MIND THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
Memory verse: "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good
manners. "(1 Corinthians 15:33)
Any believer who desires to occupy till the Lord comes, must be mindful of the company he or she keeps. The company a person keeps can determine he can occupy or lose grip. If you keep godly company, you are more likely to be influenced positively. On the contrary, keeping ungodly company will most likely produce evil fruit in your life. Our text for today offers a vivid illustration of
the likely outcome of mingling with ungodly people. They will always seek to entice you with one thing or the other in order to bring you into their wicked enterprises. They will offer you assurances that all will be well.
These days, things previously considered evil have now become acceptable social norms, while righteousness is considered archaic and old fashion, bigoted
and in some extreme cases evil. To this end, evil has been legitimized and whitewashed. Homosexuality, abortion, prostitution, drug addiction, immorality, nudity, corruption, cheating, just to name a few, have now become acceptable and no longer frowned at or considered shameful. Any attempt to condemn such acts, is met with strong resistance and backlash. You will be branded as fanatical and therefore ridiculed.
Therefore, it is important to choose carefully the company you keep in order to avoid being negatively influenced by the world around you. We are told to occupy and not to succumb. When you succumb to worldly pressures, how then will the lost souls be saved? As believers in Christ, if we adopt the prevailing world order, we risk missing heaven. Contrary to what the devil will have you believe, God's standards have not changed. Sin is still sin even if it has become acceptable by society. You are called to be separate and holy. No matter the ridicule or persecution, you must stand firm on the word of God and obey Him that can not only kill the flesh but throw your soul into hell fire.
Worship/praise God and then take the following prayer points:
1. O Lord, release upon me the grace to remain on the straight and narrow path despite all the pressures of the world around me, in Jesus name.
2. By the power in the blood of the Lamb, I receive fresh grace to overcome persecutions, temptations and distractions, in Jesus name.
3. By the power in the blood of the Lamb, I walk away from any evil company assigned to influence me negatively, in Jesus name.
