Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord & on His law he meditates day & night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season & whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3). This Psalm talks of the joys of obeying God & refusing to listen to those who discredit or ridicule Him. Our friends & associates can have influence on us, often in very subtle ways. If we insist on friendships with those who mock what God considers important, through ASSOCIATION we might sin against God. Bad company corrupts good morals or good character. If you hook up with the wrong company in the church, you can end being: close to those who seek to pull down the ones who are doing well in the Lord; close to those who want everything to revolve around themselves; close to those who seek to destroy & call out names those who perform better than themselves in the church; close to those who attack & demonize those who are TRUE to God, etc, etc. We will end up being EVIL & like minded despite the fact that we are active church members. The quest for position & power can easily be the driving force. Church, I beg you: let us not allow satan to gain entry into our lives again. Christ died for our sins, let us honor Him by being TRUE to God. Note: God uses man to bless you BIG. Satan uses man to destroy God's work. Our attitude will be the same as mocking. In the church today, we have people who are killing others spiritually, thinking that they are offering a service to God. Wilton, is this Scriptural? Yes, it is. The Bible says: They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or Me. (see John 16:2-3). Can I ask you a question? Do your friends build up your faith, or do they tear it down? True friends should help you to draw closer to God, not hinder you. Church, I urge you: The Bible says: Walk with the wise & you will be wise. Be devoted to prayer & to the Word of God. Obey God & His Word in total. Those who diligently try to obey God's Word or will, will be blessed. They will be surrounded with the favor of God. His mercy will locate them & speak for them. They will grow spiritually, live holy lives & are not HUNGRY for power & positions. Their happy condition is like healthy, fruit bearing trees with strong & deep roots & God promises to watch over them. They will not tear apart the work of the Lord for selfish ambitions. God's wisdom guides their lives. They are only two paths of life before us: God's way of OBEDIENCE or the way of REBELLION & destruction. Be sure to choose God's path because the path you choose determines how you will spend ETERNITY. The path you choose today, determines what your tomorrow will be. If you are sowing bad seeds today, your tomorrow will be bad. If you sow the right seeds today, your tomorrow will be alright. The choice is yours, I have done my part & leave the rest to God & you. Read or study the Word of God daily. Meditate on the Word of God day & night. Meditation of the Word means spending time reading & thinking about what you have read. It means asking yourself how you should change so as to live as God wants. Knowing & meditating on God's Word are the first steps toward applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God closely, you must know what He says. Just as a tree soaks up water & bears fruit, we also are to soak up on God's Word, producing actions & attitudes that honor God. To achieve anything worthwhile, we must have God's Word in our hearts, BELIEVE it & SPEAK it  by faith into the situation. The Lord will honor His Word. Obey the Word of God in total. Prayer: Father, we have learned from this teaching that friends do have both good & bad influence on us. Help us to choose the relationships, friends who will encourage us to draw closer to you & to bear fruit. Not only fruit, but fruit that will last. Help us to have lives which inspire others to get saved. Thank you for hearing & answering my prayer. Assign your angels to minister to our needs. You give them the assignment.  In Jesus mighty name we pray & believe, Amen. Good morning Holy Spirit. Heaven Rules.