Who are you surrounding yourself with
who are the people that you're with listen to me show me your friends and I'll show you your future
show me your friends and I'll show your future
if you want to change your life you need to change your crowd
I'm convinced outside of a personal relationship with Jesus the most important decision you make
is your friends who you spend time with show me your friends and I'll show you your future
God's plan for you is to have a bright purpose-filled prosperous future
my question today is are the environments in your life pushing you into that direction
into that plan that God has for your life if your relationships aren't making you better
if they're not inspiring you and causing you to grow you need to probably make some needed changes
you may need to pull some weeds stop hanging out all the time with people who bring out
the worst in you causing you to compromise what I'm trying to tell you today is your
purpose is too great to waste it with people or in environments that are not adding to your life
maybe it's time to check your circle if a friend is consistently pulling you down causing you to
compromise have the courage in love to create some distance and begin stepping away from it
what you're not willing to walk away from in this season is where you'll stop growing God wants us
always to be growing and there are always things that we're going to need to let go of so we can
get ready for the new you see God's got new things in your life that he wants to usher in
you know what it's hard to leave things behind that you've known for a long time
it's hard to leave certain places and environments away it's it's hard to leave certain friends
and to distant them but guess what you know what's even more hard and even worse is when
you're stuck in the same place and you never change that's even worse if you don't get the
wrong people out of your life you'll never meet the right ones especially in your inner circle
the people who are closest to you need to be stable consistent happy Godly responsible people
that move you towards your destiny like iron sharpens iron you make each other better this
is the reason many people are stuck who do you have in your life what are you giving your time and
energy to putting out fires trying to keep someone happy feeling guilty because you can't meet their
demands that's going to wear you out it's time to make a change you can't please everyone
see the people were surrounded by their thinking is going right into our mind
you want to be with people who are not complaining
who are always thinking creatively who have big goals who will help you pick you up
the people you're surrounded with have a phenomenal bearing on where you're going
take a look at your five people that you're with most often and ask yourself if I have children
would I want them to grow up be like them if the answer is no you better start looking for some
new friends if the answer is yes you're already in the right circle of people think about what
I'm saying the people we're surrounded with have a phenomenal impact on our life and help
make us who we are friends the people whom you surround yourself with is extremely important
don't hang around can't do it people not going to happen people that dream is too big people people
who say I don't see how you can get well I don't see how you can break that addiction I don't see
how you can have a healthy marriage do yourself a favor this year find people who will fan your
flame not always throwing water on it not always extinguishing what you feel God has placed on the
inside of you find people who will stand in faith with you people who will call the greatness out of
you so you won't you won't let anything get you stuck you won't let anything cause you to settle
bad company corrupts good character who you run with is more powerful than your character think
about that that's what he just said like that is a crazy verse and Paul says hey look you can
be great character raised in a great home make you know convictions at a deep level that you'll
never do X Y and Z but if you run with the wrong crowd you're going to run in the wrong direction
that the company you keep is more powerful than the character you have the company you keep like
who's around you who's in your inner circle who speaks in your life who influences you who
you spend the most time with those people are going to be more powerful than the convictions
that you hold think about that and that's not an opinion that is the Bible that's why
it's been great uh it's been rightly summarized all throughout scripture it
says you can see your friends and then see your future where you're headed towards and
Paul says do not be deceived who you run with will determine where you're running towards
bad company corrupts good morals parents worry about who their kids choose as friends always have
always will they worry for a good reason because who you allow in your close Inner
circle influences you for right or for wrong it's not just kids and students adults make
the same mistake if you listen to the wrong voice you'll make wrong decisions go the wrong direction
and you'll shut out the right voices a wrong voice will sink you when you least expect it
wrong voices want to keep drama going they want you to see others as the enemy that's how they
lead their goal is to get you to turn against someone else they're there in the good times
and then they're gone in the bad times when you listen to the wrong voices the result is hurt and
a heartache they lead you away from God's plan and purpose and then they abandon you now on the other
side when you surround yourself with right voices good things happen they encourage you to do right
they help you think right they challenge you when you're off track they celebrate holiness
they want your marriage to last your faith to be strong your witness to be consistent
you'll never be able to hear from right voices if your ears are filled with wrong voices
the right voice is someone who loves you they're caring the right voices aren't mean or hateful
they love you and they have your best interests at heart listen to people who
love you and have proven it over time who are the people in your life that love you
who are the people that love you who are the people that care for you
you see people that love you don't want anything from you they just want to bless you
they just want to bless you
they're not there to use you they're not there to tolerate you
you know how you find those people they're people that love Jesus they love Jesus
because your friends who don't love Jesus will tell you what you want to hear not what
you need to hear a person who loves Jesus rejoices when the truth wins out because
that's what the Bible says love is and so they love you and they tell you the truth
my people are Jesus people this next point is huge who are the people that celebrate you
who are the people that are going to celebrate you getting in shape
who are the people that are going to celebrate you were you reading
your Bible every day who are the people that are going to celebrate your miracles
who are the people that rejoice with you when you get a win
next I gotta surround myself with people who are not critical of everything
listen to me a person who's critical of everything is not following Jesus in anything
man I don't know what it is about our culture but we just love tearing things down
the goal of the critic is to tear you down the goal of the complainer is to
get what they want the goal of the truth teller is to make you better
I want to teach you an important principle if someone is critical about others to you
one day they will be critical about you to others you can count on it friends you carry
great plans that God has for you and you are too valuable to allow others to to shrink those things
down for you to be limited by the gossip and the negativity and the cynicism of those around you
plant yourself in right soil get around people who will lift you and lift others get around people
get into environment change your lunch hang out crew to people who will make you better who will
call you higher who will challenge you when you find friends who are committed to Christ they
speak the truth in love Ephesians chapter 4 verse 29 says like they want to speak the truth to you
not to beat you over the head but because they love you and do so in a loving way they mourn with
you when you mourn and they rejoice with you when you rejoice Romans chapter 12 verse 15 says they
come alongside and when it's hard they're there for you when things are going great they celebrate
with you the right voices and encourager who when you leave them you feel better about yourself
encouragers look for and find the good in others and they don't just find it they say it
we all need people in our lives who love us so much they won't let us settle and make excuses
they won't let us stay discouraged or stay addicted or let you give up on your dream
you need people in your life who will say get up
you had a disappointment come on get up in God's grace God has a new beginning for you you've lost
something get up God is about to restore what you lost you're discouraged because you're
still single come on get up remain content in him God is preparing the right person for you you're
struggling with your finances come on get up God is about to open the windows of Heaven in your
life just watch and see you see friends you need people who will help pull you into your destiny
we all need the right level of support where does that support come from I'm going to tell
you this this is it everybody it comes from Godly friendships the book of the Ecclesiastes says
this Ecclesiastes 4 9-10 two are better than one because they have good return for their
labor if either of them falls down one can help the other up but pity the one who falls and
has no one to help them up you need people in your life they're going to support you
Proverbs 12:26 says the righteous choose their friends carefully it is not oversimplification
to say that your life will change for the better if you quit listening to wrong voices
and you start listening to right voices and then what I want to finish with a challenge for you
be the right voice don't just listen to right voices you be the right voice
here's the key listening to right voices is how you become a right voice
the people who speak into your life your close inner circle go a long way towards forming who you are
the people who speak into your life the people who influence and affect you the most they need
to be right voices so you'll do right things and follow right directions and you'll become a right voice