Increase Influence

Matthew 5:^15-16 “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

The three keys to increasing your presence are Evaluate The Why Of Your Distractions (why are you distracted?), Identify Your Relational Values (what is important to you?), and Shut Down Occasionally To Eliminate The Distractions And Align With Your Values. It is okay to put off your mobile phone and just shut down. Yesterday I shared with you about a time when I forgot my phone at home, and I panicked at the thought that I was going to spend an entire day without my phone. The experts call this feeling is “NOMOPHOBIA” meaning NO MObile PHone PhoBIA, and the fear of no mobile phone is a mental health issue. Wow! How did we even get here? Were people not functioning excellently before mobile phones were invented? Why have we become so attached to these devices that we panic when we do not have them?

Nomophobia, the experts tell us, comes with identifiable symptoms such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, shortness of breath in extreme cases, anxiety, nausea, trembling, dizziness, depression, discomfort, fear, and panic. All this is because of a phone that we did not have thirty-plus years ago. When last did you shut down your phone? Some people cannot do without their phones, they just have to check reels, people’s status, tweets, and the list is endless. Research shows that fifty percent (50%) of adult males in the United States (and we can extend this research) have nomophobia. The people feel anxious when they are not with their phones. I want to challenge you to leave your phone at home tomorrow, lock it up so that no one is prying into your messages, but head to work without it.

If you do not experience panic and anxiety, then you do not have nomophobia. If you do, then it is time to do something about it. You need to shut it down. I have a lot of strategies for shutting down; one of my strategies is not receiving emails on my phone. When I took this decision, I believe that it added about fifty extra years to my life. I am techier than most, I code, I write mobile applications, so it has nothing to do with not being techy. I get my emails on my laptop, so when I open them, I read them. I am telling you that you need to take action, evaluate your why, identify relational value, and then shut down. Be still and know that God is God.

Presence communicates to the people that you do life with that they matter to you. Similarly, when we create time for God and we are present, we are telling God that He matters to us. When you create time for your spouse, your children, and you are present, you are communicating that they matter to you. It is when you are present, that your light can shine into the lives of those who do life with. Light is present; Emmanuel, God with us.

Prayer: Father, as I evaluate the why of my distractions, help me identify my relational values, so that I can shut