Friday, July 21, 2023
What You Can Control
Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. (Psalm 141:4 NLT)
We can’t control everything about our lives and everything that surrounds us. We can’t control who moves into the house next door or who works near us. But when it comes to our free time, we do have a say as to whom we will spend it with.
David asked God to help him in his choice of companions. He prayed, “Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong” (Psalm 141:4 NLT).
This parallels what we often call the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. Among the petitions and statements that Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, we find this statement: “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (verse 13 NLT).
In other words, “Lord, help us and deliver us from the power of the devil. Help us not to walk into situations that could be spiritually damaging. And Lord, help us to be selective as to the people we spend time with.”
David wanted to guard against hanging out with people who could drag him down spiritually.
For instance, while the religious leaders were unjustly trying Jesus on trumped-up charges, Peter was warming himself by the fire outside the high priest’s house. Some of the people there recognized him as one of the followers of Jesus.
And as Peter faced the peer pressure of the moment, it caused him to want to withdraw. He didn’t want others to know what he really believed. He was afraid of standing out. So, he denied knowing Jesus, not just once but three times.
The same thing can happen to us. Let’s be careful in this area. Even a person who is strong in their faith can be unduly influenced by ungodly people.
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