Can Friends Sabotage Your Relationship with the Lord?

Just as Godly Christian friends can be a tremendous encouragement in your walk with the Lord, nothing can sabotage your relationship with Him faster than hanging out with people who are toxic, unbelieving, dishonest, or immoral. As one old preacher once admonished his church, “If you sleep with dogs, you’ll wake up with fleas!”

The apostle Paul warns, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Note that Satan often uses ‘bad company’ to deceive us. Toxic friends are not likely to tell us they want to ruin our life by exposing us to drugs, drunkenness, immorality, dishonesty, gossip, breaches of the law, or more. No, they simply come with a behavior pattern that distracts our hearts from the things of God.

Often we deceive ourselves into thinking we can compromise with worldly and evil ways while still maintaining a close relationship with God. Paul challenged the Corinthians about this:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

Does this mean you shouldn’t associate with any non-Christians? No, in order to avoid all contact with unbelievers you’d have to be raptured and go straight to Heaven! What Paul is saying is you need to be careful about getting emotionally tangled in close relationships with people who have no intention of following God. You may think you’re changing them, but often it’s the other way around.

If, however, you’re involved in a relationship with someone who has expressed an interest in accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, you should take every opportunity to help them in their discovery. We’ve provided a link below as a resource to share that might be helpful in their journey.

If you’re wondering about the influences in your life right now, pause for a moment and ask the Lord to search your heart and give you the answers you seek. Lift your voice in prayer to Him, and He will not only guide you, but extend His loving hand to those around you who may be seeking His loving guidance.

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