The Ripple Effect

Everyone knows about the Ripple Effect. But have you thought about it recently? Have you considered that this is actually a principle? I mean, the impact of actions on others is ongoing. It is a reality of your life, whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not. So we might as well make sure we own this reality. The things we say and do matter. They matter in the moment. And they continue to matter in the moments that follow and among people far beyond yourself. 

And while everyone knows this, there is something else known by far fewer people.  God is acting. God's will is carried out from the choices we make. The spiritual world and battles and souls, all influenced by what we choose to do and say and become. Let's look at the example of David and Goliath, where a rock struck a forehead, and the world changed. 

- What is "the ripple effect?"

- Is the ripple effect occasional or ongoing?

- How far does your influence extend in terms of relationships?

- More crucially, what is God doing with your decisions in the spiritual realm?

- How can David's victory over Goliath help us think more about our ripple effect?

Transcript

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Welcome to the Excel Still More Podcast. I am your host, Chris Emerson. I'm here to encourage you in your walk with God. Thank you for joining in. Today's podcast is sponsored by Cunningham Financial Group. John Cunningham is a friend of mine and a brother in Christ, and he can help you with financial decisions and future planning. He's been a big help to me and my family, and I commend him to you. You can reach him at 205-913-1720. I am so thankful you're here, so let's get started. We are exploring the ripple effect. And you probably know exactly what that is. The ripple effect is a phrase that refers to the spreading influence of an action or event. And today we'll talk about some of the practical applications of that effect. I would push it even to the word principle. We've talked a lot about that word in recent weeks. A principle is something that happens whether you recognize it or not. It is real and always in play, whether you believe it or not. I would consider the ripple effect in the natural world, in the observable space around us, is so obvious and ongoing that it might be advantageous for you and me to just make sure we haven't been ignoring it. Make sure we respect the power of a single action and what that single action carries the potential energy to do in terms of the people around us and maybe even people that we will never meet. So we're going to begin by talking about that. I'll give you a Bible example to help concrete it into place. But then in the second half of this episode, I want to do something special. I want you to consider this same ripple effect ideology, except we will add a third dimension and consider the influence of God and the workings of God, the spiritual world above you, and the hearts of men around you. And I want you to really begin to see that it's not just that I say a thing and it influences people. It is I say a thing and God is able to use those words in ways that go beyond what I can see and maybe even far beyond my life. Ultimately, this boils down to the very simple point that everyone can understand. Use wisdom and thought in the things you say and do. Words matter. They're like a rock hitting the surface of the pond. Decisions matter. The places you choose to go, the ways you choose to invest your money and your time, there is a ripple effect that each of us needs to appreciate and examine. So let's dig in on this. If you were standing on the bank of a pond and there was no wind and it was like glass out in front of you, and you picked up a rock, really of any size, and you threw it out into the middle of that pond, the first thing that would happen is there would be a point of contact reaction or result where the rock hit the water in that moment, something happens. But that action was so impactful that even after the rock has sunk to the bottom, there are ripples of water that extend out from that spot. And so it enlarges in terms of influence, in terms of visibility, it stretches outward, and depending on the size of the rock or the velocity of the impact or the conditions on the pond, it could extend throughout the entire pond from bank to bank. And I think we understand why this illustration is so useful. Because it asks us to consider the impact of what we do. When you say a thing or do a thing, if it has any weight or substance to it, there is an immediate result experienced by the people involved. For instance, if you and just one other person are in the room and you choose to say something weighty and forceful to them, there is an immediate reaction that takes place. You say those words, you feel a thing, they feel a thing, something just happened. It is somewhat self-contained in that moment, and that's why sometimes people say things they ought not to say because they think it's just a momentary activity, but ultimately other things begin to happen. And by the way, it doesn't have to be you and someone else. You may be all by yourself, making some decision. And while there's no one else there, this is the moment when the rock hits the water. You choose to do a thing, something of consequence. And it may not seem like a big deal because you are all by yourself. But exploring the concept of the ripple effect says even after the rock has hit the water, it may not be the end of it. And often it isn't. And so in either one of those situations, something you do alone or something you say to another person, or maybe something you do in a room with others who are immediately affected, it is impossible for you to contain many times and certainly predict who might become affected by that. The first area covered by the ripple are the people who are immediately connected to the ones involved. An easy example would be in a marriage. If a husband or wife treat each other poorly, they're yelling or something, and their children see it, there is an influence upon those children. It affects the way that they develop, it affects the way they view marriage, it affects the way that they treat people in their lives. There is this initial ripple that affects everyone that is connected to the people who are initially involved. The same is true if you're doing something all by yourself, maybe something great, maybe investing in your spiritual growth all by yourself. It is not self-contained. The people who directly know you, the people whom you live with or worship with or work with, they are influenced by the product of what initially took place. Of course, this is also true on the negative side. If I'm doing something perhaps immoral, we talk about pornography every once in a while, and it seems like a self-contained mistake, but it affects my relationships, it affects the way I interact with others, it affects my attitude about certain things. And even without me knowing it, my initial decision to do something in private is changing the mentality, the spirituality, the chemistry of the people with which I have influence. And wouldn't it be great if it stopped there? If you did something poorly or said something wrong, you could kind of go and talk to all those people and make it right. But sometimes the size of the rock or the velocity of the impact with the water creates a ripple that extends as far as you can see one direction to the other. And so my decisions have to be carefully measured. They may even affect people I don't even know. Or as is sometimes explored in psychology with the ripple effect, if my behavior affects my children's behavior, their behavior will affect people I don't even know, maybe even people long after I have died. My decisions matter. Now, on the positive side, that effect sounds fairly great. It makes me want to be more godly, to read my Bible in the morning in the presence of my kids, to talk to people everywhere I go, at the ballpark or anywhere, with respect to speak the name of Jesus. For maybe it could spread into the hearts of those directly connected to me, the ones who hear me and see me, and maybe it could extend even beyond that into a world in time that I don't even witness for myself, but God is glorified. That's an exciting idea and it happens a lot. But listen, everybody understands this. If an atheist was listening to this episode, they would understand the concept of an initial action creating an impact on those involved and an impact on witnesses, and really an unstoppable impact that goes beyond what you can measure. Everybody knows that. What you need to be able to do, even with a principle that the world understands and that is common to material living, you need to take the time to understand that this is always ongoing. There is rarely a moment, if ever, when you can throw the rock into the water and it just strikes it violently and nothing comes out of it. The Bible is filled with teachings about minding our influence and knowing that our light or our darkness, our words or our decisions affect others. They can cause people to stumble, Jesus talked about that, or they can lead people to the glory of God. But listen, I want to push this much, much farther. I want to get beyond the obvious ripples, the measurable effect outwardly of the things that we do, and I want you to begin to think in terms of spirituality and the incredible workings of God. To help us begin to understand this, I want to tell you a story from the book of 1 Samuel that actually began with the throwing of a rock. Except the rock didn't hit the water, it hit a giant Philistine soldier named Goliath in the forehead. The story of a little shepherd boy named David gathering up some stones, slinging one directly at the adversary, and taking out the Philistine leader is a tremendous example of what we've already discussed. I mean, initially it was one man doing one thing. David walks on the scene, he chooses the rocks, he uses his skill, obviously God is with him, Goliath chooses to face him, and it's just two men engaging in a battle. One man defeated the other one. The rock struck the proverbial water. As a result of that decision, everyone who saw it, everyone connected with those two men was immediately affected. The Philistines lost their courage when they lost their main ten foot tall soldier. The Israelites were rejoicing and courageous and stopped hiding, and the entire tide of that battle, those people, the ripples that were immediate to that mountainside, were affected by David's choice. But of course, the beauty of that story in this regard is that it went out even farther than that. It ultimately led to the preservation of God's people, to the people of Israel being at peace again, to the protection of the lives of women and children by the hundreds of thousands all throughout the Israel nation. I think of that like the two-dimensional expanse of what took place. It extended outward to the people, but there is so much more built into that story. God is in that story. No one could see him. David, Goliath, Saul, no one could see that God was working. That all around these men, not just on the surface of the water, like a two-dimensional ripple, but above in the sky and under the water below, all around it is God and God's will. And so there was an immediate response that connected to what God wanted to do. God wanted to select a replacement for Saul. God wanted to move his promises from Saul's family to the people of Judah. This was about God getting something done in choosing this new king who would ultimately take over the throne. Did David know any of that? Most likely not. But God had a ripple effect that had to do with his providence and his planning. And David's action triggered God's plan. But it wasn't limited even to that. David's action of defeating Goliath, this grand adversary, extended even beyond the kingdom of Israel and the rule of David. David was a type for Jesus. God was working the ministry and redemption through Christ as the fulfillment, the substance of the shadow of David, and that goes all the way back to a shepherd boy that nobody saw coming, who ended up defeating the adversary that no one could withstand. God took David's courage and he turned it into the story of the Messiah and the courage to save us all from the devil. I have to tell you, when I preach on the story of David and Goliath, I don't say that you and I are David. I would 100% have been hiding as far away from Goliath as possible. Jesus is our David. God had drastic, beautiful plans that not only extended to the borders of the people of Israel, but it extended around the entire globe in the coming of Jesus, who is so often compared to as the fulfillment of David. Listen, David did not understand that. No one did. It was the working of God, and it had an effect. The choices of David had an effect on people generations later on the other side of the globe. And by the way, it is still having that effect, the workings of God through the preservation of these stories, the messianic promises of David to Christ, and the fulfillment in the spiritual victory in Jesus. So let me ask you a few questions pertaining to the spiritual world, not just the two-dimensional effect of things that you say and do and people who are involved. I mean the workings of God. Let me ask you some questions about what is going on spiritually, how souls are being affected, and the work that God is doing through you. Warning though, you probably will not be able to answer any of these questions. But if it makes you feel any better, neither can I. When you choose to say something impactful to another person, good or bad, what effect does that have on their soul? How does it influence their spirituality? Do you know? How do your words carry on the purpose of God in the other person's life? How about choices? When you choose to do a thing among people or by yourself, what is God going to do with that activity? How will he use it to further Christ's agenda in this generation? What are the outcomes from what you have done that will extend into eternity and involve people and their souls who you will not even know until heaven? So look, I don't have answers to any of those questions, but I know this God's spiritual work, the influencing of souls, and the carrying out of the kingship of Christ and the spiritual warfare against the adversary is always ongoing and matters to him, and he has often used people and their decisions to facilitate those incredible spiritual eternal outcomes. And that means you and that means me. Not unlike that day with David. And let me tell you how this helps us. We often determine whether or not to say or do a thing based on how we evaluate its impact. If I knew that sinning in private would have an impact on my family and church, I wouldn't do it. But I don't think it will, so I'll go ahead and do it. If I thought that reading the Bible every day with my family would truly change their direction for the better and make our community stronger and do something impactful, I'd do it. But I really don't think that it does, so I won't. You see how we do that? But what if we quit trying to evaluate the impact of what we did and then examining the ripples began to see that there are spiritual effects that we can never measure, only trust in God that He is using our behavior to His Son's glory? And now everything I say and do will be captive to this idea. If God wanted to use this to his glory, have I given him something to work with? And we could look at the opposite. Is this thing I'm about to say, or this thing that I am doing in the spiritual world, am I serving the adversary's purposes? Will he use it beyond what I can control? Every decision matters. And I want you to process that optimistically. God is doing things in and around your life. Every good decision that you make, be it in private or just you and one other person, has an immediate impact on that person internally and you as well. And God can use it to influence believers, to convert unbelievers, and to stretch out even beyond your life. And it is exhilarating to consider and explore those possibilities. So listen, be cautious, be mindful of the choices that you make. But even beyond that, maybe start getting excited as you consider the work God may be doing through the ripple effect. Thank you so much for tuning in today. If you enjoyed the program, please remember to share with your family and your friends. Also, you can go to excelstillmore.life to sign up for emails, order the three month journals, or just catch up on old episodes. So until next time, let me leave you with this whatever you choose to do today in the name of the Lord Jesus, excel stillmore.