who is influencing you? why did you do what you did, go where you went, buy what you bought, say what you said?
like a drunk person, when we are under the influence of certain people and worldly ideals, we do things without thinking them through. we're hanging out with friends and going places we wouldn't normally go, doing things that we wouldn't normally do, watching TV shows or movies that we wouldn't normally watch just so we can keep up with conversations, buying things because so-and-so has it and it's really cool. and before we know it, we're thinking thoughts we wouldn't normally think, asking and taking advice from the Jones', picking up attitudes we wouldn't normally have, developing habits and addictions in our weakness.
we get so caught up in our own little world all that we forget to let God be an influence on us. it all starts with little daily decisions influenced by someone other than Him. in this condition, we might as well be throwing God's great master plan for our life out the window. in this condition, we're choosing to follow the world's plan.
starting each day with alone time with Jesus is a decision i make to be influenced by the Holy Spirit. starting each day with a simple prayer: "Your will be done," is a decision i make to be caught up in His love. i want to be a sheep and the Lord is my shepherd! i pray my path is directed by God and God alone, and when i stray (because i will) He will welcome me back with open arms full of grace.
His is the influence i want to be under.
who are you following? why?
"Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man
who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly
[following their advice, their plans and purposes],
nor stands [submissive and inactive]
in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest]
where the scornful [and the mockers] gather."
-Psalm 1:1 Amplified
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