How to Influence and Bear Fruit in Your Sphere

This Brunch Talk from ICC TV Montreal's special seminar is not a classic sermon. It is an exchange, a time of questions and answers with three women of God: Pastor Stéphanie, Pastor Liliane, and Pastor Renaté. The theme on the table is clear: how do you influence and bear fruit in the spheres of influence of this present age?

The idea is not to leave with pretty words to add to your bow. The idea is that you leave with keys you will apply in your life, your home, your work, your church. Whether you are a woman at the office, a mother at home, a nurse, an entrepreneur, or a young woman in training, what these three pastors share concerns you. Because your sphere of influence begins right where you already are.

This article faithfully reproduces the exchanges from this Brunch Talk, in the order the questions were asked, with the examples, images, and verses the speakers actually cited.

Article outline

1. Influence begins on the inside: identity, confidence, and attachment to Christ
2. Obstacles to break: impostor syndrome, pride, fear of failure
3. Three qualities of women who influence: determination, consistency, perseverance
4. Bearing fruit where you are: faithfulness, excellence, wisdom
5. The home as a sphere of influence: the mother carries nations
6. Influencing in this present age: the system, submission, marriage

1. Influence begins on the inside: identity, confidence, and attachment to Christ

Pastor Stéphanie opens the topic by showing a medal: the Governor General of Canada's medal, earned for the quality of her academic record during her PhD in biochemistry. This is not to boast. It is to tell you one thing: if it happened to her, it can happen to you in your field too. Influence begins with small goals, small choices day after day, and perseverance.

Pastor Liliane picks up the thread: a woman begins to influence when she gains confidence in herself. "You can only give what you have." As long as a woman is convinced she is worth nothing, she cannot bring anything. Yet the Bible says a lit lamp is not put under a basket. Many women are lit lamps hidden under a basket because they do not have a good perception of themselves.

Pastor Stéphanie brings everything back to a verse she shared right at the opening: John 15:4-5. Christ is the vine, we are the branches. "Without him, we can do nothing." But with him, you can accomplish anything and bear fruit. She testifies that throughout her PhD, she stayed involved in her church, volunteering, doing whatever her pastor found for her to do. And the Lord opened extraordinary doors afterward.

2. Obstacles to break: impostor syndrome, pride, fear of failure

The first obstacle Pastor Stéphanie identifies in women is the well-known impostor syndrome. It needs to be flattened, removed from your life. Dream big. Stay constantly attached to Jesus.

Pastor Liliane adds a strong nuance: there is a subtle pride that drives a person to always put herself down. When she sees others shine, instead of believing she can too, she withdraws. "Pride has to be killed," she says, "and you must not be afraid of looking ridiculous." Wherever God positions you, you accept the mission because you can do all things through him who strengthens you.

The second obstacle: fear of failure. Pastor Liliane tells a story an elder used to repeat to her: Seven Up started out as One Up. Two Up did not work, Three Up did not work, neither did Four Up. It was at Seven Up that it worked. If they had stopped at Five Up, no one would know the brand. "It is precisely in our limitations that God finds his glory."

Pastor Renaté adds that we need to stop chasing a single model. It is good to have sources of inspiration, but every woman is unique, every imprint is unique. The model you follow brought certain things, but she does not have what you have. And Pastor Stéphanie adds: don't wait for the perfect season to influence. Not the perfect woman, not the perfect family. She testifies: it was in her hardest family seasons that she wrote her book "Unshakeable," which sold thousands of copies.

3. Three qualities of women who influence: determination, consistency, perseverance

Pastor Liliane identifies three qualities in women who succeed. They resemble each other but are not identical: they line up and work together.

• Determination. When you start out, you have to stay determined, because influence does not come right away.
• Consistency. You can want something very badly, but achieving it requires repeating the same effort. Being steady in the effort, even when it is repetitive, even when you have to face the snow every morning.
• Perseverance. It kicks in when what you expected does not happen. When the success you were counting on does not come, when the plan does not unfold as expected. Persevering means not letting yourself be knocked down, not staying on the ground when you fail.

Pastor Stéphanie adds two complementary qualities. First, resilience: the ability to bounce back. She testifies: "I already broke once. I had a burnout 8 years ago. I thought I was strong, and under strong wind, I broke." Over time, the Lord made her resilient, like the reed that bends and rises again. Then unity: true women of influence are able to lift up other women around them. When one wins for the kingdom, we all win for the kingdom.

4. Bearing fruit where you are: faithfulness, excellence, wisdom

To discern where to influence, Pastor Stéphanie proposes a question: what makes you cry? She recounts that when she left her doctoral studies, her pastor Claude never told her "I see you preaching." He simply asked her: "what makes you cry?" What makes you cry should be your destination, what you want to leave as a legacy. She also proposes a second question: what would you like people to say about you when you die?

Pastor Renaté adds an even simpler key: influence where God has positioned you. If you are a teacher, you influence in your classroom. If you are a nurse, midwife, or doctor, the medical environment is your sphere. Influence begins now, closer than you imagine.

She tells the story of a Christian nurse who wanted to quit her job because of the negligence she witnessed at the hospital. Pastor Renaté reminded her that her ministry was not only as a pastor's wife. In her hospital, there were poorly trained ward aides who were spreading bacteria and costing lives. "You don't need a microphone to preach. If you manage to change ten ward aides, you may have saved a thousand lives."

Pastor Liliane adds the kingdom law drawn from the parable: if you are faithful with what belongs to someone else, God gives you what belongs to you. Jesus himself was known in Nazareth as "the carpenter": that means he was good at his trade. He was faithful in what he did, and his path opened up when the moment came. Pastor Stéphanie cites Proverbs 22:29: "Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings." Excellence in the area where God has placed you raises your influence.

Pastor Stéphanie adds an exhortation Apostle Ivan repeats: what can you do without being paid? Wherever you are so passionate that you lose track of time, that is where you have something to give.

5. The home as a sphere of influence: the mother carries nations

One of the most powerful moments of the Brunch Talk is about stay-at-home mothers. A young woman asks: how do you feel legitimate when society values the woman who goes out to work?

Pastor Stéphanie, who was herself a working woman during her PhD, answers that Quebec society today recognizes the importance of the role at home. "A woman who rises for her home accomplishes something very important that will never come again." What will matter at the end of life is not the great companies built or the conferences given around the world, but children who felt loved and prioritized.

Pastor Renaté continues: it takes women to raise women and men of influence. She recalls Susanna Wesley, mother of fifteen children including John Wesley and his brother, who taught them herself at home. She had decided to pray even while doing housework, and her children had a sign to know when mom was praying. She also cites Jochebed in the Bible, the mother of Moses.

Pastor Liliane reads Genesis 25:21 about Rebekah, Isaac's wife. When Rebekah asked the LORD about the children struggling within her, the answer was: "two nations are in your womb." "A woman who is pregnant is pregnant with a nation," she says. Pregnant perhaps with a president, a doctor, an architect. The mother who raises her children raises a nation.

Pastor Stéphanie testifies: the week before, she was recording at the table with her daughter Annabelle. A well-known person arrived in the studios. Instead of introducing herself by her titles, Pastor Stéphanie simply said: "I am Philippe's mom." That night she went to bed thinking: that is my real influence. She cites the biblical proverb: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

6. Influencing in this present age: the system, submission, marriage

Pastor Liliane identifies two major limitations for a woman who wants to influence today. The first is the system. In Switzerland, women only won the right to vote in 1971 (the last canton in 1991). In some countries, they were not allowed to drive. She cites the daughters of Zelophehad who, in the Bible, refused the religious restriction that prevented them from inheriting from their father. They went to Moses, and God himself said: "they are right." She also cites Deborah, who was a judge in Israel when no woman held that role.

The second limitation is yourself: superficiality, laziness, lack of vision. Will you detach from your phone, get out of bed, put down your makeup brushes to run after the destiny God is placing before you?

Pastor Stéphanie testifies that 26 years ago, at her first sermon at Nouvelle Vie church, a man stood up to accuse her of the spirit of Jezebel. She notes the fight is real, but that what will bring the system down is bearing fruit. In the face of fruit, there is nothing left to say except that the Lord acted. She clarifies that she distinguishes herself from Western feminism, while being outraged by the injustices women elsewhere in the world still suffer.

On the question of submission, Pastor Liliane offers a beautiful reading: submission comes from being "under a mission." God judged me sufficiently equipped, strong, intelligent to carry a mission. If a CEO is looking for an assistant, he is not looking for someone incompetent. Submission is a concept that comes to honor a woman, not to silence her. Pastor Renaté adds: it is a matter of function, not value. In Genesis, man and woman are both created in God's image, therefore equal. The Hebrew word ezer (helper) is the same word used for God in the Psalms: "the LORD came to my help."

To a sister who asks how to handle a husband jealous of his wife's success, Pastor Liliane answers with two keys: submission and charm. When a man is afraid his wife will surpass him, "show him that he is the head." Celebrate him, position him, put him forward, and his defenses will come down. He will take you as a partner and accomplice. She recalls Delilah and Samson: charm is a power God placed in women. "When the husband wears the pants, you wear the nightgown."

Finally, to a sister who asks where the line is between self-confidence and dependence on God, Pastor Stéphanie answers: the more she grows in knowledge and experience, the more she realizes that without him she can do nothing. She gives the example of her preaching: she prepares her message with the greatest care, but when the moment comes to preach it, she knows it is no longer her preparation that counts, it is Christ speaking through her. Pastor Liliane cites Galatians 2:20: "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." That is the ultimate equation of Christian influence: if you succeed, it is Christ who succeeds. If you are recognized, it is Christ who is recognized.

Key takeaways

• Influence begins on the inside: without Christ, you can do nothing (John 15:4-5). With him, you bear fruit.
• Three qualities line up in women who influence: determination, consistency, perseverance. Add resilience and unity to that.
• Don't wait for the perfect season or the single model. Start where God has positioned you, with what you have.
• Faithfulness in small things and in what belongs to someone else opens the door to what belongs to you.
• The home is a sphere of influence in its own right: a mother who raises her children raises a nation.
• Submission is not inferiority: it is being "under a mission," a position of value.

Personal application

• What makes you cry? That may be exactly where God is calling you to influence.
• Where has God positioned you today? Write it down in black and white. That is your first sphere of influence.
• What small thing can you do with excellence and faithfulness this week, even if no one sees you?
• What inner obstacle wants to hold you back today: impostor syndrome, self-deprecating pride, fear of failure, superficiality? Name it and hand it over to Christ.
• If you are married, how can you celebrate and position your husband this week, instead of trying to prove you can do just as well?

Verses cited

• John 15:4-5 · "Abide in me… without me you can do nothing."
• Proverbs 22:29 · "Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings."
• Genesis 25:21-23 · Rebekah pregnant with two nations.
• Proverbs 22:6 · "Train up a child in the way he should go."
• Numbers 27 · The daughters of Zelophehad.
• Galatians 2:20 · "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
• Genesis 39 · Joseph in Potiphar's house.

FAQ

I'm not married and I don't have children: can I still be a woman of influence?

Yes. The Brunch Talk speaks extensively about professional, spiritual, and social spheres. Pastor Stéphanie began influencing in her lab during her PhD, long before the big doors opened. Wherever you are (student, employee, entrepreneur, volunteer), that sphere is already yours. Start by aiming for excellence and faithfulness there.

I am a stay-at-home mom and feel invisible in a society that values outside work. How do I keep going?

Pastor Renaté and Pastor Liliane are very clear: the stay-at-home mother is a woman of influence in her own right. She is raising a nation. Remember Susanna Wesley, Jochebed, Rebekah. The fruit shows over the long term, in children who love God and grow into balanced adults. This is not a parenthesis, it is a full season of life.

How do I know if I am acting in my own strength or by the Spirit of God?

Pastor Stéphanie explains it is not one or the other: it is both together. You prepare, you study, you equip yourself, and at the moment of acting, you put everything in God's hands. Like a branch attached to the vine: the sap comes from the vine, but the branch is truly there to bear the fruit. Galatians 2:20 sums it up: "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."