Love Matters: Toxic Love

2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Toxic – Poisonous; very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way.

1. Exposure

• What and who are we allowing ourselves to be exposed to?

2 Timothy 3:2-4 ESV

Lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Proverbs 13:20 NLT

20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

Proverbs 22:24-25 NLT

24 Don't befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, 25 or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.

Proverbs 14:7-8 NLT

7 Stay away from fools, for you won't find knowledge on their lips. 8 The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.

2. Separate Yourselves.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 NLT

16 And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty."

• We can’t think like the world, but we must renew our minds and be transformed.

1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV

33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."

Psalm 1:1-2 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night.