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Dear child, friends can be signposts guiding and directing you towards God or a river between you two.

They affect your walk with God either in a good or bad way, as well as your relationship with your parents.

There are certain signals to watch out for when choosing friends. Even if you are friends with some people right now, use these signals to assess your friendships.

Dear child, note also that these signals do not mean you have to be hateful or snobbish towards people you shouldn’t be friends with. It’s not a license for you to declare them bad or otherwise.

These signs are just a guide steering you towards wisdom.

One signpost to watch for is

1. Pretense:

Dear child, do you have friends that you have to pretend to like what they do, where they go, what they say – basically, everything about them?

This is a warning sign. You are not supposed to pretend to like your friends and they shouldn’t do so too. A healthy friendship is one where both parties have true feelings for each other and can tell the truth.

There is no restriction on the truth. No fear of a reprisal attack or any attack whatsoever when the truth is spoken. The truth here is spoken in love and not to hate or judge.

Dear child, you pretend to like them because you want to feel among them. You know they smoke, yet you want to be friends with them knowing fully well the health risks of smoking, forgetting also that your parents won’t be happy with you if they get to know. Maybe you just don’t care if your parents find out.

You know, also, that God hates sin and says He dwells in our bodies. He wants us to keep our bodies pure and holy for Him.

“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Lord?’

By joining them, you’re turning your back on both God and your parents; the two most important relationships you should cherish.

Dear child, friends are good but gaining friends at the expense of losing a right standing with God and your parents is not advisable. The thing is, friends can abandon you anytime, but God and your parents can’t because you are their responsibility.

Ask yourself today, do I pretend to like my friends?

God bless you, Amen.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, help me to assess my friendships, amen.

Action point:
Assess your friendships today. As the Lord leads you, make the necessary changes you need to make.

Read yesterday’s article here

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