DCLM Higher Everyday 30 July 2026 — Don’t Join Them
Topic: Don’t Join Them
Bible Reading: Proverbs 1:8-16 (KJV)
8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
KEY VERS: My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Proverbs 1:10).
Message
“Have You Counted the Cost?” is a song written by Arthur J. Hodge in 1923, calling us to prioritise our spiritual well-being above physical and temporal comfort and pleasure. Those who follow evil paths often end up entangled in greater sin and destruction. The pleasures that come with wrongdoing are short-lived and frequently result in regret, pain, and broken ambitions. This is what happened to Amnon, the first son of David, when he committed incest with his sister Tarmar.
As youths, we must allow God’s word, the wise counsels of our godly parents and righteous leaders in our schools and neighbourhoods to guide our actions and each step we take.
Sinful temporary pleasures will lead to sorrow and displeasure of God. They cause stagnation and backwardness in the long run. And may lead to eternal regret if there is no repentance. This is why the writer of our passage said that when sinners entice you, you must not follow them. When we resist the urge to follow the crowd and walk in wisdom, we will experience the peace of living in alignment with God’s word.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, help and deliver me from joining bad companies.
CHALLENGE
Have you counted the cost of joining a bad association?
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
