Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

A friend is not someone that is like you because of having similar interests or the same background. It is not someone you use for your benefit and pleasure. It is someone who is close to you and are there for you just as you are there for them. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” A friend who loves you always and are always there for you in your greatest time of adversity. Friendships are developed through relationships, consistent communication. *They are needed in order to help you to become a stronger and wiser person. Too many that you consider friends are those who have similar interests or backgrounds as you, which only develops cliques, but what you need is friends who will push the best out of you, holding you accountable and encouraging you when you feel like quitting and turning back. The right friendships will encourage and prepare you for your purpose. You hang around people who are more knowledgeable and better at it than you are so that it will make you better and prepare you to walk in the destiny that God has laid out for you!

True friends should never pull you down or separate you from God, but it should be company that you will enjoy. It does not have to be fully spiritual all of the time, but there is a balance that helps you in every area. Even when having a boyfriend or girlfriend, the key to building a lasting relationship is developing a friendship first. That is what enables you to distinguish love from lust. Lust is what is appeasing to your flesh and makes your flesh feel good. It is all about someone’s appearance, and it has nothing to do with their heart. Love is not an emotional feeling, but it is a choice to be and endure with someone to the very end, through thick and thin. Loving God and loving people is the start of building a friendship that will last a lifetime, and that love should never stop, but it should continue to grow more and more each and everyday. 1 John 3:18 says, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” It is more than just telling someone that you love them, but it is showing it!

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB) says, “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals”. That is so very true. Who and what you surround yourself with can definitely impact and dictate your life. *If you want to change your future, change your environment. My dad always told me while growing up that I could either be a leader or a follower, and I would much rather lead people to Christ than them lead me into heartbreak, bondage, and addiction. In the words of Pastor Rod Parsley, you can either be the “thermometer” or “thermostat”. You can either be the one who sets the atmosphere, or the atmosphere can set you. Nevertheless, do not accompany yourself with fake friends, but rather with true friends. Bad company can strip away decency and good morals. It can cause to you fall to temptation that you will later only regret and lead you away from God and church in general. True friends should not be jealous of you or gossip about you. They do not steal your boyfriend or girlfriend. They do not take advantage of you in the good times and disappear in the bad. They will always be there, and unlike Job’s friends, they may not even say a word to you in your darkest trial and hardest pain. They may just be there for you and keep silent while you are pouring your heart out to them. Nevertheless, they do not bring you further down, but they encourage you and are there for you, sacrificing time and the necessities of life in order to give you a shoulder to cry on.