Walk with the Wise and We will Become Wise

The Lord has been removing me from those who walk a superficial Christianity based on cultural customs for a few years now. He has been opening my eyes to the continual opposition and snarkiness of those who are stubborn toward the scriptures, even though they claim to be Christian. It is one thing to encounter non-believers to witness Christ. It is far different to be in constant company with those who hate our witness and want to fight and argue about everything, but still claim to be Christian. I am so done with all that mess!!!!

The thought of wasting one more moment with those who want to appear spiritually superior but want nothing of Christ is too much to bear. Being alone with Christ is preferable to being with mean-spirited, superior-acting pretenders who cannot be reached for Christ because of the pride in themselves.

 
Luke 18:9-14 "9 Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Those who are authentically born-again will have all the fruit of the Spirit of Christ.

 
Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Pretenders can try to appear to have the fruit, but it falls flat, coming off as phony and self-serving. When the Holy Spirit warns us about the pretenders, we can repeat the gospel one more time to them and leave them to God. Remaining with them only dilutes our own walk with Christ.

 
We are to keep company with like-minded people who love the Lord, not with the world of pretenders.

The hardest people to reach for Christ are the pretenders who have a high opinion of themselves; they will never see their need to let go of their pride until God utterly breaks them. We cannot do it, nor should we; it is God's business. In the meantime, we are to avoid contact with those who do not walk in obedience to Christ while claiming they do.

Psalm 26:3-5 "…3 For Your loving devotion is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. 4 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor keep company with hypocrites. 5 I hate the mob of evildoers, and refuse to sit with the wicked."

Proverbs 4:14-15
"Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by."

1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

The company we keep reveals what is in our hearts.