Evil Communications

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. --I Corinthians 15:33

I have the privilege of teaching eight year olds in Sunday School. They do amaze me sometimes with the questions they ask and the insight they have. For awhile now we've been covering people from the Bible who either obeyed or disobeyed the Lord. A few weeks ago one of my boys shared some particularly wise words that I'm still thinking on.

As I spoke to them about King Saul's disobedience, and how he repeatedly blamed the people for his sin, even though he was responsible, one of the boys raised his hand and said, "When I spend time with kids who disobey their parents, I have a hard time obeying mine. So I try to play with kids who don't."

WOW! He understands the instruction given in I Corinthians 15:33. He's not deceived. He gets it. We are responsible for our actions, but the Bible clearly teaches that good behavior can be corrupted by the company we keep. This is why it's important that we guard ourselves from bad influences.

Society coined the term "peer pressure" to label what that young man described to me. We use that term to warn children against choosing bad friends and making good choices. However, peer pressure doesn't stop when a child transitions to an adult.

Perhaps it's easier to spot when children are eight; the teasing a child may endure for not going along with the crowd. However, the adult world is not free of such temptation. The church is not free of such temptation. We ladies are not free of such temptation. Whether overt or subtle, it's still a battle we face for a lifetime.

Think about it. Do you find it easier to gossip if you keep company with a gossip? Do you find it easier to be overly critical if you spend time with someone who is extremely critical? Do you find it harder to respect your husband if you keep company with ladies who are consistently negative about theirs? Do you find it easier to let your standards of modesty slip if your best friend is constantly pushing the envelope in that area? Perhaps you can think of other practical areas to apply this.

It's not often a person can be close friends with a negative influence and pull the negative influence to their level. Usually it's the other way around. That's why the Bible says what it does in I Corinthians 15:33. God knows the fleshly nature of man (women). That's why He warns us.

Does that mean we should avoid those people who possess qualities that could fall into the category of "evil communications?" If their behavior creates a stumbling block in your life, YES we should limit our time in their presence. However, we are also called to a ministry of reconciliation. The Bible instructs those who are spiritual to help those overtaken in a fault. The key word there is spiritual. 

I'll be honest, I face struggles in some areas where it's simply best that I avoid those who struggle in that same area, because then I find myself fighting even harder against that sin when I spend time in their company. At the same time, in areas where we have attained victory, we should humbly, prayerfully seek to help others who find themselves fighting those battles.

God calls us as ladies to be teachers of good things (Titus 2) and to be examples of righteousness and holiness. That means we need to cultivate good manners with good communications, so that we can be spiritual enough to help those overtaken in faults.

I pray I don't lose sight of the simple but profound words spoken by that young man. I know I'd like for my influence to be one of godliness, not the evil communications God's Word warns against.