The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.- Pro 12:26
Someone rightly said that you will be the same person you are today five years from now except for two things, the books you read and the friends you keep. We are created for influence – to influence others and to be influenced by others. The company we keep is a near accurate prophecy of our future, therefore, we cannot afford to leave the friends that surround us to chance. As people who are heading to a great destiny, we must be very deliberate about choosing our friends and the people we surround ourselves with as they will ultimately influence us whether for good or for bad.When God met the patriarch Abraham, the first instruction He gave him was to effect a change of association.
Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you….”– Gen 12:1-3. In essence, God was saying to Abraham that the great plans I have for you will be hampered by the current company you keep. It’s also the same with us today.
There might be friends to let go of so we can come into the fullness of our destinies and there might be some others to go after if we perceive that they will add value to us.We ought to do a thorough audit of the friends we keep by asking ourselves some honest questions and make the necessary adjustments where needed:
- Do my friends leave me feeling better or worse off?
- Do they encourage me to stretch beyond my comfort zone and fulfill destiny?
- What are the contents of our conversations, is it building up or tearing down?
- Do they inspire me to improve my relationship with God and on the quality of my life?
These and much more are questions we have to ask ourselves about the friends we keep. It might seem difficult to do at first but it is always worth it as we cannot afford the luxury of wrong friendships.
Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:33, Psalms 1:1-3
PRAYER
Father, I receive grace to let go of unproductive relationships as I also receive favor to connect to relationships that are catalysts to a glorious destiny in Jesus name.
