PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Good morning, everyone… I’m trying to be chipper, but honestly—I could sleep for another hour this morning. It’s going to be one of those “I wish that coffee IVs were a real thing” kind of days. I’ve got a nonstop day ahead of me.
I’ve only loosely followed the whole Jeffrey Epstein story. I don’t read the news a lot, but am one of those headline skimmers. But most of you, I’m sure, have heard the news headlines about the disgraced Prince Andrew and his ties to Epstein.
The whole story is horrible and without getting into all the details of Prince Andrew’s relationship with Epstein, we are watching the wisdom of Proverbs 13:20 play out—“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (ESV). We see first hand the truth of 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (ESV).
The people we spend time with can impact us in powerful ways—both good and bad.
Parents definitely know what I’m talking about. How many have had your child befriend someone who just wasn’t a good influence? I always struggled with this when my son was younger… he has great leadership qualities when he uses them but often takes the follower position. We had to have a couple of conversations about certain friends who were not a good match.
We tend to think we can “fix” the bad influence. But that’s not always the case. I’m not going to get into the whole unequally yoked conversation this morning either, but let’s just say—while it’s important to be friends with everyone (after all, we want to show others the love of Christ and lead them to Him!), we have to use prayer and discernment to ensure that we are the influencers rather than the influenced.
Today, as you pray, thank God for the wisdom of His word and how it guides us, showing us how to have healthy relationships. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be wise and discerning in your relationships. Ask Him to help you have friendships that encourage your walk with Christ and that do not influence you negatively.
