Joshua 1:18
“Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.”
Everyone deals with influences every day. You have outside, personal and inside influences that you are around every day. Outside influences are those who come from associations, friends or daily acquaintances. Personal influence are those which come from your personal life; they are the things that you read, see, hear and research. Inside influences are those who associate with you through the church, work or daily activities. One of the keys to keeping yourself from doing wrong is to avoid the negative influences in each of these areas.
God knew that negative influences from the inside would be one of the most detrimental to His people. God directed Joshua to “put to death” those influences from the inside that would destroy the morale and holy lifestyle which He commanded His children to live. In the verse above, there are three negative influences identified that you are to destroy.
First, you need to destroy the rebellious influences. God says, “Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment…shall be put to death…” God says in 1 Samuel 15:23, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft…” You should have nothing to do with the someone who rebels against God’s Word. I’ve heard people say, “I have a little rebel in me.” A person who says this is giving credence and approval to satanic worship because rebellion is that wicked. If you want God’s blessings on your life, you must be careful that you have no rebellious influences in your life. You may not be rebelling right now, but you will if you continue to associate with the rebellious influence.
Second, you need to destroy those influences that won’t listen and follow authority. The verse above continues, “… and will not hearken unto thy words…” Notice that God says, “thy words.” He was talking about Joshua’s words. In others words, God wants you to be sure not to allow influences in your life that won’t listen and follow authorities. Avoid those people who constantly challenge and question the authorities. If a person constantly goes around the established authorities and guidelines because they don’t like how they handle a situation, that person must be avoided and put out of an organization. These types of people are negative influences that cause friction and incite a destructive spirit in your life or the atmosphere of a church or institution.
Third, you need to destroy those influences that won’t go forward in the LORD’s work. The verse above was dealing directly with God’s people going forward in conquering the land of Canaan. You must separate yourself from those influences that enjoy living in the status quo. Apathetic and negative influences destroy dreams, desires and goals to promote the average. God’s direction is always forward, and you must eliminate from your life any influence that discourages a forward direction.
Friend, influences are all around you every day, and you are going to have to determine if these influences are positive or negative. If you are going to please the LORD, you must eliminate the negative influences and embrace the positive ones; this is the only way you will keep serving the LORD with a positive attitude and a forward direction throughout your whole life.