What do you do when there is a negative influence in your life? Do you talk about it? Do you admit and recognize its presence? Do you ignore it and hope it goes away? Do you come up with a strategy to deal with it? Do you tell others for support and accountability?? There are so many possibilities! Yet this is such an important question to ask, especially now at the beginning of a New Year during a time in which people are often striving to make changes in their life. So again, what do you do when you identify a negative influence in your life??
I found myself pondering this question just a day or two ago because of a chapter that I read in the Bible during my devotion time with God. I’m currently reading from 2 Kings in the Old Testament. The book of 2 Kings tells the story of the various kings that served in Israel and Judah. Some served for many years. Others served just a short time. The shortest I’ve found so far is just 3 months.
What struck me is how one king, Josiah, ruled in Judah. The simple summation that is given is that he did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. Now for Josiah’s story to make sense you have to understand that the Torah, or the holy scrolls authored by Moses and given by God, had been lost in the temple for many years. They were covered over and forgotten about. But during Josiah’s reign, some attention was being given to the Temple and the scrolls were uncovered. Whether it was the entire Torah or Book of the Law, or just part of it, that was read, we don't know. But Josiah tore his robes (a sign of deep mourning) because he realized he and the nation had not been following God’s Law.
Josiah made the commitment that he and the nation would follow the direction of God, but it wasn’t just a commitment of words. Josiah went about tearing down and destroying all the other altars, shrines, poles, and other emblems and places that pointed to the various other god’s that the people had been worshiping. In fact, 2 Kings 23 tells that in many cases Josiah tore down the “sacred” objects for the false gods, burned them, ground up what remained turning it into dust, and then sometimes scattered the dust in a cemetery. This was the ultimate desecration or doing away with a foreign god. In other words, Josiah was serious about making changes.
What struck me about this is that some of the other kings also made a commitment to return to God, and sometimes they destroyed a few of the “sacred places.” But a lot of times they just left the little shrines and idols in place that were scattered around the region. In fact, the story tells of one king actually saying he and the nation would serve Yahweh (God), but then he also offers a sacrifice at one of the pagan altars still in place. God was not pleased or amused! But Josiah took a different approach. He did everything within his power to get rid of the influence that was pulling the people away from God. He wasn’t half hearted about it…he was serious and fully committed to getting rid of the negative influences in their lives. And because of his commitment, effort, and faithfulness, God smiled upon Josiah.
There’s a great lesson for us all in King Josiah’s actions. He didn’t ignore the negative influences in their midst. He acknowledged them and removed them, even to the point of destroying them so they could never be put back in place or have the same level of influence or importance in people’s lives. Today, as we make changes in our own lives to love and serve God, may we consider the path that Josiah took. May we be as committed to removing the negative influences from our lives, even to the point of making it impossible for them to be restored. Sometimes that will mean getting rid of something, and sometimes that will mean bringing in others to offer support, encouragement, and accountability too, or doing both…and more!!
Yes, change and self-growth can be hard, especially when it means giving up something that we’ve become comfortable with in our lives. But that doesn’t mean it’s healthy or a positive influence in our lives. As we seek to take positive steps in life and faith, may we remember Josiah; take action, remove the negative influence, bring in outside support, and move forward in a new direction. I believe God will smile upon each of us too when we show our level of commitment to make positive change as we seek to love God, love our neighbors, and love ourselves.
Pastor Keith