Spiritual Erosion

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
I was thinking about some folks that have intersected my life in years past and wondered where they might be now. Some of them went on to further ministry endeavors and others left ministry altogether. And there are those that would fall somewhere in the middle of those two results. The power of darkness seems to be so strong. It's hard to imagine someone that has been healed by the power of God walk away from the God that healed them. How does this happen?
In Psalm 1 you can see something that I refer to as "spiritual erosion". Blessed, or happy is the man that does not walk with bad counsel, stand with people living out of fellowship with God and sitting in places where people make fun of godly things. Walking, standing and sitting. Spiritual erosion is so subtle that you can find yourself sitting in a group of "mockers" and not even understand how you got there! The erosion comes from a series of bad choices.
First we start moving with the pack: a pack that is not following God's Word but rather being swayed by teachings and ideas that sound good but provide no spiritual foundation. It's not long before this lifestyle turns to "hang-time"...standing around with those very people making bad choices. And after a while, you are resting with them too...your life as it was has eroded away and you have become what you have walked and stood and sat with.
As a child, the importance of going to church was not only told to me, it was preached. So much so that I rebelled for a season once I could make my own decisions and I left those "church people". I started walking with a new crowd. It wasn't long before I was placed in a predicament: to support righteousness or follow my new pack. I stood with the new pack. Before I knew it, I was doing many things that I did not want to do and I never realized what was happening until there was a time I was alone again. It was then that the Lord got my attention and I decided that this erosion had to stop. I needed to grow, to get stronger, to have a life: an abundant life like the one Jesus promised to me!
How do you stop "spiritual erosion"? You simply start making different choices: start walking in the right direction. Stand for things that Jesus Christ taught us and stand on His promises. And with a series of good decisions you will soon find yourself sitting, not with the mockers, but with the worshippers!
It's a new year and there is no better time than right now to make a change. If you have felt like your joy has been diminishing, like peace is allusive and love is no where in sight, this cup of joe may be just what you need to stop the erosion. The choice is yours!