Speaker 1: 0:03

Hello and welcome to Walk the Walk. I have a really important question for you today, and this is what my podcast is going to be about. Are you an influencer? Now, we know there are many types of influencers out there. You will see them all over the internet. Usually, the ones that I follow are those who are modeling clothes. They look good on them. That means they're going to look good on me, which generally isn't the case, but hey, what else do I have to go on? So my question again is are you an influencer for Jesus Christ? Now, what does that even look like?

Speaker 1: 0:42

Well, let me kind of give you a little history about one of our Bible or biblical influencers, and that is Mordecai and Esther. More of Esther than Mordecai. Mordecai and Esther were related. Her parents died when she was young and he ended up raising her. Now, keep in mind that Mordecai and Esther lived in Persia after they were exiled there and eventually the people got to go back to Jerusalem, but they did not. They stayed in Persia.

Speaker 1: 1:15

That was also part of, for such a time as this, that she did not reveal that she was a Jewish woman. Well, eventually Esther became Queen Esther, after Queen Vashti was no longer needed to be the queen. Esther then became the queen, she found favor with the king, who also, remember, is not Jewish and she still has not divulged that she is a Jewish woman. Well, I keep jumping back and forth and I don't mean to, but that's important. So, remember, esther has favor with the king. Well, mordecai, as a Jewish man, heard two men speaking of how they were going to assassinate or kill Mordecai, the king. So he let Queen Esther know, and then, of course, she did reveal that. But she also did tell them tell the king that this was information that she got from a Jewish man by the name of Mordecai, and so that ended up being a true story. Those men were captured and killed and that's the end of that story.

Speaker 1: 2:27

Years later, the king at some point thought about Mordecai and realized that he wasn't rewarded for his bravery of telling that what he had heard. So he was eventually rewarded for that. But during this time also, there was a man by the name of Haman who was probably, I would guess, the king's right-hand man. He had power, I do know that, and he did not like the Jewish people and he had wanted the Jewish people to bow down to him. Well, mordecai wasn't having it. He wasn't bowing down to this man, and the decree was that anybody who did not bow down to Haman would be killed. Was that anybody who did not bow down to Haman would be killed? Well, mordecai was, you know. Nothing he could really do about that, other than the fact that he was not going to bow down and knew that he would probably be killed for it. So he then again went to his cousin, queen Esther, and told her what was going on. Remember, she had favor with the king. So she then went to the king and exposed Haman for what he was about to do and because the king loved her so much that eventually Haman was killed for putting out that decree. Now keep this in mind that because of her actions, she saved the Jewish people. That is how Queen Esther saved the Jewish people. That, I hope, was.

Speaker 1: 3:58

If you didn't understand all that, or that was just too fast, go back and read the book of Esther. It's not a hard reading book. I think it's something that you should read more than once, because I have, and it helps you every time you read more than once because I have, and it helps you every time you learn more and more about for such a time as this. God's favor on her and just go back and read it. But even without knowing that whole story, my question to you is are you doing the work for Jesus Christ? What are you doing out there to save the souls? You know what I'm not asking you? You're not even the one that will be saving souls for Jesus. You're the one that's going to be speaking for Jesus so that others will then seek him and accept him as their Lord and Savior.

Speaker 1: 4:44

Because for those who do not seek the Lord, for those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, because for those who do not seek the Lord, for those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, their eternity is hell, and there's no other way of saying it. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I know I've been to many funerals where I've seen people you know not sure where their family members went. So they always say they're in a better place. But the fact of the matter is not everybody is in a better place and when they die, it's too late. If you still are listening to this and you can hear me, that means you're still alive.

Speaker 1: 5:20

It's not too late, but how are you an influencer? Are you out there speaking to people? I'm not asking you to stand in front of thousands of people. I don't think God wants you If you don't want to stand in front of people, that's. The most scariest thing for people to do is to public speak. We're not saying that we have to be pastors. We're not saying you have to do a podcast. We're not saying that you have to write a book.

Speaker 1: 5:50

You know, I bet you, for those of you who are listening, 90% of us probably could start right in our very own homes, and that is probably the scariest place to be to talk about your belief, to talk about Jesus Christ. There's probably been more Thanksgiving dinners ruined over the fact that somebody either wanted to pray or talk about what they're thankful for, namely Jesus Christ in their life. Probably more turkeys have been thrown at each other, more mashed potatoes have been flung against the wall for the mere fact that you talked about Jesus Christ. It's not easy. It is not easy. It is hard Because you want to understand another point, but you also have to know that, because you want to understand another point, but you also have to know that their points are usually wrong if they're not saying what Jesus has said.

Speaker 1: 6:48

Are you going to stand up for Jesus? You know, some of us, as Christians, have said I'm going to try to walk the line, I'm going to try to be right in the middle, I'm going to try to favor them and favor Jesus. Well, we can't be double-minded. That's probably the best example of being double-minded. I'm going to try to be that person that they want me to be, and then, when I'm not around them, I'm going to try to be what they want me to be, and then, when I'm not around them, I'm going to try to be what they want me to be. Well, in fact, it's who Jesus wants us to be. Not easy, it is not the easiest thing in the world to be who Jesus wants us to be, because we love people, and we love people who are openly sinning and rejecting Jesus. When I say it like that, I'm probably talking about your family members that you love and who are not following the ways of Jesus Christ.

Speaker 1: 7:48

It's not easy and, as you know, charlie Kirk gave up his life, his family gave up a dad, a father, a son, a brother, and I don't want to bring this all about him I'm not, but it sure has made me think how am I being an influencer? He influenced the college age people. Today, you know there's evil out there and we are seeing evidence of it more and more every minute of the day. But there's one thing that I did see that really sparked thought in me. They were doing a vigil for him, and I don't know where, I don't know what campus it was on, but there was a vigil of college students. In the audience was one man that stood there and was mocking the actual killing of him, and people around him were laughing and thinking he was funny and he was just mocking the death like it was a joke. And then he went up onto this platform where these speakers were and he started to spit. And then it made me think.

Speaker 1: 9:08

Jesus went through the very same thing. People spit on him, people laughed at him. Oh, come down off that cross. If you're really who you say you are. I'm not saying Charlie Kirk was God and I'm not saying you are God or I am. I'm not.

Speaker 1: 9:26

What I am saying is we are representatives of Jesus Christ. Are you being a representative of Christ? You will be mocked. You may even be spat upon. You may be told to shut up. You might have a turkey thrown at you, but you know what it's all for, jesus, and if you can remember that day when he went to that cross and those nails that God allowed to be driven into his arms and his feet in a thorn of crowns that were shoved down onto his head, he didn't just do that because it was a show. He did that because he loves you and he loves me, and we know that he came back for each and every one of us. We need to be better influencers, folks Me too. Me too, I know it can be scary. Just the fact of standing in front of a person can be scary. If you're not one who likes to speak in front of people, I know. But I'm telling you, now is the time to be a christ influencer.