How to handle being around bad company

The Bible says that “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Cor 15:33). What this means is that if we spend a lot of time with people who do not please Jesus, evil spirits and other negative influences can move from others to you.

This is why the Bible also says that we should “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess 5:22) and also that “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Prov 13:20)

So when people are speaking bad language, gossiping, making rude jokes or engaging in any other sin, Christians should move away from such people. You can excuse yourself to the bathroom or go and get some water.

Sometimes though, this can happen during a class or in a meeting (where you can’t leave the room). What we should do then is, as soon as we can, we should pray and cast all these things out from us.

If you find that you can’t leave because your heart or mind want you to stay amongst such people, then you need to command them to obey Jesus.

You can pray:

“In Jesus Name I command my heart and mind to reject every form of evil and to cling to Jesus Christ alone. I cut every soul tie with other people or the world and I command every evil spirit of (mention the sin – example: gossip and backstabbing) to go from me and not to return in Jesus Name. I receive the spirit of humility and obedience to Jesus. Lord I want to please You alone and I want to humble myself to Your Word. I command my heart and mind to meditate on spiritual things that please Christ“.

A touchy subject…mental illness

^{1 Samuel 16:14-23 14} Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil^[a] spirit from the Lord tormented him.¹⁵ Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.”¹⁷ So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”¹⁸ One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.”¹⁹ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” ²⁰ So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.²¹ David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. ²² Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”²³ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

Saul showed all the classic signs and symptoms in today’s passage of what we would classify in today’s world, mental illness, including wide mood swings, and fits of depression and anger. Any person can develop these types of crippling emotional setbacks for many reasons. In this case, scripture shows us that “a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled” Saul (16:14). Sauls heart was turned from God, so God knowingly allowed the affliction of the Spiritof distress-maybe a demonic influence-to occur. Not all mental disorders are a resut of direct demonic influence, but like any sickness or disease, many of the battles over our minds is a result of the fall, and Satans presence in this world. Some are a result of physical or chemical inbalances and can be treated like any other disease. In either case, the mind can be an incredible influence on us and needs to be gurded with prayer, and meditation on God’s word. That my friends is the best way to handle the affliction that so many face. That and compassion towards those facing it.