Stay Close to God

By Paul Chappell

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

Psalm 1:1

One day a farmer grabbed his shot gun to shoot at a flock of pesky crows. Unfortunately, he didn't see his sociable parrot that had joined the crows. After firing a few shots, he walked over to the fallen birds and was surprised to find his parrot badly ruffled with a broken wing. When the farmer's children saw the injured bird, they asked, "Dad, what happened?" The farmer simply replied, "Bad company."

Scripture often warns us to avoid harmful influences. Regardless of our age or spiritual strength, over time, unwise influences will negatively affect our walk with the Lord. Satan is determined to pull us into sin and wreck our lives, and he often uses wrong influences to accomplish his goal.

As Christians, we must stay near to God in order to discern between good and bad influences in our lives. As we remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit and obey God's Word, God will help us to recognize bad influences and remove them from our lives.

Perhaps you have a friend who constantly encourages you to sin, or maybe your own flesh pulls you to make sinful choices. Whatever the case, determine to avoid those people, places, or situations that bring you further from the Lord. Much temptation can be avoided if we will simply walk with the Lord and with those who love Him. Satan's fiery darts are no match for our God; so stay close to the One Who protects you.

Ask God to help you remove bad influences in your life and to be sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Staying close to God is the safest and happiest place you can be.

Today's Rooted Principle:

Stay close to God to recognize wrong influences in your life and to develop spiritual discernment.