There is a biblical story of an army commander who went looking for a prophet to heal him of his leprosy. When he finally found him, the prophet told him to wash himself seven times in a river and he’d be healed.
Expecting the prophet to simply wave his hand over the infected area and shout out to God, the commander became angry and ignored the prophet’s directions.
Fortunately, the commander had some wise helpers with him. They encouraged him to take the prophet’s advice even though it seemed strange, and when he did he was healed as promised!
Imagine if the commander’s helpers weren’t wise. What if they went along with the commander’s feelings, confirming the nonsense the prophet’s advice seemed to be?
He would have missed out on being healed!
This is an example of why your circle matters. Little by little, the people around you are helping you grow or keeping you down by what they say and do.
Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (NIV).
Similarly, Proverbs 13:20 reads, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (NIV).
Don’t take for granted the impact your circle has on you…
Now you might be thinking, “This sounds good, but I don’t have any sharp and wise people I can be around”.
I know that feeling! For years I desired to be around the right people, but was surrounded by mostly bad influences. Regardless, my life still improved by what I discovered to be the next best thing; consuming the right information.
I talk more about this in my book, but basically reading, watching, and listening to the right content has a similar impact.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Where there is a will there’s a way”.
So as a wise believer, find a way to surround yourself with the right influences. Whether physical or digital, your circle matters!Why Your Circle Matters
