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My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Proverbs 1:10

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Ephesians 5:11

Fellow Student Note: Peer pressure can have a powerful influence on us as human beings, both for good and for evil. Here in the opening chapter of Proverbs we are presented with a wise counsel to “consent thou not” to the persuadings of negative influence. So as not to leave us guessing, we are then presented with some examples of such influence:

If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse. Proverbs 1:11-14

Fellow Student Note: If we find ourselves in such principled company, we are encouraged too:

My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.Proverbs 1:15-16

Fellow Student Note: Why is this so? Because:

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Proverbs 1:17-19

Fellow Student Note: Those who are greedy of gain, those who are always wanting what they don’t have, rarely realize that their greed, if left unchecked, will inevitably consume them. Greed is a monster that is never satisfied. It never has enough. As by beholding we become changed, so must we be very careful in our choice of companions.

Ah, but how do we reach those whom we know have made choices that have rendered them a bad companion? If we must choose carefully our companions because of the influence they render, what hope for us is there in reaching those who are living corrupted lives? There is only one way, and that is to follow in the footsteps of our Saviour. Jesus never sinned, though He had the choice, He chose against it and thus set for us a perfect example. So, being without sin in a sin filled world, how was He able to associate with us without being tainted by sin?

By beholding we become changed. Those that you spend the most time with will inevitably and always have an influence in your life, whether for good or for evil. Christ was able to stay unspotted from the world because He spent the most time with His Father in heaven. He would be up long before the sunrise to spend time in prayer with His Father. Mark 1:35And then all throughout the day His heart would be lifted up in prayer. Christ said of Himself that He did nothing without His Father and in so saying He also set the example for us.

If we’re spending our time in prayer and in careful study of God’s Word, then and only then will good have a greater influence on our life. Then, as God leads us, we can spend time with those who would otherwise wield a negative influence and seek rather to encourage them and set their eyes above the things of this world.

But let us remember the words of wisdom and make sure that while we seek to wield a good influence in the lives of those we love, we must not walk in the way with those who follow after evil Proverbs 1:15 but rather invite them to join with us as we follow after God.

Call To Action: Consider carefully who or what it is that has the greatest influence on your life. Is it an influence for good or for evil? There is no neutral. Everything in this world, all the choices we make, whether great or small, will either bring us closer to God or further away. Each day, choose to make God the greatest influence in your life and let Him work in you to be a good influence to others.

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