03.05.06 The 4th Practice for Avoiding Corruption
4. Maintain a Corruption-Free Network
A corruption-free network is a significant factor, should one desire to cease from engaging in corruptive activities. That means that you may have to reconsider the crowd you move with.
There is nothing as important as maintaining the right set of mentors, workmates or friends. In fact, many have succumbed to corruption because of the people they teamed up with; to the extent that initially clean résumés went down the drain. This rhymes with the sayings: show me the colors of your feathers and I will tell you which flock of birds you belong to…; and, it matters who you fly with as birds of the same feather flock together. My friend! The company that you surround yourself with can make or break your reputation.
For starters, the role of mentors is foundational in your journey since it is them that notoriously initiate mentees into ‘corruption’ as was the case with Zakayo and Daudi. Therefore, pick your mentors wisely…; check their track-record before offering yourself to be taught by them. Above all, choose the Holy Spirit as the top Mentor. Since He did that for Jesus Christ, He is more than able to mentor you. The Holy Spirit is a Person; so, you can cultivate a relationship with Him through communication and by reading God’s Word. If you surrender to His teachings and go by His guidance, He will make you so robust that succumbing to corruption will be an impossibility.
Next on the list are the workmates and friends that one hangs out with. There is a warning in 1 Corinthians 15:33 which reads (NKJV): Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits. This calls for reassessing our relationships, re-evaluating them and deciding on who to keep and who to drop.
Another critical thing to note is: never comply to standards set by crowds on the grounds that ‘everyone else does it’. You are not ‘everyone’. See what Romans 12:2 says (GNT): Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. The Passion Translation of this scripture reads (TPT): Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This means that it is possible not to be pulled by a crowd, once you allow God to overhaul your thought processes to a point where you and God are on the same page, regarding corruption (and all other things).
The setting and observance of ‘God-given’ standards is key in maintaining a corruption-free network since ‘like attracts like’. Such standards are not difficult to set. You just need to know what the Word of God says and adopt it as your moral code. If a person does not subscribe to it, then she or he cannot be in your inner-circle. Set standards and respect them. Obey them. Allow yourself to be governed by them. Then you will not follow crowds unless they are fronting God’s values.
By the way, observing Godly standards requires self-denial. That is possible when you allow your mind to be ruled by spiritual standards rather than your corruption-prone, natural desires (Romans 8:6, CEV).
One more thing. Note that when you decide to stick to what is right, some unethical people may put you on the shelf; and, documents may bypass your desk. Further, you may walk lonely corridors and be the only one on the ethical side of the fence! But whatever the case, you are better off with a few ethical friends than with every unethical Tom, Dick and Harry; since, when God is on your side, you are the majority. See what Romans 8:31 says: … If God is for us, who can be against us?