WATCH OUT FOR THE RIGHT COMPANY
Happy New Year! Welcome to your year of more than a conqueror. As you begin this New Year, it is important to understand that it is impossible to amount to anything outside the company you keep. You cannot expect to live a better life than the companion you keep. Therefore, this week, we shall be examining ‘Watch Out For The Right Company’.
The Bible says, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20). A friend is someone with whom you relate intimately. He or she is someone you identify with, share common experience with and bear your mind to. This simple definition of a friend shows that not everybody is a friend. So, you need to always use the Word of God in selecting who should be your friend.
According to the scripture mentioned earlier, the one who keeps company with wise men will be wise, but the companions of fools will not only be foolish but will ultimately be destroyed. Some Christians fail to understand that one cannot flow together with every believer simply because the person calls himself or herself your friend.
Then, who is your friend? You cannot be a Christian, and your friend is an unbeliever. What companionship are you forming with an unbeliever? Anyone who is lacking in Christian character should never be your friend. The Bible says, …that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly… (2 Thessalonians 3:6). So many call themselves friends, but they have not disciplined themselves to refrain from certain habits. I believe the choice of your friend determines the success or failure of your life.
Hence, your vision, goal or target in life should determine your choice of friends. Your association goes a long way in affecting how you feel about yourself. The comments of others can drastically affect your thinking and the way you see yourself. The association you keep determines the kind of words you speak. That is why the Psalmist says, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts (Psalm 119:63). May God bring you in contact with friends that will skyrocket you to your place in destiny! May you never keep a company that will keep you away from God!
A man does not have to be foolish in himself to be destroyed. All he needs to do is walk with the foolish, and soon, the folly in his friend(s) will become part of him too. Walking with a foolish person is as bad as being foolish. The company you keep either makes or mars you; it does not leave you the same. Amnon, David’s son, made a choice of a friend called Jonadab, and he led him to commit incest (2 Samuel 13:1-4). Amnon later paid for the wrong company he kept with his life.
A wrong association will affect you negatively; it will make you do things you may never have done on your own. Therefore, you must be careful about your choice of company and friends. A wise man once said, ‘Show me your friends, and I will tell you who you are’. I will like to ask you the same question, who is your friend? If your friend is one that is a liar, a cheat, a thief, one that beats his wife or one that is covetous, and you think you are not anything like him or her, you are wrong. Very soon, the nature of your friend will begin to rub off on you, and the end result will be destruction.
Furthermore, the basis for any association should be agreement (Amos 3:3). When the company or association you keep is not in agreement with the things you believe in, then you must end your relationship with that company. As they say, friendship is by choice and not by force! Separate yourself from wrong friends.
Therefore, be selective in your association, do not allow wrong company destroy your destiny; so, select your friends with wisdom. However, to enjoy the wisdom from above, you must surrender your life to Christ. So, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, please say this prayer of faith with me: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I believe You died and rose again for my sake. Forgive me of my sins, take over my life, make me Your child and let Your peace reign over my life. Thank You for saving me. Now I know I am born again.
Congratulations, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave or forsake you. With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace, in Jesus name! Please write or call to share your testimonies with me through testimonies.faithoyedepo@gmail.com OR 08141320204. For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian Bookstores: Single With A Difference, A Living Witness, and Make Your Life Count.
