“AVOID SUCH PEOPLE!”

2 Timothy 3:1-5                            (ESV)

“1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of GOD,

5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. ”AVOID SUCH PEOPLE!”.”

Recently in doing a Bible study I wrote about surrounding yourself with people who influence your life in a positive manner.  Being around those whose language and behavior cause improvement in the way you communicate can be one of the best things you can do.   In my writings, I explained that copying what they said was more than okay as long as they were quoting Scripture!  

The same way that positive comments and actions influence behavior of those surrounding us, negative comments can drag a uplifting conversation down , and quickly!  Identifying negative thoughts and comments has to be worked on, as the enemy is “crafty” and uses anything at his disposal to steal, kill and destroy!  Being able to identify the enemy (and his tactics) is something that a lot of people who are not as experienced haven’t developed adequately.   

Regardless of how mature we think we are, Scripture states that we should “AVOID SUCH PEOPLE” in our lives.  The list of actions we should steer clear of is quite lengthy.  The list of things that COULD cause cancer is likewise rather long.  Some people ignore the warning signs of cancer, not wanting to make changes in their lifestyle.   We MUST “AVOID SUCH PEOPLE” or we are begging for trouble, it’s just a matter of time!!!