The Four Influencers…
I have been talking about these guys for a while to folks in my circle.
Who?
The four influencers.
My mental image is that every time we are faced with a decision related to how we should act or what course we should set in our lives, there are four ‘voices’ that chime in. The quality of our decisions, in many ways, depends on which voice we choose to listen to.
The first voice: The “Spirit” – of God, of Jesus. In Psalm 1:1-3 we read “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” As I read this passage and many like it, I come to the inescapable conclusion that the Spirit wants us to succeed. He wants us to grow and learn and “prosper.” When we listen to this voice, the actions we take, the words we say and the decisions we make tend to be God-centric.
The second voice: The “Enemy” – Satan, Devil, The Deceiver. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This voice has one and only one desire. He wants us to destroy or sabotage everything our lives touch - our relationships, our jobs, our projects, and our dreams. Sometimes we need outside help to see when we are listening to this voice a little too closely. Why? Because he is the deceiver, and his mission is to “go out to deceive the nations” and that starts with us as individuals. Decisions we make when listening to this ‘voice’ will be centered around our “stronghold” and tend to be hard to spot without outside help.
The third voice: The “Flesh” – our internal ‘Toddler.’ God tells us that “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh” (Romans 8:5). This internal toddler will insist on his / her own way. This voice will throw tantrums, stomp their feet, yell, and hold their breath until they get what they want, or turn blue in the process. Decisions made that are influenced by this voice will tend to be very egocentric and may minimize or completely disregard the needs of others. There will also tend to be a lot of justification and defensiveness.
The fourth voice: Others – this voice includes well-meaning friends, family, co-workers and perhaps even the check-out person at the local grocery store. These actual ‘flesh and blood’ beings will catch wind of what you are facing at a given time and ‘chime in’ with advice. One thing to consider is that these individuals are being influenced by the same four voices that you are. So, their advice, as well meaning as it might be, has to be run through the same ‘filter’ as the other voices.
Filtering the voices:
How do we decide which voice to give priority? I will, in a rather concise way, describe the process I suggest to most people.
Get your journal out (yes, you should be keeping a hand-written journal) and go to the first blank page. Next, divide the page into four sections and list each section with one of the four influencers. At the very top of the page, you may choose to list the date and the question at hand.
As you hear the influencers chime in, try to capture what they are telling you and write it in the appropriate square. Many times, we find that, once it’s written, it is easy to see that the voice you thought was that of the Spirit was actually coming from the flesh. You then can erase or scratch that out and put it in the right square.
Once we actually see, on paper, which voice is talking, we can make and practice more informed and wise decision-making. Does it take a little longer? Sure. But it will help you make better, life-giving decisions, so it’s worth it.
Jeff LaSpina, M.A., LCPC