“…Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God…” III John 1:11 (NKJV)
When we take a very good look at our opening text, it is very explicit. It encourages us not to imitate what is evil. Now, this counsel is very timely in our world today because of all the evil going on. The moral decadence happening daily is very contagious and if you are not careful, you could be influenced by these things and begin to go in that direction. A young man who was recently apprehended for robbing and kidnapping, said he got influenced by the lifestyle of people he saw on television. When he was asked how he got into kidnapping he said he learnt it from movies. Now, anyone can laugh about it, but that’s how contagious these things can be. They unconsciously impact you negatively and because that young man was not on guard, his lust for wealth drove him to imitate the wrong and he ended up in police custody.
Beloved, many have destroyed the lives of others in several different ways because they were trying to copy the wrong thing. Some have even committed suicide because they were imitating the wrong things and this is not how it ought to be. As a believer, you must make a conscious decision to avoid these influences and imitate the good things. Whether it’s from movies or social media, you must make a conscious decision to filter what you see or hear, so that only what is good is what you will imitate.
So, I urge you to become mindful of these things and the best way to avoid these influences is to increase the influence of God’s word in your life by giving your attention to it. Although many do not think this can help but it does help. God’s word has its own Influence on people and when you open up to God’s word, it will influence you in the right direction. This is the reason God gave Joshua a counsel and said “…This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success…” Joshua 1:8 (NKJV). God knew that if Joshua would give attention to His word, it will become his influence and truly that influence was obvious in the life of Joshua. In all that the Israelites did, Joshua and his household did not deviate from God. Rather, they followed God till the end. Now, it’s your choice to imitate what is good. Hallelujah!
Today’s Rhema
No matter what you hear or see on social media, make a conscious decision to imitate what is good!
Confession for the Day
Glorious and Ever-living Father, I thank you for your grace and your word. I decree that by the influence of your word, I will always imitate the good and not the bad and everyone that come in contact with me shall be influenced by the good and not the bad in the name of Jesus. Amen!
