Thursday, August 7, 2014
That their children will hang around with the wrong kind of friends is one of the biggest fears and concerns most parents face. Oftentimes they will resort to every tactic or strategy they can think of to achieve that goal. In the end, the methods which have proven to be the most successful in this matter are those that include God in it. That being said, what about adults? Don’t they face even bigger dangers when they involve themselves with the wrong crowd? When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character”, (1 Cor. 15:33) he was not referring to children. Specifically, he was advising them to stay away from the false teachers that had crept in among them. If you’re familiar with the biblical account of Samson, you know what choosing to mingle with ungodly people did to him.
Early in my Christian life, there was a very popular and well known evangelist by the name of Bob Harrington who was mostly known as the “Chaplain of Bourbon Street.” His ministry focused primarily on saving the lost that lived and worked in that famous New Orleans’ district which featured him ministering inside those less than saintly establishments. According to his own testimony, fame, fortune, and frolic got him “off the track.” I think it is pretty apparent that he got in too deep with the wrong crowd and in the end they influenced him more than he did them. By God’s grace and mercy he was restored some years back and returned to the Lord but his ministry lost most of it’s effectiveness.
If you are one who displays your faith in your daily walk, your family, friends, and associates are very well aware of it. Of course, you cannot totally avoid contact with all people but in your dealings with them you have to be more conscious of the places you go to when you’re with them and the type of conversations they hold. You should be especially wary of those who tell you often that you’re taking this Christianity stuff too seriously or those who may influence you to slowly lose your grip on your personal convictions. One little slip-up here or there can produce serious consequences.
Memory verse for the week: (1 John 5:13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
