Strong influences

King Noah was about to let Abinadi go.

Yeah, he was a lazy and wicked man. But Abinadi had just spoken with clear power from God.

Noah felt the fear of the Lord.

And so he was going to let Abinadi go.

But his priests rallied against this. They found accusations against Abinadi. They got angry.

And this brought Noah back into his prideful anger, ordering Abinadi to be tortured and then burned to death.

We are all responsible for our own actions.

But the people we surround ourselves with can make a huge difference.

This is easy to see when a wayward child is influenced by a group of their peers.

But it’s a little harder to see in ourselves.

Who are we surrounded by? Family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, social media friends…

How are they affecting us?

Are they nudging us toward love and peace and Christ?

Or… not?

Because when life gets reaaaaally tough – we tend to turn to those who are around us for support.

So it’s good to reflect – is my support system supporting my most important goals in life?

And am I being a righteous support system to others – encouraging and loving and accepting the best that I can?

We know we are in control of our own actions.

And Noah is a perfect example of when our friends can influence us for evil.

But we also have wonderful stories like Alma and Amulek where peers lift each other up.

Life is hard enough without having to fight poor influences who are emotionally close to us.

Surround yourself with light, and be the light to others.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black