Influence from All Sides

“The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.” (Pr 12:26 AV)

This is a difficult proverb in the sense of trying to identify who is who.  The righteous is the righteous dweller.  The neighbor is he which the righteous neighbor is trying to influence.  The wicked are those who are also trying to influence the neighbor.  The ‘them’ is the righteous and the neighbor.  This proverb is about guarding against negative influence while trying to be an influence oneself. 

When I worked in the pizzeria, years ago, the LORD gave me opportunity to witness to a lot of co-workers.  I was by no means a perfect person.  I had made a lot of mistakes both before I was saved, and recently afterwards.  Mistakes that were generally known.  But, the LORD had saved me, and in the process granted me His sanctifying righteousness.  In a practical way, there was much work to do in my practical righteousness.  This gave the adversary much opportunity to undermine the efforts to witness to the lost.  I remember one such adversary.  He deliberately followed my conversation with a potential convert with facts of the past and present which would undermine credibility.  There was another incident when I had gotten very close to influencing a young lady with a decision for Christ and a co-worker mocked the gospel, invited her out to a bar after work, and continued to mock at the bar.  The way of the wicked is not only directed towards the potential convert.  It is directed towards the righteous.  Many times, the adversary would tempt me, and vary rarely succeed in, falling away so that short-term credibility was hindered in sharing the gospel. 

The Devil does not want the saint to be successful in influencing the lost to salvation.  He will try to seduce the righteous and the wicked.  Keeping our eyes open and our knees bent in prayer is the only safeguard against a relentless attack.  If I had to do it all over again, in my youth I would have prayed more and taken more seriously the spiritual warfare that beleaguers the saint who attempts to serve the LORD.  I would have looked at soul-winning and influencing the wicked as a way of life rather than a project to complete.  This would have produced a discipline which I did not have back then.  Watch, for the Devil is waiting to devour!