Galatians 1:7
“which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
There are bad influences out there. Some are sincere, but misinformed. These think they are right and are being helpful. Quite the opposite. Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Jesus addressed this very issue with some in Matthew 23:15, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” The concerning aspect of this is that they thought they were serving God.
This is why James gives a warning in his epistle (3:1); “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” If we seek to be a positive influence on others, we need to be careful.
Paul instructs Timothy on how to remain in a good place (I Timothy 4:16); “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” We should pray and ask the Lord to keep us right before Him. We should also have an accountability group that we allow into our lives.
Keeping a humble attitude and understanding that we could be wrong is imperative. Primarily because it’s true. The Proverbs passage quoted earlier bears this out. We could be confident about something, but be wrong. Also being humble opens us up to God and His love and resources. James 4:6 says, ‘But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”’
The danger isn’t only to avoid being a wrong influence, but also that we could be wrongly influenced. Many of the same practices help against this: being humble, being in God’s Word, being in a small group through church, and so on.
Lord, keep us in the right way and help us to be a good guide to others. Thank You that You want to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”.