Stewarding Your Influence

Over the next two decades, an estimated $124 trillion will change hands in what many have called the Great Wealth Transfer. Much of that wealth will first pass to surviving spouses, the vast majority of whom will be women. The financial implications are significant. Yet the stewardship implications may be even greater.

For many women, these changing circumstances will bring opportunities they never expected. Resources that once felt distant may suddenly become their responsibility. Decisions that were once shared may now rest on their shoulders. While the headlines focus on dollars and cents, a more important question deserves our attention: How will we use the influence God has entrusted to us?

When we hear the word influence, we often picture public figures, executives, or people with large platforms. In reality, influence is much closer to home. It is present wherever our decisions affect others. It appears in the way we use our resources, invest our time, encourage a friend, guide a family member, or serve within our churches and communities.

Financial resources can certainly expand our opportunities, but money is only one expression of influence. Some people are entrusted with wealth. Others are given leadership responsibilities, professional expertise, strong relationships, or the trust of those around them. Whatever form it takes, influence is a gift from God, and gifts are meant to be stewarded.

The challenge is that influence often arrives quietly. A new opportunity at work. A growing ministry responsibility. A chance to mentor someone who is looking for guidance. Resources we never anticipated managing. Because these opportunities rarely announce themselves with fanfare, it can be easy to overlook their significance. Yet each one presents an opportunity to participate in what God is doing.

Our culture encourages us to think differently. We are surrounded by messages that celebrate visibility, achievement, and personal success. We are taught to build our platforms, expand our reach, and pursue greater recognition. Before long, influence can begin to feel like something to accumulate rather than something to steward.

Scripture points us toward a different measure of success.

Throughout the Bible, God entrusts people with resources, responsibilities, and opportunities that are intended to serve His purposes rather than their own ambitions. The question is not simply what we possess, but what we do with what has been placed in our care.

That perspective reshapes the way we think about influence.

A financial windfall can become an opportunity for generosity. Professional success can create opportunities to invest in others. Leadership can become a means of serving rather than being served. Even seasons of hardship and loss may, in God’s hands, become a source of encouragement and wisdom for someone else.

Faithful stewardship begins with surrender.

Surrender is not inaction, nor is it a lack of ambition. It is the willingness to place our plans, resources, and opportunities before God and seek His direction. Rather than asking how influence can advance our own goals, we begin asking how it can serve God’s purposes.

Before making plans or pursuing new opportunities, we pause long enough to remember that everything we have ultimately belongs to Him. Our resources, relationships, abilities, and experiences are not possessions to be clutched tightly. They are gifts entrusted to us for a season.

Surrender is not inaction, nor is it a lack of ambition. It is the willingness to place our plans, resources, and opportunities before God and seek his direction.

This posture protects us from two common errors. One is self-promotion—the assumption that influence exists primarily for our comfort, recognition, or advancement. The other is fear. We hesitate to move forward because we fear making mistakes or stepping into unfamiliar territory.

Neither response reflects faithful stewardship.

Instead, we seek God’s wisdom and ask how the opportunities before us might be used to bless others and advance His Kingdom. The answer will look different from one person to the next. For some, it may involve supporting ministries that spread the gospel and change lives. For others, it may mean investing in younger believers through mentoring and discipleship. Still others may use their professional skills, relationships, or resources to strengthen their churches and communities.

The size of the opportunity is not what matters most. Faithfulness is.

As Paul reminds us, “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Jesus consistently pointed His followers toward this kind of faithfulness. In His Kingdom, greatness is not measured by status or prominence but by humble obedience. The goal is not to build our own influence, but to use whatever influence we have been given in ways that reflect His character and accomplish His purposes.

How will you use your influence?

This article was published in our Faithful Steward magazine, a quarterly publication filled with encouraging stories, biblical teaching, and practical tools to help you grow as a wise and joyful giver. If you'd like to begin receiving Faithful Steward, consider becoming a FaithFi partner.