“And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, this man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not”-– Luke 22:55-57(KJV)
Negative spirits live around negative people. You will recall that Saul prophesied when he met with a company of prophets. Bishop Abioye once said; “the company you keep determines what accompanies you”. As believers, we are commanded by scriptures to stay away from negative influences because peer pressure is not only prevalent in children and teenagers, it is also prevalent in adults. It shows a lack of self-esteem when people lack the ability to say “NO”, and stay away from negative influences
Peter, a right hand man of Jesus, one who belonged to the inner caucus of three disciples, was faced with a life threatening situation that made him deny his master. His earlier determination and vow to die with Jesus were completely forgotten when a domestic staff asked a sincere and piercing question. Mind you, Peter had cut off someone’s body part in defense of his saviour, but this time everything went wrong. He denied Jesus with a “curse”. He was completely broken and wept very sore thereafter because he realized he had messed up.
The enemies of Jesus gathered and set up a fire to warm themselves, and Peter also was in their midst. They contaminated him with their negative spirit to the extent that, they themselves were baffled by his replies. Three good time he lied. When you live with the wrong people, you cannot be a friend of God. The bible warns us that evil communication would corrupt good manners- 1 Cor 15:34. He that walks with the wise shall be wise but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Your association will either make you or break you. Most times you hear young Christians say; I will change him, he will change; I will change her. The truth is, you must change yourself first before you can change others. How can a young lady encourage herself to go on to marry a man who is obviously a drunk, or one from a faith other than Christianity. That is wrong motivation from negative people.
The book of Psalm 1:1-3 explains the benefits of keeping a right company. It tells us also, the elements of a bad company such as: the ungodly, the scornful and sinners. The question is; WHO IS MOTIVATING YOU?
Every natural man is prone to negative influences. You cannot do it all by yourself. It is not by power or by might. Peter tried it and wept at the end. The Spirit of God is the only power that guarantees your ability to stand firm in challenging times. When you surrender to Jesus, He will fill you up with the Holy Spirit. Peter himself received this same Holy Spirit and became very influential by preaching the same Jesus he denies, in the same land.
Prayer: Father lead me not into temptation. Connect me to those that are going forward.
Bro. Ejemi Favour