“CHOOSING THE RIGHT FRIENDS”

20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Proverbs 13:20

God wants you and I to be wise in choosing who we associate ourselves with but Satan wants us to be on our own or be friends with the ungodly.

Our previous blog taught us that godly mentors can help us mature in our walk with Christ. Here’s our closing point for this series:

Be surrounded by the right friends.

Today’s verse reflects Solomon’s thoughts on the importance of choosing the right companions and advisers. He concludes that having the proper company helps achieve safety and personal development. He calls for a careful study of the ones who are influencing us.

We can’t choose our family. God ordained us to be born into our specific families. And there is nothing we can do to ever change that. We can change our name, but we can’t change the genetic makeup of our biology; family is family.

After choosing our spouse, the next most important relationship decision we have to make is choosing our friends. And we have to choose them wisely. Why? Because being in the company of the right people results in safety and growth.

David stayed away from the company of the wicked, sinners, and scoffers. Instead, He spent time in God’s word. When he became king, he surrounded himself with godly advisors, i.e., his uncle Jonathan (not Saul’s son), who was known as a wise man and an intelligent advisor, Ahithophel, Hushai, Jehoiada, and Abiathar who remained faithful to him.

In the same way, we can protect our personal relationship with God by choosing to be friends with people who also love the Lord. It’s easier to guard our faith when we surround ourselves with those with similar values and care about our spiritual well-being.

Having Christian friends means having a group of people who understand what it means to be part of a community and take care of others. Remember Paul’s message to the Ephesians? Our war isn’t against flesh and blood but spiritual entities. Therefore, we need the support of our fellow believers to up our chances of overcoming the evil one.

Also, Christian friends are essential to your growth as they love you enough to hold you accountable. It feels good when somebody tells you, “We missed you at church,” doesn’t it? While you may not like being asked, such a question might come from a place of care and concern.

Moreover, having Christian friends assures you that people are constantly praying for you. I’d say everyone needs prayers. In fact, the Apostles Paul and Peter asked people to pray for them. If they needed prayers, how much more do we? I appreciate it when people tell me that they’re praying for me.

Since our friends can influence us in many ways, we should choose them carefully.

Conclusion

Your relationship with God, your Creator, is the most important one in your life. As such, you must take the steps necessary to keep it healthy. In this video, we covered three tips:

* Be in touch with God daily.

* Be trained by a mentor.

* Be surrounded by the right friends.

Pursue the Savior today!