Who are you hanging out with?

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

"You cannot fly with eagles if you are hanging around turkeys" Jay Strack

If you are are not paying attention to who you are hanging around you can quickly find yourself in a place you do not want to be. If you do not believe me than just ask Micheal Vick. Not to bring it up again but who he hung around led him to do things that were regrettable. Many people believe that they are stronger than their friends and can bring them up instead of being pulled down by them. Although we are called to reach out to our friends we have to be careful that we are not influenced by them.

Most of the time we do not pick people we hang around but we gravitate toward them. We are placed in situations where we have to be around them and so we just start this natural bond with them. Solomon is warning us that who we hang around is important because our friends can lead us to do dumb things. THey may lead us away from our own goals and the dreams that God has given to us. They may lead us to simply not reach the potential God has. If you have dreams and aspirations and someone is trying to keep you from reaching those dreams then they are not a true friend.

Have you ever asked yourself, 'Where is this relationship leading me?" Why not?
Are the people you are hanging around looking out for your best interest? Are they the type of people that want you to help them with their success and never help you with yours?

Jay Strack calls it pushing someones wagon up the hill. They are people that will use you to help them get their wagon up a hill but will never be there when you need help getting your wagon up a hill. What Jay Strack is saying is that you have to be leery of people who are always calling you or using you for their benefit but do not have your best interest in mind. They are people that ask and ask and ask always wanting more but are never willing to lend a hand or to even ask what your needs might be. They are selfish people with only their own goals and agendas in mind. Sometimes those people have no goals or agendas and that is also dangerous.

Proverbs 27:12 The wise see danger and take refuge the simple keep going and suffer harm

Do you have a check in your spirit about who you are around? Is God trying to tell you something about them? You can be simple and keep overlooking their faults but one day you will get caught in the same mess they are in. You can suffer simply by who you hang around. The choice today to stop certain relationships will only pay off in the future. The initial pain and separation can lead to ridicule and judgement. Only in the future will you see that those you had to separate from was for your benefit.

The destination isn't always clear. But when we are given an early warning sign, that's our cue to act. To do something. To take refuge. And there will be awkward moments. There will be decisions that even those closest to you will never fully understand. But in the end their will be relief. In the end you will have avoided unnecessary regret. (Andy Stanley, The Principle of the Path, pg 55)