Your Association Matters

By:  John L.M.

I have found that it is better to be alone than in the wrong company. A single conversation with the right person can be more valuable than many years of study.

We become like those with whom we associate. You need to steer clear of negative-thinking "experts." Remember: in the eyes of average people average is always considered outstanding. Look carefully at the closest associations in your life, for that is the direction you are heading.   

Some years ago I found myself at a stagnation point in my life. I was unproductive and unable to see clearly God's direction. One day I noticed that almost all of my friends were in the same situation. When we got together, all we talked about was our problems.

The Lord showed me I needed to change my closest associations; that there were some other people I needed to have contact with on a regular basis. These were men and women of great faith, those who made me a better person just by being around them. They were the ones who saw the gifts in me and could correct me in a constructive, loving way. My choice to change my closest associations was a turning point in my life.

When you surround yourself and affiliate with the right kind of people, you enter into the God-ordained power of agreement. Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12 (TLB) states: "Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he's in trouble. And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."