IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS UNAFFECTED BY OTHER PEOPLE'S BEHAVIOR, ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRY. PEOPLE HELP SHAPE OUR PERSPECTIVES AND INFLUENCE OUR DECISIONS. WHEN A PERSON POSITIVELY AFFECTS ANOTHER'S LIFE IT IS GREAT. HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY TIMES WHEN PEOPLE ARE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY OTHERS.
I REMEMBER AS A CHILD AND YOUNG ADULT MY MOM TRYING TO KEEP ME AWAY FROM "BAD PEOPLE." THEY WERE THE PEOPLE SHE THOUGHT WERE OR WOULD INFLUENCE MY BEHAVIOR NEGATIVELY. NOW, AS AN ADULT, HAVING ENOUGH DISCERNMENT TO SEE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE AT THIS POINT IN THEIR LIVES CAN SAVE YOU A LOT OF HEADACHE. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES IT IS EASIER TO SEE IN HINDSIGHT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SWAYED BY THE BAD INFLUENCES OF OTHERS.
YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT YOUR ASSOCIATIONS, AFFECT WHO YOU ARE?
YOU BELIEVE THAT BAD FRIENDS WON'T CHANGE YOU?
EVEN A MAN AS WISE AS PAUL KNEW THAT WE CAN FALL INTO THIS MISCONCEPTION. THIS IS WHY HE SAID TO THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH:
DO NOT BE MISLED: BAD COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD CHARACTER." (I CORINTHIANS 15:33)
A VERY SHORT PERSONAL STORY IS:
One of the "friends" I had as a young adult, contacted me as an adult. I was surprised to hear from this person and after a long catch-up talk, I discovered that we had a lot of similarities in our current situations. Since this was a "friend" that I was warned about from my mom early in life, and that I soon found out was a bad influence back then, I was curious to see that things had changed. Unfortunately, I found out that things had only changed in circumstances and not the character of the person. I found out after I had been deceived back into some situations that were not beneficial to me; that were downright bad for me. After the Lord revealed to me the changes in me since I had been back in contact with this person, I removed myself from them, repented, and prayed for that person.
It is a lie of Satan's that you can romp around in the mud and not get dirty. So, "take heed" to the words of Paul, "lest you fall." (I Corinthians 10:12)
