Bible reading: "I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts." Psalms 119:63.
INTRODUCTION:
The word 'friendship' means many things to different people, this conception might be well different from that. But in all, there is always some keywords which cannot be overwritten in coming to know what friendship is composed of. To every friendship there is a relationship, an agreement, benefits, accessibility, mutual love and understanding, compatible mindset running same goals or vision, and been bounded by trust. If any of this is missing, then the relationship cannot be tagged as friendship.
Friendship is a practice that is so common and wide, which can be used interchangeably for the following words: partnership, association, companionship. That is, someone you spend your time with, keep company or associate with.
EXPOSITION:
No man can live without a company, operation from a point of isolation brings nothing except desolation. One of the noticeable physiological needs of human to survive on earth is having a companion.
Companionship is a privilege that man first experience in the Garden of Eden. God saw this need in man He created and He says "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Genesis 2:18. Having a friend and no enemy is one of the compulsories in life to bring ease to one's living. There is this man of God who said, a thousand good friends may not be enough, but one bad friend is too much.
After this teaching, we should be able to understand who to befriend and who to defriend. Many lives has been marred all in the name of friendship. Your manifestation or devastation can be determined by the association you keep. A perfect example is that of Jonathan and Jonadab.
The scripture says, the word of God is a lamp to our feet, many have missed it in life especially the youths, because they never let the word of God to be their daily guides, you don't just choose or enter into the journey of friending. It is too harmful to inculcate the habit of, if they friend me I will friend them. Look around and confirm this truth, many lives has been jeopardize because of the influence they got from a friend who initiated them to pornography, cult smoking, fornicating, frauding ones parent, bribing, focussing on material things, money rituals and the likes. Where as we have it on the other side a friend who have led many lives from grass to grace and dungeon to palace. There are records of friend who have led their fellow to Christ, to have a life flooded with divine peace. Friend who have shapened other fellows vision, who helped others to recover hope, and the likes. It is high time to question ourselves, "Who have I friended?", "Who am I friending?" or "Who am I to friend?"
Note this one thing, it is not everyone that is suitable for you. Friendship is not by force neither should it be taken as fun. Some Christians are so daft in action that by themselves they start digging their pits awaiting their spiritual fall. Why on earth should a tongue speaking sister or Holy Ghost baptized brother go ahead to make a friend or enter into marital relationship with someone who is teaching you how to stylishly disobey the word of God, bribe a lecturer or organization. At the point of amnon destruction, it was only a single counsel that Jonadab gave which he considered to be right, that jeopardize his whole destiny and brings about his sudden death.
You see the sister or brother defiling him/herself, yet you still keep on attaching yourself with her. What on earth are you looking for? What exactly is the problem you are having? Let's come to the Bible, the scripture says in 1 Corinthians 6: 16-19
"6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
I am saying again, friendship is not by force. Apostle Paul complained about a thorn in his flesh which messenger of Satan pressed to (2 Corinthians 12: 7) Satan suggest an affliction on Job's flesh (Job 2: 5), he used the flesh of Adam's flesh to get through him (Genesis 3: 6). Flesh here are their partners, companions, or friends. If there is anything one needs to be careful of when chosing, the top of the list should be your partner, not your career, nor any thing else.
There is this popular saying "show me your friend, and I will tell you whom you are." This simply denotes the fact that your friend is your reflection. Immediately Adam saw the lady, he said, this is my reflection; the flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. As a child of God, your friend, partner or associate should be your reflection. One danger attached to friendship is that, every man's life moves in the direction of their dominant association.
While listening to some news, I don't actually know how to feel, whether to be sad or to smile. How on earth will a Christian brother or sister give him/herself to ungodly relationship all in the name of winning soul, where does such inspiration comes from, Holy Spirit or from who? Stupidity is not in the description of the saved ones. Every born again lives on the word of God and there is one clear thing that the word of God make man to be, Jesus says anyone who obey, living by this my sayimgs, is likened to a wise man. (Matthew 7: 24)
ENGAGING IN RIGHT FRIENDSHIP
1. Before you will independently start a relationship with man, have one with God.
2. Be convinced about the other party stand before you propose or go about friending.
3. Don't engage in friendship with those whose spiritual identity is strange to yours.