April 17 – The Company You Keep

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Welcome to Bible Chat, where we
have devotional conversations

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rooted in Scripture and relevant
for today, April 17th.

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The company you keep.
One of the hardest truths to

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accept is that some
relationships are built more on

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convenience than love.
Proverbs chapter 14 verse 20

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says the poor is disliked even
by his neighbor, but the rich

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has many friends.
It is an honest observation

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about human nature.
People are often drawn to what

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benefits them.
Popularity, status, success, and

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influence can attract a crowd,
but not every crowd is made of

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true friends.
Romans chapter one goes even

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deeper.
It shows what happens when

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people know truth but refuse to
honor God.

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Hearts become darkened,
priorities become twisted, and

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people begin to call normal what
God calls broken.

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That matters when we think about
friendships and influence

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because the company you keep
will shape what starts to feel

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acceptable to you.
We all want to belong.

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We all want people who
understand us and stay close.

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But not every friendship is
healthy just because it is

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familiar.
Some relationships push you

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toward compromise.
Some make sin feel casual.

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Some train you to chase approval
instead of truth.

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Others strengthen your faith,
sharpen your thinking, and

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encourage your love for God.
The question is not just who

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likes me.
The deeper question is who is

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helping me become more faithful?
Who is drawing me toward

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honesty, purity, courage, and
worship?

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And just as important, what kind
of influence am I becoming in

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the lives of others?
Following Jesus sometimes means

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you will not fit in everywhere.
It may even mean standing apart

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from people whose values do not
align with His.

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That can feel lonely for a
moment, but it protects your

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heart from drifting.
God never asks you to trade

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truth for acceptance.
True friendship is not built on

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status.
It is built on truth, loyalty,

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and the kind of love that stays
steady even when life gets hard.

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Ask God to surround you with
people who help you honor Him,

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and ask Him to make you that
kind of person, too.

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Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for

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being the friend who never
leaves me.

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Give me wisdom in my
relationships and help me

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recognize the difference between
shallow approval and godly

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friendship.
Surround me with people who

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encourage me to honor You and
make me a person who reflects

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Your truth, love, and
faithfulness to others.

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Help me care more about your
approval than the approval of

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the crowd.
In Jesus name, Amen.

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What if you could rise up and
declare with full spiritual

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authority, I shall not die, but
live?

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Death Defeated is a powerful
five book prayer series for

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believers who are ready to
confront premature death, break

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demonic cycles, and enforce
God’s covenant of life over

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their destiny and household.
Book 1.

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Deliverance from Death breaks
chains of premature death and

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generational attacks.
Book 2.

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Destruction of Death’s Devices
exposes hidden traps and

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dismantles the enemy schemes.
Book three.

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Divine Defense against Death,
activates supernatural

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protection and divine
preservation.

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Book 4, Disarming the Destroyer,
overthrows deadly assaults and

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silences the spirit of
destruction.

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Book 5, Dominion over Death,
establishes resurrection

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authority, victorious living,
and destiny fulfillment in

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Christ.
This series equips you with

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Scripture anchored prophetic
prayers to reject fear, cancel

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dark decrees, and walk in divine
preservation.

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Order now on Amazon or visit
prayerscripts.org.

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Now I invite you to spend time
with God in today’s three-year

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Bible reading plan.
Proverbs chapter 14 verse 20

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World English Bible The poor
person is shunned even by his

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own neighbor, but the rich
person has many friends.

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Romans chapter one World English
Bible Paul, a servant of Jesus

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Christ called to be an apostle,
set apart for the good news of

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God, which he promised before
through his prophets in the Holy

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Scriptures.
Concerning his Son, who was born

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of the offspring of David
according to the flesh, who was

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declared to be the Son of God,
with power according to the

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spirit of holiness by the
resurrection from the dead.

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Jesus Christ our Lord, through
whom we received grace and

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apostleship for obedience of
faith among all the nations, for

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His name’s sake, among whom you
are also called to belong to

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Jesus Christ.
To all who are in Rome, beloved

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of God, called to be Saints,
grace to you and peace from God

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our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. 1st.

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I thank my God through Jesus
Christ for all of you, that your

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faith is proclaimed throughout
the whole world.

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For God is my witness, whom I
serve in my spirit in the good

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news of His Son.
How unceasingly I make mention

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of you always in my prayers,
requesting if by any means now

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at last I may be prospered by
the will of God to come to you.

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For I long to see you that I may
impart to you some spiritual

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gift to the end that you may be
established, that is, that I

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with you, may be encouraged in
you, each of us, by the other’s

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faith, both yours and mine.
Now I don’t desire to have you

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unaware, brothers, that I often
plan to come to you, and was

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hindered so far that I might
have some fruit among you also,

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even as among the rest of the
Gentiles.

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I am debtor both to Greeks and
to foreigners, both to the wise

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and to the foolish.
So as much as is in me, I am

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eager to preach the good news to
you also who are in Rome.

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For I am not ashamed of the good
news of Christ, because it is

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the power of God for salvation
for everyone who believes, for

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the Jew 1st, and also for the
Greek.

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For in it is revealed God’s
righteousness from faith to

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faith, as it is written.
But the righteous shall live by

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faith.
For the wrath of God is revealed

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from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness

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of men who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness, because that

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which is known of God is
revealed in them, for God

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revealed it to them.
For the invisible things of Him

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since the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being

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perceived through the things
that are made, even His

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everlasting power and divinity,
that they may be without excuse.

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Because knowing God, they didn’t
glorify Him as God and didn’t

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give thanks, but became vain in
their reasoning, and their

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senseless heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be

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wise, they became fools and
traded the glory of the

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incorruptible God for the
likeness of an image of

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corruptible man and of birds, 4
footed animals and creeping

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things.
Therefore God also gave them up

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in the lusts of their hearts to
uncleanness, that their bodies

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should be dishonored among
themselves, who exchanged the

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truth of God for a lie, and
worshipped and served the

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creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever.

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Amen.
For this reason God gave them up

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to vile passions for their
women.

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Change the natural function into
that which is against nature.

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Likewise also the men leaving
the natural function of the

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woman burned in their lust
toward one another.

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Men doing what is inappropriate
with men, and receiving in

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themselves the due penalty of
their error, even as they refuse

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to have God in their knowledge.
God gave them up to a reprobate

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mind to do those things which
are not fitting, being filled

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with all unrighteousness, sexual
immorality, wickedness,

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covetousness, malice, full of
envy, murder, strife, deceit,

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evil habits, secret slanderers,
backbutters, hateful to God,

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insolent, arrogant, boastful,
inventors of evil things,

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disobedient to parents without
understanding, covenant Breakers

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without natural affection,
unforgiving, unmerciful.

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Who, knowing the ordinance of
God that those who practice such

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things are worthy of death, not
only do the same but also

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approve of those who practice
them.

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Thanks for joining us on Bible
Chat, where Scripture meets

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everyday life.
If today’s devotional encouraged

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you, share it with a friend and
be sure to follow the podcast so

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you won’t miss the next
conversation.

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Until next time, stay rooted in
truth, anchored in hope, and

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walking daily with Jesus.