The people you surround yourself with are important to your pursuit of faith. Surround yourself with the right people and your faith will grow like a flower planted in fertile soil. Surround yourself with the wrong people and your faith will stagnate at best. Most likely, your faith will suffer.
The Psalmist had this to say about choosing who was around you.
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers; (Psalms 1:1/NRSV)
The Psalmist’s advice wasn’t for the hearer not to be wicked, a sinner, or a scoffer. The advice was don’t follow the advice, walk down their path, or sit in the midst of sinful people.
You can’t follow the advice of the wicked if you do not consult them. You can’t take the path of sinners if you are not following sinners. You can’t sit in a scoffer’s seat if you are not in their house.
Don’t surround yourself with ungodly people. Instead, surround yourself with Godly people.
As a Christian, your friends should be people who will give you Christian advice. They should not tell you to do sinful things.
Your friends should point you to the way that leads to Christ. They should not take you down a path you shouldn’t go down.
Your friends should be optimistic, positive, and encouraging to others. They should not scoff at anything or anyone.
The people you surround yourself with should want to encourage you in your Christian walk. They should want to see you grow in your faith.
The same applies to you in regard to your friends. Be an encourager. Be positive. Be a Christlike example to them.
In your pursuit of becoming the person God wants you to be, do a friend check. Ask yourself if the people you associate with are Christian people. If not, and you find yourself acting, talking, and thinking in ways that are hampering your growth, they may be influencing you more than you know. The Psalmist might advise you that it is time for a change.
