Under the Influence

We all know what “driving under the influence” means.  In California it means that your test results indicate your blood alcohol level is at .08% or higher.  It also means you’re busted!

But blood alcohol levels are not arbitrarily tested.  A person typically is displaying other signs of being “under the influence” such as weaving in traffic, driving erratically or at excessive speed.  They are clearly not in full control of their behavior, and they get pulled over to test their sobriety.

What signs do you display of being “under the influence?”  You may be thinking “None.  I don’t smoke, drink or do drugs.  I’m not under the influence of anything.”  We all want to think we are independent thinkers, masters of our own destiny, able to make our own decisions and chart our own course.  But is this actually our reality?

Take a moment and look at yourself in the mirror.  What kind of hair do you see staring back at you?  Is it a buzz cut, crew cut, mullet, pony tail, corn rows, frohawk, spiked, or waves?  It probably is not a bun, bouffant, or beehive.  In fact it you ever had one of those hairdos in the past, you’ve probably buried those pictures where you hope no one ever sees them! 

Now go to your closet.  What kind of clothes are you currently wearing?  Probably different styles than you wore 10 years ago.  What’s parked in the driveway or garage?  Why do you drive that make and model? Why do you get that latte at Starbucks every morning, eat sushi, or order martinis?

Are you a Republican, Democrat, tea party advocate?  Do you routinely listen to Fox News or CNN?  If you’ve tried to help your junior high aged child with their math homework lately, you may find its changed quite a bit since you went to school.  What dances do you know?  Any pattern in the type of movies you go to see?

If we are honest, we all must admit that we are under a number of different influences.  In fact in our current tech dominated, instant communication society, its impossible to escape an almost constant barrage of attempts to influence us. 

It has been suggested that there are 7 major mountains that shape any culture:  media and communications, education, government, economics and business, arts and entertainment, family, religion.  Together they exert a myriad of influences upon us from womb to tomb.  Their power over us can’t be minimized.

There is nothing inherently good or bad about these 7 mountains, but they can be controlled to influence us for our harm or benefit.  In fact the Bible pulls back the curtain on the spiritual dimension, and shows us the major strategy of Satan in his temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:8-9:  “The devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms (spheres of influence) of the world and their authority.  ‘All this I will give You,’ the devil said, ‘if You will worship me.’” 

Satan was not offering just nations to Christ, but the ability to control the 7 mountains of culture as well.  He knows that whoever controls these mountains of influence shapes the behavior and destiny of nations.

Christ rejected the bait and told Satan to get lost.  But He has instructed us to pray for God’s kingdom, His sphere of influence, to come to earth.  Imagine how different our lives would be if our government, the media, big business, education and religion were controlled by the heavenly influences of love, joy and peace!

Please come join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM to discover more about these 7 mountains of culture and their influence.  Our guest speaker, Johnny Enlow’s sermon, “The 7 Mountains of Culture” is part 5 in our “Reformers’ Pledge” series.