I spent a considerable amount of time with my late brother, Bishop Mike Afolabi in his days as a bachelor. Most mornings as we drove to his workplace, we would branch to pick ‘doya’ and ‘kosai’ (Hausa words for fried yam and bean cake). When we returned late in the evening, bread and sardines were our regular staples. More than 40 years later, I still have not been able to strike out these items off my menu. That is how powerful influence can be. Unknown to him, my brother helped in culturing some aspects of my appetite. Thank God it happened in what is not injurious to either my spirit, soul, or body. Influence could go either way.
“What should be your governing rule is to never do what you will not like to see replicated by others.”
In about 17 places, reference was made to the sin of Jeroboam “who made Israel to sin”. For the sake of self-preservation, Jeroboam set up gods, one in Bethel and the other in Dan. He had no idea of how many people would follow in his footsteps. Several
kings after him, including Azariah mentioned in our text, followed his pernicious ways. Someone is making reference to you somewhere. What is not certain is whether the reference is positive or negative. Someone is adopting your ways as a pattern for their life. Being conscious of this will help you to make informed choices and exercise restraint in many areas. What should be your governing rule is to never do what you will not like to see replicated by others. Parents should be particularly aware of this. Children are more likely to do what they see them do than what they say.