“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 me 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 biological affinities. And there is nothing we can do ever to change that. We can legally alter our names, but we can’t change our genetic makeup; family is family.

After choosing our spouse, the next most crucial relationship decision we have to make is choosing our friends. And we have to choose them wisely. 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 who share similar values and care about our spiritual well-being.

Having Christian friends means having a group of people who understand community and the importance of caring for 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, what if this question comes 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 required prayers, how much more do we? I personally appreciate it when people tell me that they’re praying for me. I mean, why wouldn’t you like that?

Since our friends can influence us in many ways, we should be careful in choosing them.

Conclusion

Your relationship with God, your Creator, is the most important one in your life. As such, you have to take the steps necessary to keep it healthy. In this series, 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!

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash