QT Proverbs 1:8-19

Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men
8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction
and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
9 They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
10 My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
11 If they say, "Come along with us;
let's lie in wait for innocent blood,
let's ambush some harmless soul;
12 let's swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot"—
15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.
17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; i
it takes away the life of those who get it.

Wow, this is such a good warning for us. Why follow the sinful man anyway? God will guide us through all our trials the righteous ways. I think this is hard to follow sometimes, but I know I still need to. It's so easy to follow what others are doing. To think alongside the "world". I feel this also means not to fall into temtation of money and things. Sure it's nice to have "stuff" but we can't take it with us. God is what needs to be prevalient in our lives. Jesus could have had all the riches in the world, but he didn't. His riches were within God. Following Him until the very end. Are you truely following Him? I know some days I do not. Sometimes it's difficult not to be tempted by the world. How easy it would be to follow that direction. How easy is it to swear and curse. But you know what, it's wrong. I need to focus on Jesus when I'm tempted to swear or laugh at crude jokes, or gossip. That's my other struggle. Gossip comes in so many varieties. I know He will help me avoid this.