Take a moment and ask yourself what kind of company you keep. Who are your peeps? Did you know who you hang around can greatly influence your life and ideas. If you are not careful, those you spend the most time with can genuinely rub off on you.
My Dad used to always say to me in my teenage years, "Watch who you hang around, cause birds of a feather flock together!" Scripture is also explicit that we should be careful who we hang with for fellowship. We tend to become very much like the people we spend time with. Often, their views become ours, whether good or bad.
1 Corinthians 5:11 speaks out to us against keeping company with those who say they are believers, yet live otherwise. Paul exhorts, "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral or covetous, or an idolator or a reviler, or a drunkard or an extortioner-no, not even to eat..."
When we fellowship with those who say they walk in Christ Jesus, but their lifestyle reflects they actually walk in disobedience, then our fellowship embraces and reinforces their conduct. We may think we are being a good influence on them, but according to the Word we are applauding and approving of how they are living. The Word teaches rather, if we take a stand against their lifestyle and refuse to fellowship and eat with them, they come to realize they do not walk in the truth and perhaps may see their need of repentance. Scripture gives us godly wisdom.
