEAKER_00]: Big time. 01:48.997 --> 01:52.799 [SPEAKER_00]: Can you think of someone who has influenced you in a positive way? 01:53.739 --> 01:56.980 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, we can also be influenced in negative ways. 01:57.620 --> 02:05.842 [SPEAKER_00]: For example, I know that if I watch a scary movie or hear people talking about scary things, it will influence me to have scary thoughts and maybe 02:07.803 --> 02:10.764 [SPEAKER_00]: I have to be careful who I let influence me. 02:11.465 --> 02:14.746 [SPEAKER_00]: Many times we have a choice on who we let influence us. 02:15.567 --> 02:19.528 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to be around people who are going to influence me to be closer to Jesus. 02:20.609 --> 02:24.811 [SPEAKER_00]: Did you know that you don't have to have a YouTube channel to be an influencer? 02:25.371 --> 02:29.293 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you don't have to be popular or famous to influence people. 02:30.253 --> 02:38.556 [SPEAKER_00]: Even if you have one person that you influence, the new RN influencer, did you know that Jesus has called us to be influencers? 02:39.256 --> 02:45.578 [SPEAKER_00]: That's right, Jesus wants us to go out into the world and spread the good news that he has come. 02:46.158 --> 02:56.731 [SPEAKER_00]: that He is good, that He is our Savior, that He offers forgiveness of sins, that He offers life everlasting, that He offers hope, and joy, and peace. 02:57.412 --> 03:03.359 [SPEAKER_00]: There are so many people who need our influence so that they can see Jesus through us. 03:04.480 --> 03:10.585 [SPEAKER_00]: we have the ability to influence others every single day by the way we choose to live our lives. 03:11.406 --> 03:15.349 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus even gave us eight specific ways that we can influence others. 03:15.949 --> 03:22.855 [SPEAKER_00]: Over the next eight days, we are going to talk about each one of these eight ways that we can be an influencer for Jesus. 03:23.555 --> 03:29.040 [SPEAKER_00]: These eight ways are going to come straight from Matthew chapter five, the Beatitudes. 03:29.675 --> 03:34.799 [SPEAKER_00]: If you've listened to our preying the Bible series recently, then you are already familiar with the Beatitudes. 03:35.500 --> 03:40.444 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to take each one and talk about the more in detail each day for the next eight days. 03:41.105 --> 03:46.169 [SPEAKER_00]: One day for each Beatitude, if you need a little reminder, I'm going to read them to you now. 03:46.869 --> 03:51.093 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's what Jesus had to say in Matthew 5 verses 1 through 10. 03:53.405 --> 03:56.946 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are the poor and spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 03:57.926 --> 04:00.727 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. 04:01.527 --> 04:04.308 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are the meat for they shall inherit the earth. 04:05.168 --> 04:09.449 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. 04:10.229 --> 04:13.130 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. 04:14.070 --> 04:16.772 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are the pure and heart for they shall see God. 04:17.473 --> 04:21.215 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. 04:21.976 --> 04:26.999 [SPEAKER_00]: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 04:28.252 --> 04:31.715 [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, true seekers, are you ready to become influencers? 04:32.195 --> 04:38.080 [SPEAKER_00]: Would you like to join me as we dive into each of these be attitudes that Jesus left for those of us who follow him? 04:38.721 --> 04:44.726 [SPEAKER_00]: I am so excited about all that we are going to learn and how we are going to grow as influencers for Jesus this next week. 04:45.587 --> 04:48.349 [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, influencers, I'll talk to you tomorrow.