Hebrews 12:1 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.…
Your biggest potential enemy in life (besides your own wrong thinking and the devil himself) is the environment in which you live. For instance, if you constantly live in an atmosphere of doubt and unbelief, it’s just a fact that you’ll have a much more difficult time maintaining a walk of strong faith. That doubt-filled environment will try to rub off on you! It’s just a fact that your environment tends to affect you and the way you think. For example, if you used to smoke or if you used to have a drinking problem, it’s obviously not a smart idea for you to hang around smokers or drinkers — unless, that is, you want to be influenced to return to your old habits. Hanging around people who still do these things may lure you to pick up a cigarette to take a smoke or to allow yourself one more small drink.
However, those little allowances may possibly be the very hook that the devil uses to drag you back into the bondage from which Jesus Christ already delivered you. That’s why it’s vital for you to understand that the environment surrounding you is very important! With this in mind, look at the phrase “…the sin which doth so easily beset us….” What kind of sin is this verse talking about?
If God’s admonition to lay aside every weight applies to you, then obey Him and make a break from that unhealthy environment! Perhaps old friends, old places, or wrong believing are trying to exert a bad influence on you and you’re not resisting that influence too well. If that’s the case, get out of there! For you, that environment is sin if it keeps you from fulfilling your potential in Jesus Christ. Be honest as you consider your workplace, your friends, and your living conditions. Ask yourself, Is this environment conducive to my walk in Christ, or is it dragging me back down into the mire I was delivered from? Your friends and your job are not so important that you should let them destroy your spiritual life. If you cannot successfully handle the environment you’re in, get out of there. Then watch the Lord provide a better job and better friends than you’ve ever had in your life!
Your Christian life is serious business. Don’t let your environment fill you with doubt and knock you out of your spiritual race! If you can’t handle your environment victoriously, initiate a plan of action to change it today!
Prayer: Lord, I want to stay in an environment that will keep my faith alive and strong. Help me recognize those relationships and places I should avoid keeping my faith from being negatively affected. As You show me places, people, and things I should avoid, give me the strength I need to do what is right — and give me the wisdom I need to know how to avoid those places and people!