Be Careful With Your Company

I heard a pastor say at a leadership conference not long ago, “Be careful who you let sit on the front row of your congregations.  Their negative spirit can actually hinder the anointing on the message.”

And it got me thinking about the people we let “sit close” in our lives.

Because not everyone has your best interest in mind.  Some publicly celebrate your success, while they privately condemn your progress.
Because not everyone considers trust as a high standard of relationship.  Some share secrets of intimate detail the moment they're outside of your presence.
Because not everyone values honesty and integrity the way you do.  Some tell you only what you want to hear, not what will actually help.

And one within your group might just be Judas, and actually aimed at your demise.

And so who we let in our small circle matters.

It matters because if we’re going to do anything big for Jesus… we owe it to Him to bring Him our best.  And that includes the band of believers we bring with us as we boldly charge forward in our faith.

It matters because if the statistics are correct, “You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with”, than we may want to evaluate our core.

Be careful with your company.  Be deliberate in your choice of who “sits close”.  They may distract you, disable you, or deter you from the work of God in your life.