By Randy Alcorn
It’s our nature to be influenced by our surroundings. When we put ourselves in a godly atmosphere with godly people, we are influenced toward godliness. When we put ourselves in an ungodly atmosphere with ungodly people, we are influenced toward ungodliness. God’s Word says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). A few years ago, the night before an NFL game, my wife Nanci and one of my daughters and sons-in-law and their two sons, then 12 and 13, met with a quarterback who loves Jesus. I asked him, “What advice do you have for these boys?” He said a number of good things, but one of the central ones was, to summarize what he said, Choose your friends wisely. He spoke from his life experiences, both good and bad. There’s no way to overstate the importance of having godly friends.