Proverbs 13:20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:

But a companion of fools shall be destroyed."

God makes it clear in His word that who we walk with has an incredible influence on our lives. We are often influenced by those who we spend time with. The world even knows this to be true. There is a great opportunity that we get every day. That opportunity is the people you choose to spend time with. 

In the life of William Carey, "The Father of Modern Missions," he chose his friends wisely. While Carey was living in Moulton, England, his friends who were in the ministry, too, helped influence, Carey. Listen to what this writer said: "The group of friends Carey now mixed with fuelled his gospel missionary vision. Into this group of zealous, spiritually hot men, came Carey who turned the temperature up a few degrees. They soon became 'one heart and one soul' in their lives, prayers and longings. They preached in each other's churches and fired each other to serve God better. They read the same authors, especially the works coming from the New England pastor Jonathan Edwards. They would meet together as a foursome to pray, to read, to fast, and to encourage each other in their longing for God to work in their land as well as in distant lands." Pease, Paul. Travel with William Carey: The Missionary to India Who Attempted Great Things for God. Ed. Brian H. Edwards. Leominster: Day One, 2005. Print.

Reading statements like the following get me to think. I begin to question myself. Here are some of the questions I would like you to consider. Who are your closest friends? Are you pushing or encouraging others? Do conversations with these friends help you to be more like Christ and fulfill His mission? Are you praying with your friends? Are you reading with others to help encourage their walk with the Lord? Why not get a map and pray over the world? Why meet up and talk about something other than sports or the latest fade? Finally, is the influence that you are surrounding yourself with beneficial for eternity? For William Carey, these men will prove crucial in his life and what God does throughout his life.