1 Corinthians 15:33 KJV
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
To influence is the ability to affect or change a person or group of people. This can be positive or negative.
The friends you keep can either influence you positively or negatively and that is why you need to be intentional about the people you allow around you. It is easy for a person below to pull down a person above, that is why you shouldn’t stay around people who have the tendency to derail you.
1 Corinthians 15:33 says be not deceived; this is the first warning. You might think you want to win them over, but be careful not to be won over in the process. Evil communication corrupts good manners; the more you tolerate rubbish around you, the more vulnerable you become. Paul said, let him that think he stand take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12)
In a bid to change your friends, they could change you, or you begin to feel inferior when you are the only one with a distinct opinion, or one way or the other, you begin to see their way of thinking as a normal thing when they’ve inculcated it into your mind
Rehoboam was negatively influenced by the young men when he wanted to take the kingdom from his Father but it led to the breaking of the kingdom.
1 Kings 12:1-19
– Bad influence can put a stop to the fulfilment of destiny. Many young people with promising future have had their life end in regret as a result of being derailed by bad friends, in most cases such friends will present their ideas to you as good but if you check it well you will realize they are not presenting the right opinion to you. The enjoyment or benefit does not last, it is just for a while but the havoc lasts forever. This is why you need to equip yourself with the right knowledge, study the Bible and know the good from the bad, so that you won’t be like a chaff that is easily blown by the wind.
– Bad influence changes your perspective of life. You begin to see bad things as good, and a normal thing. They steal, cheat, and commit crimes without any sense of guilt because they see it as a normal thing.
– Bad influence causes harm to the society at large. When a person gets involved in bad acts and introduces others to it, they begin to cause more problem to other innocent people in the society, in most cases the people affected by their bad acts are the innocent people in the society. They go against laid down rules and social norms to cause havoc to people and lives.
– Bad influence can be avoided if children are well brought up, it is inevitable for people to come across temptation from peers but if they have earlier been informed about it and taught how to flee from all appearances of evil then the number of victims will be little.
The home is the first place of learning for a child, and whatever children learn from home in most cases is what they exhibit when they go out. That is why the bible admonishes that we should train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. If they are taught to avoid sin, they won’t forget. If they are taught to read their Bible, pray and be close to God, they won’t forget. If they are taught to stay away from bad friends they won’t forget.
What you feed your mind with, will determine what you exhibit, if a child is taught to read the Bible and gets used to this, such child will have the word of God in his or her heart.
2 Timothy 3:15 KJV
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
And it is the word of God in the heart of man that helps guide them from getting involved in bad acts. When you read in the word that God hates sin, you won’t forget, it will come to remembrance at every appearance of evil.
Psalm 119:11 KJV
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Let us teach our little children not to be easily influenced by bad suggestions from Friends, it is the little children that grows up to youths, then adults.
What they learn at an early age stays with them for life.