Who is Leading You?

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.  But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.  And in him is no sin.  Dear children, do not let anyone lead  you astray. he who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous."  I John 3:1-7

We are always concerned about the friends our children choose.  Why?  Because spending time with the right kind of people encourages us to improve ourselves; whereas, spending time with the wrong kind of people will cause us to lower our standards.  The Bible says, "Bad company corrupts good morals." (I. Cor. 15:33)  This is so true in so many different ways.  If I spend a lot of time with someone, I find myself inadvertently adopting their manner of speech.  We develop inside jokes and shared figures of speech.   If they are the kind that are sunny and positive, I find myself feeling more positive.  If they are melancholy and depressed, I find my mood sinking as well.  Ever been there? Which kind of influence are you?

We have to choose with care those with whom we associate most closely.  Like Jesus, we are to reach out to the lost in the world.  But we see Jesus withholding more intimate friendship for his disciples, whom he walked with day after day.  In addition to that, he had Peter, James and John as a little bit closer companions to whom he revealed more of himself.  They saw healings and the transfiguration, whereas, others did not.  Why did he chose these three?  I am not sure.  Perhaps it was their zeal, devotion or level of love.  Either way, we know it was not because they were perfect- Jesus even told Peter to "Get thee behind me Satan," at one point when he was speaking against the will of God.

It is good to have confidantes in whom we confide our deepest fears, concerns and dreams.  But we must be careful whom we choose, because they have the power to aid us in our journey or hamper our progress.  There have been times in my life when I have shared my vision with people who did nothing more but "nay say" and discourage me.  Guard closely the things that are most precious to you.  Use discretion with the people you allow (especially) to speak into your life.

I have been blessed with several close Christian friends who are honest with me.  They will hear me and love me- but not be afraid to point me back to truth.  I do not always appreciate their candor at the time, but in my heart of hearts, I want to do God's will and do appreciate someone who is trying to help me, even if the helping hurts.  "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."  (Prov. 27:6)  In other words, better for true friends to love us enough to hurt us with the truth, than to have an "enemy" help us with lies and flattery.

Recently I was going through a particularly difficult spiritual and emotional battle.  I confided my  hurts to a trusted prayer partner who listened, empathized, then begin  to instruct me with the Word.  I jokingly told her to hush before I spit on her!  We both laughed-and still do- but I knew the truth then.  God was speaking to me through her advice.  Instruction sometimes encourages, but it sometimes rebukes.

Don not let anyone lead you astray!  If you do not have quality Christian friends who help you along in your walk with God, begin to pray and ask God to bring you some. And always, always, line up people's advise against the Word of God.  The Bible has to be the bottom line in our decision-making!

Dear Lord,  thank you for Godly friends who speak into my life words of encouragement and rebuke.  Help me to be the kind of friend you desire me to be. Grant me discernment to know when I am being told the truth or lies.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri