Friends are powerful. They can make or Mar. In history, friends have been known to be foes in disguise, while perceived foes have turned out to be great friends.
Friends are a great influence, and they will influence for good or for worse. You may not be able to choose the circumstances of your birth and the milieu of your family, but you can choose who you want as friends and discard those who are parasites.
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. -2Samuel 13:3
Amnon died a premature death. Ever before his light could shine, the flames were extinguished in a fit of the revengeful act. He lost the opportunity to bloom and blossom, his destiny was cut short, and his potential never saw the light of day.
He was a prince, a king’s son, but his royal blood was wasted, and his life terminated in the midst of days.
Amnon wouldn’t have died, if he has not been advised by a ‘friend’ Years before, he had heeded a counsel from a FRIEND whose counsel eventually canceled his destiny.
Jonadab was his friend, but his friend became the source of his nemesis. He had hopelessly fallen in love with his half-sister to the point of sickness. Jonadab advised him on how to get his sister’s attention. Singles, Be Careful How You Choose Your Friends
He followed his friend’s advice, feigned sickness, and eventually raped Tamar, his half-sister. Absalom who is also Tamar’s brother made sure he revenged. He went too far.
Two years down the line when Amnon thought all was gone and forgotten, Absalom ensured his murder. He murdered him. Singles, Be Careful How You Choose Your Friends
To be continued…
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have the strength to disconnect from bad influences. I will no longer be subject to weak and beggarly elements. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have God’s Spirit and He helps me to choose my friends. I am not naïve, I am decisive in God.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY God, deliver me from the snares and traps of wrong association. Open the eyes of my understanding, O Lord, and flood my heart with your light. I will choose rightly, I will not marry wrong.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY There are friends who may be a man’s destruction, but there is a lover who keeps nearer than a brother. – Proverbs 18:24
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Make a list of your friends. The good and the bad. Keep the good and disconnect from the bad ones. It is your choice.
SINGLES – Why You Can’t Keep Asking Him for Money There is nothing wrong in asking your fiancé for money or for financial assistance during courtship, if you are really in a fix, but this should never become a habit.
You are not married, yet, so you shouldn’t abandon yourself into his hands like a sheep being led to the slaughter!
I once met a lady who told me that she has many guys who are her friends and that they are for different purposes.
One supplies laptops, another supplies phones, and another gets fresh fish and so on and so forth. This is an irresponsible way of living!
That is nothing more like eating your cake and trying to have it. I have always told ladies, there are no nice guys, and nobody wants to sow seeds without expecting some returns.
You see a guy who is an unbeliever and you keep taking things from him, one day he is going to take something from you, and by the time he asks, your capacity would have been weakened to say NO, because you have received too many gifts.
There is a saying in Yoruba language that says you shouldn’t eat what will get stuck in your throat!
The scripture aptly warns that:
A man’s gift maketh room for him… (Proverbs 18:16 KJV)
This is also applicable here. Taking too many inappropriate gifts creates a vacancy in you.
There are gifts that you take, and you wish you hadn’t some few months after. A married man buys you a car, and he has not bought one for his wife and you are happy? You should run for your life, because there are too many ritualists out there.
There are some circles where a believer should not be found. It is not everything you get that is really a testimony. Not every act can be seen as God’s favour.
That is why the scripture warns:
Favour is deceitful… (Proverbs 31:30 KJV)
God is your Jehovah, not man. Stop putting all your trust in a man, because man will surely disappoint. Learn to use your faith to meet your needs and stop putting yourself in compromised positions because of financial favours from men.
There are still men that God can send your way and help to bail you out or to favour you, but let God work it out in His own way. When you try to be smart, you can get more than you bargained for.
We live in selfish world where people may want you to exchange your body for a favour. If you are involved in that kind of racket, please, run from such.
Your body is never designed to be a commodity or a tool for trade by barter, your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and it should be honoured as such.
The Lord is my shepherd, it didn’t say, your boyfriend. When you put a man in a spot where only God can occupy, there will be trouble!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have God’s wisdom to handle money
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, help me to say “No” when necessary
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people (Proverbs 18:16 Message)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Focus on God to meet your needs, especially when money is involved
Learn how to know a good friend. Look at the following scenario and pick up lessons from it.
Ade didn’t say a word. He sat still and quiet while his friend cried. Tola, his best friend at school, just lost his dad and they were in his friend’s room right now.
Tola’s pillows were wet with his tears, the bed covers rough and halfway down on the floor.
His cries echoed throughout the room as he laid on the bed.
There was nothing Ade could do other than to sit and wait for his friend to talk when he felt like it.
Though deeply saddened to see his friend like this, there was nothing he could do, but to pray that God would comfort Tola for the loss and of course, stay by his side.
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. – Proverbs18:24
When a friend is in a state like Tola is, the only thing to do is pray for them like Ade is doing and ensuring that you are by them. Don’t try to talk unless they ask you to or do so themselves.
Never expect them to hurry out of their grief or tell them to. They need the time to grieve and mourn their loss as much as they have to.
All they need is your silence and presence. They need your support.
That is what is it means to hold the hand of a friend. You let them know that you are available for them. Your care doesn’t have to be in words but in action most times.
Only God will comfort them for their loss as the bible tells us.
May the Lord make you a good friend at all times. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, make me a good friend that will be there for my friends when they are in their lowest moments. Help me to hold their hands all through in Jesus name, amen.
Action plan: When next you see a friend going through a tough time, pray for and support them.
Your eyes are a gift from God to behold this beautiful and wonderful world – the earth, He created.
But the enemy has somehow found a way of introducing sin and evil into the world.
Through people on earth, many unholy things have almost become a norm in the world today.
Though your eyes are to see but not everything you see is good for your eyes. The bible tells us that
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. – Matt. 6:22 NLT.
What you see affects your body. Witnessing a traumatic event affects your mind and body.
Also when you watch morally unfit videos it affects your body.
Watch out for videos or movies that show sexual content even if they have PG16 labels on them. Remember God is Holy and watching such videos or films is an unholy act.
Don’t be fooled by the words of your friends or people that watching it won’t affect you. It will.
The only safe way out of it is not to watch it and run away from friends, people, or situations that will want to make you do so.
It is better to obey God than to have the coolest friendships that will lead you to a lifetime of sexual depravity.
One way to know if what you are watching is bad is when you have to hide from others before you watch. That means you are not meant to watch it.
Remember, your eyes are a lamp for your body. They help to keep you from stumbling. Use them well just like you would use a lamp to see in the dark.
God bless and keep you safe in this dark world. Amen.
Prayer point: Lord, help me to keep my eyes safe from looking at things that I shouldn’t be looking at.
Action point: What have you been watching lately? If they are not in line with God’s, pray and ask God to help you overcome them. And tell your parents about it too.
Declaration: My eyes will not behold iniquity. I watch what I see.
Continued from yesterday. You can read part 1 HERE
Some ladies fall in love before trying to find out about his character and flaws. So many young ladies with great destinies have jeopardized their future by getting involved with the wrong person.
Stop falling in love with a stranger on Facebook! It is not ideal. There are so many marital casualties today as a result of unguarded and careless relationships. Profiles, timelines, and Twitter pages cannot be used as a conclusive decision on marriage!
Ladies, don’t wait till you are head over heels in love, with flying butterflies in your tummy before probing who he is. You should find out a lot when you are first of all friends before becoming lovers. That is why friendship is very important. You would have seen enough traits that will help you make up your mind about who you want.
Sisters, have friends. That is where relationship will develop from. If you don’t have platonic friends, then you are left with strangers to approach you, and most of the time when strangers come, they are looking for sex.
That is why most sisters would say things like “it is always unserious people that approach me.” The question is do you have friends?
For guys, become friends first before you make your intention known. Do you know there would not be issues of ‘nails’ or rejection because you are already friends? She would simply tell you ‘No’ politely because she would not want to offend her friend!
When you are already in love without friendship, the likelihood is that your feelings for him will block every form of reasoning and sense of judgment.
You know he drinks, but you don’t care. You know she smokes, but you close your eyes. There are some character traits you can watch out for while just friends.
It is a simple principle of “make the tree good and the fruits will be good.” A guy can’t make a good husband if he doesn’t have a good character.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I declare that my steps and relationships are ordered.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY Lord, help to get the right friends in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Job 19:19 KJV All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY List the names of your friends.
