You are who you hang out with

YOU ARE WHO YOU HANG OUT WITH!!!
Look around and see who your surround yourself with.

Are they Christians?
Do they walk with the Lord?
Do they go to church?
Do they cuss like a sailor?
Do they watch porn?
Do they go to bars and drink all the time?
Do they hook up with people?
Do they lie?
Do they cheat?
Do they steal?
Do they witness to other people?
Do they love you like Christ loves you?
Are they there for you whenever you need anything?
Do they motivate you to do whats right?
Do they pray for you?
Do they live a sinful lifestyle?

These are good questions that I would want to know about my true friends. I know we all arnt perfect and there might be some things our friends do that we disagree with, but its their heart that we need to know. We can have a friend who might not live right and doesn't know God, but really, we shouldn't hang out with them. We can be there for them, witness to them, but eventually, they will pull us down. It says in the bible.......

2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common. Or what fellowship can light have in darkness.

I can think of a few friends whom I used to hang out with and the more I hung out with them, the more I acted like them. Its normal, its who we are in the environment we are in. Its easy to act and do what someone else is doing around us. I do have to admit, I have been blessed with wonderful Christian friends all growing up. None of them perfect, they all made mistakes and sinned against God like myself, but they were also the ones who said, Dont do it, or I wouldnt do it again, or the guilt I felt is horrible. When you surround yourself with people who dont feel those things because they dont know Christ, then how can you learn from them? They WILL bring you down. What they are doing, starts to look fun and less "sinful". Your whole mind concept starts to change and black and white, turns to gray. I have heard stories from friends where addicts had all these so called friends and finally, that person went and got themselves help. Well when they got back from rehab, they went back home to where their old life used to be and all their "so called friends" wanted them to go back into their old habits. Well that person had to leave and move to get away because the temptation was always going to be there. Sometimes we have to step away from people we might love and care about so we can stay focused on God. Ive realized I cant change anyone. I cant make someone be someone they don't want to be. I think that's been one of my hardest, most difficult challenges that I had to accept. Instead you just watch that person live a sinful life, with no future of true happiness ever occurring for them. But all you can do sometimes is just pray.

I hope that whoever reads this, that maybe you can ask yourself, who am I hanging out with? Who are my true friends? Can they help me walk a path for the Lord? or will they bring me down?