Hi everyone, I hope you are all fine by God’s grace. Today’s post is a continuation of our series on friendship. Perhaps like many people on earth, you have difficulties in saying no, mostly to your friends. It’s not surprising to desire to please out friends, to make them happy, and to make them enjoy our company. It’s a normal desire but if uncontrolled it can become a burden and even lead to sin.
Certainly, it’s easier to approve our friends’ suggestions for little things like; where to have lunch, how much salt to put in snacks, which colours to wear for an outing, which fruit juice to choose at the restaurant etc etc.
Unfortunately, our friends don’t usually get mad at us when we don’t agree with them for such simple things. What really divides us and creates conflict between them and us, are very important decisions which involve our own personal convictions, our life principles, our childhood education, our thought patterns and opinions. Such core issues really divide friends.
The Bible guides us on how to respond to our friends when they ask us to go against God’s Word.
Proverbs 1:10-18 NIV
My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”— my son, do not go along with them, but do not set foot on their path; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood. How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!
From the verses above, we can establish a list of what to do when people (including our friends) suggest to us things which aren’t in line with God’s Word.
1. Don’t give in: Say No and insist even if they insist.
2. Don’t go along with them : You may not be able to stop them from doing what they’re going to do (for example taking drugs, going to nightclubs and getting drunk, dancing in an immoral manner, stealing, watching immoral movies etc) but you can abstain from going with them.
3. Don’t set foot on their path: In other words do not copy what they do, don’t try to do anything similar. Don’t choose to walk in their ways.
Thus, as an answer to our question of the day, No you aren’t obliged to say yes all the time. Even if those suggesting anything to you are your “friends”. On things which really don’t matter and which don’t influence your faith by any means, you may compromise and accept what they chose. Nevertheless, when it comes to disobeying God, say No to them, don’t go with them and don’t copy on them.
Please, never fear that if you refuse to act like them, your friends will throw you away. If they do so, then they weren’t really your friends and your closeness to God didn’t ever matter to them at all.
You can check out our previous post on five signs that they are truly your friends.
Finally, stand firm for The Lord in every circumstances.
Prayer
Lord God Almighty, please help me recognize whenever something isn’t in accordance with Your Word. Help me denounce and refuse it, even when the temptation comes from my friends. Help me make the right choices on where I go to and who I hang with. Help me walk with friends who are centered on Christ. In Jesus Christ’s Name I pray. Amen.
Thanks for reading.
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