April 13. Ezra ch 6-9
WHO ARE YOUR COMPANIONS?
He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise, But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.
Proverbs 13:20 AMP
GOOD DAY: We have two sets of companions. The first set is the natural companions. Your friends, family, co-workers, business partners and people you move and roll with in general. If you are an extrovert, you will have lots of them in various categories. Each person in your company will have their impressions about you and you engage each one of them differently. These natural companions affect you in some way and people assume you will have the same behavioral pattern. This may not necessarily be true though. I have seen a boy who was keeping company of lay-about boys who was a well behaved boy himself. One night at a party his friends got drunk and picked a fight with another gang. One boy in the other gang was stabbed and he died. The members of the good boy’s company escaped but he stayed to call police and tried to help the wounded boy. He was arrested and kept in jail for 3 years before the matter was finally decided in his favor and he was released from prison. This is not common though as birds of the same feather flock together.
The next companion is spiritual. The unseen company of your heart. These unseen companions of the heart control your response to matters arising, become your drive, and control your desires and your world that people see. These companions too can be either of two categories. The evil and the godly. Jesus points us to these two companions in his saying: “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.”
Matthew 12:34-35 NASB1995
We can identify the different spiritual companions further;
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts and plans, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders (verbal abuse, irreverent speech, blaspheming). These are the things which defile and dishonor the man; but eating with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not defile the man.”” Matthew 15:19-20 AMP
These thoughts are of the heart. If your heart is a companion of these spirits, then you bring forth their fruit; you are like them. The good spirit are; “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23 AMP
If you are companions of these spiritual personalities, then you will show forth their fruit. You will be like them.
Who are your companions? Natural and Spiritual. Write them out and see if you need to cross camp for the better. Thank God we can always change.
PRAY: Dear Lord, help me to assess my inner and outer companions and grant me the grace and courage to break with evil companions in Jesus name.
Bose Olatunbosun
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