GET RID OF NEGATIVE PEOPLE

Have you ever heard that saying, "show me your friends and I'll show you your future.?" There is something about that that has a lot of truth. We seem to look, act, and even think like the people we hang out with. I remember High School; it was a time where my closes friends were all into BMX and dirt bikes. I had a BMX bike, but I never dared jump it. That would hurt too much. But these were the friends I spent time with, so I began to act and look like them. Some great photos exist somewhere of this...

But here is the more profound truth. What you allow to surround you and intake into your life will have an impact.

Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too. Quarrels and insults will disappear. - Proverbs 22:10

The author of proverbs is making an important point, and some of you need to take this to heart. Want to see the insults, frustrations, arguments, and fights disappear? Surround yourself with different people. Get rid of negative people.

IT'S OKAY TO GET RID OF NEGATIVE PEOPLE.

Stop wasting your time and energy with people that only want to bring you down, cause arguments, get mad at culture, talk politics. Move on. I am by no means proficient at it, but I have become more focused on surrounding myself with people that don't do those things. I don't want to be around negative people. Negative people stink. I don't want to listen to people complain about our political climate, so I don't spend time with them.

Now, that may seem to mean. I choose not to spend time or my energy on people that act in these ways. But let me explain, I do not hate them, judge them, or completely disown them. But I am choosing not to spend most of my time and energy with them because I have to take care of myself.

Paul and Barnabas did something similar in their ministry. Together they served and did ministry, preaching the gospel and seeing lives transformed. But they also disagreed with the methodology of the ministry. Neither of them was right or wrong, but they had different visions, and the best thing was for them to go their separate ways. That actually accomplished more gospel spread than if they stayed together. And when they parted ways, they blessed each other. That is important to catch. They didn't part hating or condemning each other but supporting each other.

Look around you... Do negative people surround you? People, that are angry and mean all the time? If so, maybe you should take a look at the impact they are having on you. This matters. But perhaps you should look internally too. Are you that person? Mad at life, people, angry at politicians, and condemning of other political points of view? Maybe you should turn off the news and surround yourself with something more substantial: other Christians and god's Word.