Text- Proverbs 18:24 “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
In Genesis, God said it is not good that man should be alone (Genesis 2:18), so He gave him a companion, Eve. We also see that God comes down in the cool of the day to fellowship with Adam & Eve (Genesis 3:8). These tell us that God created man as relational beings.
It is true that in life, no man is an island unto himself. Everyone wants to have friends! This is not a sign of weakness or feebleness, but a display of a Godgiven attribute. God himself knows that it is not good that man should be alone.
As much as you may want to have friends, you must come to realize that not just anybody can be your friend; your destiny cannot thrive around just anybody. There are certain people that are injurious to your future; and incompatible with your greatness in life. Our text hints that wrong friends will bring a man to ruin.
You should also realize that there are some people that are ordained by God to walk side by side with you as you journey on the road of divine destiny.
In Ecclesiastics 9:11-12, the Bible tells us that it is better to have a friend than go through life alone. It says that if one falls down, the other helps, But if there’s no one to help, life becomes tough! By yourself you’re unprotected, but with a good friend you can face the worst.
The experience of Dinah in Genesis 34 is enough proof that that there are some friendships that can mar your destiny and you have to avoid them! Her friendship with the daughters of the land completely destroyed her life.
King Rehoboam chose for himself a group of fools he grew up with, as friends and they misled him in their foolishness. How honorable would it have been for him if he had right friends in his life who would not advise him against the elders’ counsel? (1Kings 12:8)
Even Amnon, the son of King David, who raped Tamar his sister did so on the account of a foolish counsel given to him by his friend, Jonadab.
Daniel, on the other hand, had friends that supported his vision, helped his focus, kept his consecrations and values, and held the same teachings and doctrines as his. They all became very honorable me in a foreign land.
Having seen the examples above, we can conclude that the kind of friends you keep will determine the kind of future waiting for you. Like someone once said, “Show me your friends and I will predict your future”
To a large extent, how far you will go in life is determined by the companions you have around you, they will influence your mindset, believes, view of life etc. and impact, or as much as determine your future. Be wise!
PRAYERS
Father, please grant me wisdom to choose right friends, not the kinds of friends that will bring me to ruin or mar my destiny. Please, by divine orchestration, break up of any friendship in my life currently that is injurious to my future, and let my paths begin to cross with God-ordained friends in Jesus Name.
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