Shaping Others’ Influence – Are you a SNIOP?

“Are you a SNIOP? Someone who is Sensitive to the Negative Influence Of Others?”

~Zig Ziglar.

WE CAN’T ESCAPE PEOPLE. Some are bent on taking us the wrong way; whilst others—thank God—seek to take us into the right direction in life. These guides are worth their weight in gold.

The world needs more SNIOP’s. It needs more people who’re perceptive enough to see the nasty tricks of immorality placed before the would-be drug addict, gambler, alcoholic and porn addict in us and run the other way. (As an aside, the amount of times I’ve been solicited by dodgy women [and men] regarding porn, particularly using Twitter, is simply incredible. I have a strict “blocking” policy at the first sign of the improper motivation. I do wonder how many are trapped.)

But, being a good SNIOP is not just about avoiding unbridled vice. It’s about taking particular note in situations of people interaction and taking on board for immediate future reference, the motives and acts of people so far as their morality—and its impact on us and others—is concerned. These impacts can be very implicit and hard to perceive.

This is important for us, and others. We have a role too of advocacy, for instance, for our families and friends.

In terms of faith we’re to trust; but it is God we’re to trust—and anyone he causes us, via their deeds of virtue, to trust. Trust beyond God must be earned and maintained. He just as well will speak to us quite silently within the recesses of our consciences about who we’re not to trust—the charlatans of self-centredness that pervade the world. From these we’re to run!—(if/when we can).

Any of us can become more perceptive and intuitive regarding the people in our midst. Perhaps the best thing is to find a small number of confidants and genuinely seek their godly counsel most of the days of our lives i.e. routinely.

And yet, there is no better counsellor than the Counsellor. Grow your relationship with the Spirit of God—he is entirely faithful and trustworthy. A good relationship with God can only be grown... it’s not an overnight thing.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.