1 Corinthians 15:33(NLT)
Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
Some years ago, I made a conscious decision to distance myself from someone that I originally thought was a good friend. Gradually, I noticed she had done some things that I didn’t consider friendly, and I made a decision to terminate the friendship. This was not an easy decision because she and I had been hanging partners for a long time. We shared many of the same interests and knew some of the same people. Spiritually, my life was going in a different direction. She professed to be a Christian woman, but her lifestyle choices were not aligned with how I lived my life, or what I know about God’s Word and Will.
My great grandmother would say to us when we were growing up, “Don’t suffer fools long!” She was one of the wisest persons I’ve known, and she didn’t believe in sugarcoating the truth. I didn’t always understand her sayings, but somewhere deep I knew her words cut through nonsense to reveal something raw, true, and wise. One of the attributes she disliked in people is what we refer to today as being shady; someone who tries to be slick, take an unfair advantage, and is always and only looking out for themselves. This was the wrong way to be, and in her estimation, it was a very foolish way to treat others. Her wise counsel to us was to stay away from people like this, because ultimately, they would bring more harm to our lives than good.
The devil has studied the human race to such a degree that in some ways he has mastered counterfeiting. Our problem today is that we can’t tell when the people we befriend are actually those of bad company. The harm…bad company corrupts good character. The telling sign…they are not trustworthy, and they refuse to trust God.
Psalm 32:10(NLT) tells us, “Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.” Unfailing love surrounds those of us who place our unwavering trust in Heavenly Father. Our trust in Him speaks to our character, because a person can’t put every ounce of their trust in God without taking on His nature. This is why it is so important to trust His Word. Doing so changes us for the better!
Zephaniah 3:1 provides a record of the character of Jerusalem as being rebellious and polluted. Zephaniah 3:2 (NLT) states, “No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the LORD.” There are some people who have the character of those described in Zephaniah 3:2. They are not interested in pursuing the things of God. These folks are bad company. They refuse to trust His Word, and it can be very easy for them to trick us into going down the same path. Therefore, God warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 not to be fooled by them.
A Godly person is trustworthy. It’s the mark of a quality human being with good character. People can trust you because your trust is in God. His unfailing love surrounds everything that you do. Romans 15:13 tells us that He will fill us with joy and peace because we trust in Him, then we will overflow with confident hope in the power of the Holy Spirit. Preserving our trust in God is extremely important to Him, and it ought to be extremely important to us. We must be diligent to the task of continuing to build it up. This means that there will be some people that we simply must cut off. It may be a bit painful at first, but after a while, you realize how much lighter your life feels without them in it.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“You Can’t Afford to Keep Bad Company”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.