That’s What Friends Are For: The Importance Of Having Good Friends And A Godly Circle In Your Life

First of all it is important to explain what a good friend means to me. A good friend is someone who is consistent, sticks through the test of time, is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), is able to say “flag up” when you are going in the wrong direction in their presence, and protects my name in front of others. They also do not wait for the perfect time to visit or propose to meet up. They check up on you regularly, can hear the hurts that you have not expressed, and are forgiving. Lastly they want this to be reciprocated to them (Proverbs 27:17).

So for me, it is crucially important to have such a friend in my life to bring about a sense of stability, reliability, help with growth (to help mold the best version of myself), and to nurture the friendship.

Nonetheless, since giving my life totally to Christ, I have realized that it is difficult to keep that same level of closeness with an unbelieving friend; because the interest and values begin to diverge and create a sense of gap.

The saying “birds of a feather flock together” rings true in a lot of ways, in that people are often attracted to individuals and groups through common views and interest.  

The same is also true when 1 Corinthians 15:33 states “Do not be deceived: “bad company corrupts good character”. Ensuring that a friend has good character so as not to distract and entice you into doing things that you do not particularly want to be involved with.

More often than not, when someone has bad character, it is easy for them to try to convince the one with good character to do bad things; because at times bad things are easier to do.

So Ideally, it is wise if you are a person with good character to keep close friends who have honorable reputations, or better so if they are a non- believer to lead them to Christ wanting them to maintain that bond. But if this is unlikely to happen, a Godly circle is the primary quest. “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26).

A Godly circle should inspire a fellow believer to reach unity with God, in one mind, one goal, using Biblical foundation to help on that walk and will mostly understand the journey (whether testing or smooth) experienced. A godly circle will stir your spirit to pray and adapt healthy habits to honoring God and be selfless with serving others whilst loving you the Godly way and help you fashion the identity you are born to cultivate. Thus, vital for spiritual growth. This is why the scriptures encourages believers to not forsake the assembly of Christ in Hebrews 10:25, emphasizing the need to have such on that journey especially for steadfastness until the day of the Lord, because those days will have a lot of persecution that will cause some to deny the faith and therefore having people who can pray with and bring to light the word of God is essential.

Good friends are a gift from God to us. Therefore, not all friendships should be approved. Often people quote that God sat with sinners at parties and therefore, there is nothing wrong in befriending someone who does not share the same values. The lesson there is that everything Jesus did was intentionally to restore people back to Christ. If this is the position one is taking, this is great evangelism work. But one must also be vigilant because the devil seeks whom he may devour and can use that friend to lead you astray (1 Peter 5:8). So be selective when choosing friendship and ensure they are in one accord and on a path of Godly faith.

In brief, it is for my survival and Christian duty to select good friends and a godly circle for my life.