Have you ever found yourself surrounded by people who absolutely bring out the worst in you? When you are in their presence, you wind up engaged in everything you know you’re not supposed to do. As a kid, that might be staying out late, hanging with the wrong crowd, experimenting with sex and drugs, or stopping just the other side of criminal behavior, as an adult, that could range from adultery to debauchery, from personal abuse to deliberate manipulation and greed.The situation seems exacerbated by the environment and the people you let frequent your airspace. Deep down, somehow, you know what you’re doing is wrong, but either you rationalize your behavior or those with whom you’re hanging rationalize it. If you go deep enough, bad behavior becomes some badge of honor to those who do bad with you. It’s easy to find encouragement to sleep around, get high, steal, procrastinate, and hate. A crowd will gather instantly to see you pave your way to hell. They’ll even provide a full-piece orchestra and a ticker tape parade. For those of you who have been saved, do you remember the first voice you heard trying to tell you about the errors of your ways?Do you remember whether it was mama, grandmamma, sister, or a plain old good friend? Do you remember how important it was to explain your bad behavior? Do you remember how incensed you became because they couldn’t or wouldn’t accept your explanation that you were playing the hand that life dealt you? Remember, your ultimate answer was to go back to those who knew the real deal and did the same things you were consumed with. Then, a funny thing happened. In the middle of what was once so good to you, those words of the people who loved you began to get louder and louder, and one day, the sex wasn’t as good anymore. The high wasn’t fun anymore. The hate wasn’t satisfying anymore. The attraction had become an addiction, and no matter how hard you tried, the thrill was gone, replaced by the words that reminded you that there was a better way. I’m told that one of the first things a recovering addict must do is change the environment in which they hang out. Replace negative people with positive ones. Look for and find circumstances that will reinforce positive behavior. Isn’t that the way with God? Isn’t Christ the ultimate role model? Doesn’t He remind us that you cannot get low enough where you can’t be found? There is no depth of spirit that He can’t reach. Any church that’s a real church is full of sinners rather than saints, people who’ve licked the bottom of the barrel and lived to testify that Jesus indeed will remove the splinters from your tongue also. “And let us consider how we spur one another toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24. Take heed of who you hang around with. Put some stock in believing that a community of believers cannot be denied. People who love you are far more valuable to your soul than people who would otherwise use you. The next time you find yourself in questionable circumstances, look around the room and count those in attendance who you know have your best interest at heart. If you get to one besides yourself, stay. If you’re the only one there, realize you’re outnumbered and get the hell out of Dodge. All it takes is one time, and Christ will accompany you from that point. Until then, may God bless and keep you always.This column is from James Washington’s Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey toward spiritual enlightenment.The post The Company You Keep appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.