Last week we studied about friends that God provides in our lives and how they help to move us along on life’s path. These friends often help us become closer to the Lord or help us in some way that leads us in a direction away from problems and circumstances that harm us.
This week we are going to study how the opposite kind of friends come into our lives and if we can’t wiggle free of them; will lead us down paths of great destruction and defeat and cause us to turn away from the Lord.
Sometimes we choose friends that make us weaker instead of stronger. They cause us to depend on them instead of the Lord and we let them speak into our lives in a way that causes us to believe less and less in the LORD and His Power!
These kinds of friends do not inspire us to greatness but rather inspire us to wallow in self pity, insecurity and sin. They do not challenge or help convict of us sin in any way but rather help us go deeper into a pit that leads away from the Lord.
Do you have friends like this? Friends who spend all their time leading you away from the Lord instead of toward Him?
Friends that encourage us to sin or be involved with things that are not godly are not really our friends. They are a tool of Satan in our lives to keep us from the Truth!
God always makes a way to get away from a ‘friend’ like this so that He can work in our lives. We have to be listening and watching.
We must be ever watchful over our Christian walk and guarding it like a treasure. When we let a friend come in and lead us in the opposite direction; defeat and destruction are sure to follow.
This does not mean that we cannot work with the lost, the downtrodden, and the people who need to find God and His message of eternal salvation. When Jesus came to our earth in the flesh, He always went after the sinners and the outcasts. But when Jesus went after these sinners, it was always for the express purpose of getting them saved and cleaned up - not for friendship sake. This is a powerful lesson that all believers should learn and use!His friends were the 12 disciples and they were godly. There is a reason that God instructs us to have godly friends! They help us along God’s path for our lives!
The goal of the Believer’s walk is that we would grow closer to God on a daily basis. If our friends are not helping us in that direction; they are not helping us grow!
Here are some ways to determine if our friends are beneficial for our Believer’s Walk or not:
† God instructs us to choose our friends carefully. When we allow friends to come into our lives and cause destruction and problems we are not making a wise choice! God calls the believer to walk after Him and when we do that we find that our choices reflect that. Don’t let a friend lead you away from the Lord! In Proverbs 12:26 the Bible says
1. “The righteous should CHOOSE HIS FRIENDS CAREFULLY, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.”
† There are benefits to choosing godly friends instead of friends that lead us astray. Once you turn the reigns of your life over to God for Him to fully handle, He will now make sure that you get matched up with the right kind of people that you can become true God-friends with.
1. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
2. “A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 24:5)
4. “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” (Proverbs 15:22)
5. “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.” (Proverbs 19:20)
6. “Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27)
† The value of seeking friends that are godly as opposed to those who are not is that a godly friend will teach you how to be stronger in the Lord. This is so important in the life we live because there is so much negativity everywhere we go!
† The Bible instructs us to not be ‘unequally yoked’ with unbelievers. There is a reason for this! God loves us so much and He sees the destruction ahead if we make choices that are not based on Him! He gives us clear instruction in the selection of friends in the following verses:
1. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
2. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)
3. “A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” (Proverbs 14:6)
5. “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6)
6. “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17)
7. “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Friends with NO benefits for our godly walk only keep us from God. They keep us in the middle of turmoil, problems and negative thoughts. All choices that we make are not good ones - but for the heart that is trying to become more like Christ; every choice that we make that draws us closer to the Lord is a good one! Friends are one of the choices in this life.
God desires that we love Him enough to make good choices where our friends are concerned. Grow in the knowledge of the Lord and let Him help us make good choices starting today!
For every bad thing we give up; God promises to replace it with something greater and better! Imagine the friends that could be waiting for us if we are making godly choices about them!
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