Steer Clear

I’ve heard people say, “I love Jesus, but I just don’t like Christians.”

I know we’re not perfect. Far from it. The church is full of flawed people who fall short constantly. However, we can stay as far away from evil as we possibly can.

The Bible tells us, “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them” (1 John 5:18 NLT). We can avoid relationships, environments, and situations in which we know that we’re vulnerable and that we can sin.

Salvation is a gift of God, so we don’t keep ourselves saved. But we can keep ourselves safe. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:9–12 NLT).

Then Jesus said, “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (verse 13 NLT).

In other words, “Lord, help me not to get into a place where I would fall.”

If you’re really a child of God, then you will want to stay away from ungodly influences. Having said that, if you’re really a child of God, you also will want to be around godly influences because you will love Christians, your fellow believers.

The Bible says, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too” (1 John 5:1 NLT). We are the family of God, and if we really love the Lord, then we will love to be around His people.