1 Corinthians 15:33
Don't fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
One of the hardest things to do in life is to ditch a friend. Even on Facebook, where there is some semblance of anonymity, deleting a friend can be a daunting challenge. But there are times when we must recognize that people who appear to be our “friends” really are not.
Let’s face it ... Satan does a good job of making sinful activities, thoughts and behaviors fun and enjoyable. So when He introduces us to bad friends, it’s often hard to let them go. This is why people who go to prison for getting involved in drugs, gang activity, and other crimes return home and go right back to their old crew of friends. This is why spouses and children sometimes can’t leave abusive situations. During the times when there is no abuse – or there is an “apology” for the vile behavior – the abuser can be a lot of fun or really enjoyable.
A friend who enables you – or “drags you down” in some way can do a lot of damage that you don’t even recognize. That “friend” who encourages you to pig out on junk food every time you are together, even though you are struggling with your weight… or party excessively… or even to wallow in self-pity and negative thinking… is not really a good friend.
We must prayerfully ask God to show us the truth about our friends. First, we must surround ourselves with Godly friends – people who share our faith and trust in Him to guide our every step. That doesn’t mean that every friend we have must be a believer. We need to befriend unbelievers from time to time in order to disciple them and share the love of Christ with them. But our dearest friends and support group should be strong, faith-filled Christians who encourage us and build us up in our daily walk with Jesus.
We don’t have to be rocket scientists to recognize “bad friends” in our lives. But we do have to call on the power of God to strengthen us in our resolve to distance ourselves from those who can potentially destroy us. If you need a good model of the perfect friend, look no further than your Forever Friend – Jesus Christ. All others will fall short of His example, but His model will give you standards and marks to which your friends can aspire … and clear indications of who is missing them.
Spend some time with God and ask Him to show you which friends He wants you to cultivate – and which ones need to be kicked to the curb. Who you choose for friends and associates is serious business. Your health and well-being – mentally, physically, and spiritually – depend on choosing wisely.
©2010 Debbie Robus
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