Anonymous comments on the posting  ‘Choose Your Friends Wisely’

Is this only for your closestfriends? So u dont have to pick as wisely for your outer circle of friends?And what if choodsn wisely leads you to no friends at all?

Beloved By Him replies…

Those closest to you should be those who are like-minded. 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Those are the people we go to for advice, encouragement, and support. They have the Holy Spirit inside of them, they have the mind of Christ, and they know the Word, so they are able to discern thoughts and intentions (Eph. 1:13, I Cor. 2:16, Heb. 4:12). Friends like that are a gift from God, and they are worth waiting for, as well as taking strides to keep up the friendship despite the busyness of life.

There will also be a body of believers that surrounds us as Christians, with whom we can be friendly, even though they’re not our “besties.” These are brothers and sisters in Christ who also share the same Spirit of God. These people are our household of faith, and we can share fellowship with them without being too personal. This is where we women find good practice in having healthy, platonic friendships with men—we respect them as brothers, and we keep our behavior above reproach. Our sisters in Christ are there to bless and be blessed by us, as we make ourselves available for prayer, service, or an encouraging word. We and our Christian friends make up the body of Christ, and we all work together to do our part to make the body function properly (I Cor. 12:27, Rom. 12:4-8).

Those friends we have outside of Christ are still important, but we need to remember that they are coming from a worldly perspective, even if they are the most well-meaning and right-acting people. These friends do not have a regenerated spirit (a spirit that’s born again by salvation in Jesus Christ), so they do not understand the things of God (I Cor. 2:14). Spending time with them can still be enjoyable, but we have to commit ourselves to being watchful in the Spirit, making sure that we don’t allow ungodly seeds to be planted by wrong attitudes or thinking, or taking part in pastimes that are not glorifying to God. These friendships should not be where we get our emotional support or advice. We are in these friends’ lives to show them the love of Christ and minister to them by our testimony and consecrated lifestyle.

Then there’s our enemies. We have to include them in the list because we’re called into relationship with them as well. The bible commands us to love our enemies, bless those who persecute us, and live at peace with others as much as possible (Rom. 12:14-21). Those are calls to action on our part. We can’t allow ourselves to be bitter towards those who hurt us, and we might even be called to bless someone who’s treated us wrongly. We show our enemies love because that’s what Jesus did for us, and they need Him, too. If God loved us and died for us while we were still sinners, then we can do the same for others who are in the position we used to be (Rom. 5:8, John 15:13)

We will never be friendless. Jesus Himself calls us His friends (John 15:15). It’s no small thing to have the companionship of the Holy Spirit 24/7, every day of our lives. He is the One Who gives us the peace, love, joy, comfort, and wisdom we need every day. If you are in a season where you don’t have that close companionship from a Christian sister, then I would encourage you to work on your relationship with God, taking time to know Him better and to hear His voice in the Word. Even when you do make new friends, they should not take the place of your relationship with Him. But I believe that the Lord will provide you someone with whom you can share your heart, because God created friendships to be a blessing and a help while we’re on this earth (Ecc. 4:12).

Keep praying for Him to send you the perfect person in His perfect time, and while you’re waiting, enjoy the friendship of your Heavenly King.

Sincerely,

Beloved by Him