In the first episode of this series, I was inspired to share three foundational secrets of influence, and I noted that influence in leadership is not about titles or position, but about your willingness to respond to problems or take responsibility, it is creativity and ability to communicate effectively and not holding back.

Having discussed previously on the foundational secrets of influence; in this episode, my focus will particularly be on a subject matter that will be very difficult to ignore as far as the issue of positive influence in leadership is concerned. So, the primary secret of influence I would like to discuss in this episode is PASSION . It is not enough to know the things that will make for our influence, it is also not enough to become influential, it is important that having gained influence as a leader, you must stay influential, and the key or secret to sustaining influence is Passion .

So, what is Passion ? Passion  is a strong fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for something or to do something. Another word that could be used to describe Passion  is zeal. It is a word that describes Passion  as a great energy or enthusiasm used in the pursuit of a cause or an objective. This talks about having a heart for what you do. So, in order to become a man or woman of influence, or to stay influential, you must be able find your Passion , stick to your Passion  or continue in the Passion  you have found.

I would like to begin my meditation from the book of Philippians 2 verse 1 to 4. It says; “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, ²fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”  This Scripture in verse 2 draws our attention to something called being likeminded, having the same love, being in one accord and of one mind. This Scripture brings to us the whole counsel of God concerning Passion . I see Passion  be whatever you do with love because there is nothing that can be compared to it, being in one accord and of one mind. You are not doing it with a divided attention, but with love and oneness of mind.

Verse 3 and verse 4 further breaks it down for us, it says; “³Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself ⁴Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” I came to realize here that whatever work or assignment or whoever you are Passion ate about, you give attention and then you care more for them and interested in that work. So, Passion  is about love, care, interest and motive. Meaning that you don’t do what you do because of selfish ambition or conceit, you do what you do in lowliness of mind. These are indicators surrounding Passion  in leadership or being Passion ate about someone.  So, how can a leader find or work with Passion  in order to sustain his/her influence in leadership?

#. Number One: The leader must Stay connected to the power of an endless life. This is what powers the supply of grace. This can also be described as the working or expressions of Holy Spirit from within us. Apostle Paul said I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. In 2 Corinthians 12 verse 10 he said; for when I am weak then I am strong. At another point He said I am what I am by the grace of God. A definition I came across describes Passion  as the pursuit of a cause or an objective with great energy. The Bible says; it is not by power it is not by might but by my Spirit says the Lord of host. This means that the energy required to fuel Passion  is not the physical energy we measure in joules or watts i.e. the standard unit for measuring power or energy. It means there is a Spirit responsible for mans operation on the face of the earth and that Spirit is an energy generating spirit. Bible says “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” This is what powers leaders that are driven by Passion .

This is the reason it is difficult to resist or to stop a man who is Passion ate at what he does, because the motivation is internally powered by the Holy Spirit. So, this article is giving us an insight into why the Holy Spirit is relevant for us.

#. Number Two: The Leader must stay disciplined and self-controlled. This also talks about bringing the flesh under subjection. Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9 verse 27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” The amplified version puts it this way; But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].” In 1 Corinthians 6 verse 12, the Bible says; All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Until you know and able to differentiate between the things that are lawful and the things that are not helpful, and you not being brought under the power of any of these, you won’t know be able to be stay Passion ate and influential. So, every influential leader sustains his or her influence by being conscious of not being brought under the power of the things that have the capacity to deplete or erode his or her authority and influence.

In Galatians 5:24, the Bible says; “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its Passion s and desires.” The flesh has its own Passion  and desires, so also is the Spirit. in order to sustain the life of the Spirit which leads to influence, you must be willing and able to crucify the flesh and its Passion  and its desires. Apostle Paul in this epistle to the Galatians he made us to understand that the flesh has its own Passion  and the Spirit has its own Passion  and if you walk in the Spirit, you have successfully crucified the Passion  of the flesh and you will not fulfill the lust and the desires of the flesh. Vs 25 says; “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” If grace will be supplied unto us, if the power of the Spirit will be made manifest through us, we must be conscious of the life of the Spirit. the spirit does not supply energy or grace to execute the tasks and assignments of the flesh. The power of the Spirit is available to execute the counsel of God.

So, we must say like Apostle Paul say My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

#. Number Three: The leader must stay in the consciousness of sonship and the will of the Father. This talks about being aware of who you are in the kingdom, what you must do for your Father and the specific work the Father has given to you to accomplish. In John 4:32-34 the Bible says; “But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” ³³ Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” Here we can see that the energy or drive and Passion  that powers His work is inherent in doing the will of the Father and to finish His work. The consciousness of that will of God and urgency of seeing to it that it is accomplished is in you coming to the knowledge of will of God.

John 2:16-17 says; “And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” ¹⁷Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house [c]has eaten Me up.” So, Passion  or zeal was what stirred Jesus to purge His Fathers house. See what He called the temple, “my Father’s house.” While others see the temple as a business center, where to make money, or place to make a living or make ends meet, Jesus saw it as a den of thieves because of the activities that was taking place there. Bible says the disciples remembered that it was written that Passion /zeal for the Father’s house will be responsible for this. At certain points Jesus will say lo I have come in the volume of the books it is written of me to do your will O God. So, lack of proper understanding of the will of God will lead to low motivation or Passion . But if the will of God is properly understood, and executed, there will be influence and it will be sustained.  

In Luke chapter 2 from verse 41, Jesus, when He was 12 years old, He was in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. Having found Him after 3 days;  He said to His parents; why are you looking for me? Do you not know that I must go about my Father’s business? So, we understood by the speaking and the actions of Jesus that what He preoccupies Himself with is the business of the Father, the purpose of the Father. At a certain point He said “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” That is a man that is Passion ate. And because He possessed this kind of consciousness, he was able to replicate or multiply His influence and sustained it.

So, what example did we learn from the life of Jesus? I realized that Jesus was Passion ate in these three areas;

• He was Passion ate about growth. i.e growing into sonship and taking up responsibility.
• He was Passion ate and never ignorant about work, God’s will and assignment.  
• He was Passion ate when communicating Gods mandate and purpose for his life through his words and actions.

#. Number Four: The leader must stay rooted and grounded in the word. This talks about not being swayed or tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, it talks about being resolute and founded upon the word. This means that influence is sustained when you are a career of the word, a sower of the word, a receiver of the word and a publisher of the word. Jeremiah said your word is like fire shut up in my bones, he said I can’t keep it to myself. Nothing is created or sustained or established outside of the word. Your promotion, relevance, prosperity, security and establishment, is by the word. The Bible says God instructed Isaac not to go down to Egypt but stay and sow in the land. And the result of that obedience was that he reaped a hundred-fold that same year and he became exceedingly prosperous and he had influence among the surrounding nations. If you will sustain the influence God has given you, you must stay true to his word, believe it and act accordingly as instructed.

So as much as it is good to be Passion ate, as much as it is good to have a zeal, it is also good to channel your Passion , energy and focus towards the right course and for the right purpose. Apostle Paul noted a phenomenon in Romans 10:2, he said; “I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.” So, it is possible to have a zeal or Passion  and misdirect it. And until your Passion  is aligned to the will of God, the reward, the experience and the possibilities and results that Passion  could give or create will elude us.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Apeh Francis Abah!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!