Paul reminded the brethren at Ephesus that they were engaged in spiritual warfare; thus, they needed to put on the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:11 (ESV)
¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  

I am particularly interested this week in Paul’s reference to the schemes of the devil.  What are the schemes of Satan?  What methods does he use to destroy the souls of men, especially those of us who are in Christ?  This week I will be referring to five different things that we need to be careful of in our effort to stand against his assaults.

One way the devil tries to get us to be unfaithful to our Lord is by convincing us that the company we choose does not matter.  Paul, however, warns us that it does.

1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)
³³  Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

The fact that Paul begins his warning by saying, “Do not be deceived,” tells me that we are especially susceptible to this danger.  It is easy to convince ourselves that we are so strong in the Lord that we will not be influenced by bad company.  When we start to think like that, it is the first sign that we are not as strong as we like to think we are.

Avoiding bad company that will ruin our good morals, begins by understanding that we are capable of being lead astray.  Paul once said, “all have turned aside…” (Romans 3:11), telling us that, given the right conditions, we all are vulnerable to sin.  We make the devil’s job easier when we surround ourselves with people or things that are sinful.  We act wisely when we do our best to stay clear of things that Satan can use to weaken us spiritually.  

Proverbs 4:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴  Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. ¹⁵  Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.

Verse 15 strongly reminds us that we have control of our own destiny.  We do not have to keep bad company.  We can avoid, turn away, and pass it.  It is our choice, and it helps when we realize it presents a real danger to us no matter who we are.  Elders, deacons, preachers, and seasoned saints have all fallen prey to the “flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16), all because they thought they could withstand the influence of bad company.

It should also be remembered, that bad company is not limited to people.  When Paul wrote the statement in 1 Corinthians 15:33, he really had false teaching on his mind, not people.  He was warning the Corinthian church of the danger of accepting the doctrine that says there is no resurrection.  Once a person concludes that there is no resurrection, there is no real reason to abide by the moral standard of the gospel.  Bad company, no matter what form it comes in, whether people, false doctrine, or some other form, is dangerous to the soul.

Let us determine not to stand in the way of sinners (Psalms 1:1), or anything sinful.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.