Who are your companions? Who influences you? Do you ever test what they are doing, saying, producing (either good or bad fruit), and where their information is coming from? Is it coming from a place of Truth or from deception? A place of hurt, or a place of Love? Is their filter of reality in line with emotions and man-made traditions, or does it prove to be authentic and hold firm to the Scriptures?
(Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-28) The Bible commands us to scrutinize and evaluate what we consume, and to make sure that what we give our attention to is not ideas or vain babbling against the Word of God. Falsehoods and fake news must be evaluated just as much as prophetic messages and doctrines that go against the Gospel of Christ. If someone does not know Scripture on a personal level, only listening to a sermon here and there, reading books of others’ interpretations, or has never set foot in a Christian atmosphere (not just a church setting), there could be many reasons why. They could have been deceived from an early age, been abused, been indoctrinated, are lazy and gave up, are unrepentant, or even possibly downright denying the power of God, Jesus, and the written Word, never knowing the Holy Spirit. I liken it to if you go to a mechanic to fix your car, but it never runs right or keeps breaking down, are you taking it to the wrong mechanic? Or, do you go to a good mechanic who, without cost to you, gives you insight on how to see the signs of a problem, the keys to fix them before you have to come back to him, or gives you a whole new car? Now, some vehicles take more work than others, and there are rarely quick fixes (miracles do still happen), but having a reliable mechanic brings unspeakable PEACE!
“Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
Proverbs 22:24-25
Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.”
How, then, are those who do know Christ supposed to help in these sometimes hopeless situations or in everyday life? First, and always first, pray. Ask God for discernment. Ask Him how to diffuse, inform, stay still, give a word in season, declare His presence in our lives, or simply stay in Peace. Seek out scriptures about information or events. Seek out those walking in Christ for input. Pray again. Listen hard. Stay in obedience to what the Scripture reveals and what the Spirit tells you. Don’t fight what you cannot see, have faith in the Word, maintain a healthy spiritual life, and avoid being deceived. Truth is validated by faith in the Lord. Test all things, no matter what they are, and hold fast to what is good.
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21
Good Reminders
Below are some Scriptures with daily reminders on how to choose your friends wisely and allow the Holy Spirit to influence your character, leading you in the direction of His righteous path.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33
- Proverbs 13:20
- Psalm 1:1
- Proverbs 22:24-25
- Proverbs 12:26
- 2 Corinthians 6:14
- Psalm 119
Blessing and Honor,
Angela Errett
Feature Images: Coffee at window GENAI Text to Image; stock images; Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bible.
