My, Devotion to Him #105
Verse passage: 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” – NIV
“Christians are no fun” is what the world says. This is their reaction to us simply because they don’t understand we do things differently. We do what is just and what is right in the eyes of God. They don’t understand the path we walk on. They don’t understand how rewarding it is to follow Christ. They don’t think they have anything in common with “Christians”. There is one thing that separates us from them. They have never experienced God!
They put pressure on Christian teens to cheat, lie, steal, sleep around, experiment with drugs, and all kinds of other stuff. They question them why they avoid such things. They put pressure on adults to relax and indulge in sexual lust, drink till your memory is shot, leave your family if your tired of them, lie, express rage and let loose on all who is around, have an open marriage, and all kinds of other things. They call us crazy, fanatic, lunatics, insane, slaves, weird, and many other things.
Corinthians states we will be influenced to do wrong things if we hang out with wrongdoers. I know this first hand as a teen I was constantly in a struggle between following Christ and doing what non-believers were doing. And yes there was times when I failed. I know the pressure, the tension, and ultimately the fight you have to endure to stay on course.
As a Christian we need to be mindful to avoid those old places we would hang around before we became Christians. We should be mindful about the people we use to hang around. Bad company will corrupt a good person. Time and time again this has been proven. We must be mindful to avoid falling where others have.
This is critical for new believers (not mature in faith). As the temptation I believe is much stronger at this point than at any other point in your walk. It’s just like starting a new diet or workout. In the beginning it’s difficult. If you miss a day or are more relaxed on a certain day it’s so easy to slip and get right back into old habits. Same is true for the Christian faith.
I’ve heard of some people that had to completely break off friendships and regular hangout time with family because they would’ve never made it as a Christian. So to this day have limited contacted. Others have been able to ease back into conversation and friendship. But they understood how critical the very beginning is for a new believer. The world does not care if your a Christian. They will not hold back anything.
If there is an area that is a temptation or could cause you to fall avoid it. Sometimes it’s hard. Me and my wife had to move states because we had gotten to a point where our time was so consumed with other things beside God that to start fresh we moved. Now there were other reasons to that as well, but sometimes drastic action is needed in order to maintain the walk. I am not saying to cut off all relationships or move out of state. But we must be mindful of our relationship to God and watch for what could harm that relationship.
Unfortunately many will not understand. Who cares! It’s okay. Nothing else matters when we are focused on Him and His plan for our life.
Copyright © 2018 by Jacob D. Olinger
Spirit Warrior Ministry 