The Company We Keep

Proverbs 12:26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Proverbs 22:24-25 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
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What type of company do you keep? The verses above make it clear that the company we keep affects us. When we have friends who believe the things we do and are convicted of the things we are, we’re less likely to stray from the straight and narrow road we all aspire to walk on. When we have friends who don’t, we’re more likely to be lead astray.

It’s hard. It’s hard to choose to distance ourselves from people we love and who we’ve been friends with for long periods of time. This doesn’t necessarily that we need to cut ties with them forever-otherwise we can’t build relationships in order to minster to people. I’m talking about the people we spend the most of our social time with.

Do the people you “hang out” with encourage you in your walk with Christ? Do they pray for you and encourage you to be praying? Do they hold you accountable for resisting sin? Do they pursue God’s heart and support you in doing the same? OR, do the people you hand out with encourage deviation from the straight and narrow? Do they encouraging worldly living and pursuing what the world has to offer? When you get home do you feel good about the time you spent with your friends and thing things you guys did for fun, or guilty? Do your friends make you a better person, or make you feel shameful?

Don’t let the company you keep become a stumbling block to your walk with Christ. Be cautious about who you spend your time with. Along the same line-be a Godly friend to other women. Encourage them, pray for/with them, help to hold them accountable. Be that person to someone and find people like that for you. It can be challenging. I struggle with this, it can be hard to make a connection with someone that you don’t have a history with-but all lasting friendships start somewhere.

Think about the person you are when you hang out with your “friends.” Is that the person you want to be, or do you need some changes?

Be blessed this weekend,

Jill