1. IT RUBS
OFF!
1 CORINTHIANS 15:33
DO NOT BE MISLED: “BAD COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD
CHARACTER.”

2. INFLUENCE
ˈ
ɪnflʊəns/
noun
The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or
behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.
"the influence of television violence“
Whatever is influencing you is leading you.

4. ROMANS 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s
mercy, to offer your bodies (active life) as a living sacrifice, holy
and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Choose who or what influences you as your living sacrifice.
This is the only way God can create the thinking patterns you
need to live the God life!

5. CHOOSE AND CLING! –
BOOK OF RUTH
Our story opens on a nice Jewish family with a problem.
Famine has hit Bethlehem, which forces Elimelech and his
wife, Naomi, to move east to Moab with their two sons to get
some grub. There, they set up shop, eat some food, and live
for about ten years. The sons marry two local girls, Ruth and
Orpah, during this time. Life is good. Or so it seems.

6. One by one, Elimelech and his two sons die. Bummer. This leaves
Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah man-less and in need of help. Naomi decides
to head back to Bethlehem and her daughters-in-law pack their luggage
and join her.
Naomi begs the girls to stay behind and, while Orpah is convinced and
high tails it back to Moab, Ruth pledges her devotion to
Naomi, forsaking her god and her people to become part of Naomi's
life. Ruth's stubbornness pays off and Naomi lets her tag along

7. CHOOSE AND CLING!
16 But Ruth replied, ―Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn
back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I
will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my
God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May
the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death
separates you and me.‖ When Naomi realized that Ruth was
determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

8. In Bethlehem, things are not good for the ladies. Naomi is
feeling down and out and Ruth is reduced to gleaning in the
barley fields. There, Ruth happens to run into a well-known
rich guy named Boaz, who instantly takes a liking to her and
offers her all kinds of sweet gleaning privileges. Boaz also
happens to be a relative of Naomi's late husband, which is
very, very important, since Boaz would have an obligation to
marry Ruth and provide for her as family.

9. When Naomi hears about Boaz and what a stand-up guy he
is, she hatches a plan for Ruth to snag him as a husband.
She tells her daughter-in-law to visit Boaz at night in secret
and lie at his feet (it's sexy, trust us). Ruth does what her
mother-in-law asks and Boaz is pleasantly surprised to see
the cute girl from the fields is interested in him. He tells Ruth
that he would love to marry her, but that there's another
relative with even closer ties to her in-laws. Boaz sets out to
meet the guy and everyone is left to hold his or her breath
while we wait to find out whom Ruth will end up with.

10. As it turns out, this random relative is interested in buying some
land that Naomi has, but he's much less interested in taking her
daughter-in-law as his wife. So a deal is struck—the other guy
renounces his claim on Ruth and Boaz is free to marry her. Wedding
bells start ringing and everyone is happy.
Soon, Ruth and Boaz have a son, which makes Naomi über happy.
The women in town name the baby Obed and, surprise, surprise, he
goes on to be the grandfather of King David. Talk about a happy
ending.

11. BOAZ IS DESTINY
Naomi lead Ruth to her destiny.
You should be around people and things that lead you to
your destiny!

12. WHO INFLUENCES YOU?
Who leads you?
What leads you?
What are you reading, watching, hearing?
Life is not a lucky packet. If you do not choose the
positive, you will – by default – be surrounded by the
negative, the dangerous, the poisonous. It is human nature to
take the path of least resistance – foolishness is ALWAYS
that path.

13. TIS’ YOUR CHOICE 
Joshua 24:15
15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then
choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether
the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for
me and my household, we will serve the Lord.‖