Guiding principles when choosing friends
Choosing the right friends is one of the most important decisions you can make as a young person. The people you spend time with can influence your choices, actions, and even your future.
Here are some practical tips to help you make wise decisions about the friends and company you keep.
- Friends Shape Your Future
The friends you choose can have a big impact on your future. They affect how you think, the choices you make, and the kind of person you become. Choose friends who help you grow, stay out of trouble, and reach your goals. - Look for Shared Values
Good friends share similar values. Do they believe in doing the right thing? Do they respect others? Choose friends who have morals like yours and want the same things in life. - Ask the Right Questions
A good way to know if someone is a good friend is to ask yourself:
How do I feel after spending time with them? Do they help me make smart choices? Are they there when I need support?
If the answers are yes, they’re likely a good friend. - It’s Okay to Walk Away
If someone doesn’t help you grow or pulls you in the wrong direction, it’s okay to distance yourself. Making the right choice about friends today can help you make better choices in the future. - Think About the Long Term
The friends you keep now will influence your habits and future decisions. Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you, so you can have a bright and successful future.
Choosing friends who share your values and encourage you to grow will set you up for a positive future. As you think about the people in your life, remember that good company leads to good outcomes.
Learn more about building strong friendships on our relationship pages here on HFA!
The following information will clarify why it’s important to have good friendships as well as explain how to find good friends by providing practical tips and biblical insight. First, let’s see what a video can teach us about making good friends.
Watch a video on how to choose good friends
Disclaimer: Hope for Africa is not affiliated with the following video. It is simply being provided as a helpful resource for building good relationships.
How to Choose Great Friends – Valuetainment
None of us, including entrepreneurs, can make it without friends. Here are some tips on how to choose great friends.
10 Bible verses about choosing your friends and company
Compiled by the Hope For Africa staff on September 19, 2024
Bible verses related to “choosing friendships and companions” from the New King James Version (NKJV) by Relevance
- Proverbs 12:26
“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Explanation: A person mindful of doing what is right does not just choose anyone as a friend but carefully and cautiously searches out who to have as a buddy. They realize that friendship with a person whose character or behaviour is wicked can influence them in the wrong direction. - Proverbs 13:20
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Explanation: The choice of a companion has an important bearing on a person’s development. Associating with wise people helps you grow in your wisdom, develop the right skills and advance in your horizon while associating with the unwise or bad company cripples your growth and brings you problems. - Proverbs 17:17
“A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.”
Explanation: A true or good and virtuous friend loves constantly even in times of trouble or poverty, as if bound by family ties. Also, real friends and relatives will love in prosperity or adversity, and no circumstance will take them out of their friend’s life. - Proverbs 18:24
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Explanation: If we choose to make friends with others, we should cultivate those friendships and show that we value them through our endearing expressions. At the same time, too many unreasonable and unreliable friends bring exhaustion and will not stand with us in tough times. But a true and meaningful friend will remain faithful to us even when relatives (brothers) turn away. - Proverbs 27:17
“Iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
Explanation: As an iron file is rubbed on a knife or machete to shape or sharpen it to cut effectively, so wise and profitable dialogue or conversation with resourceful people sharpens a person’s intelligence. Conversely, rubbing shoulders with bad influences can also shape our character in the wrong direction. - 1 Corinthians 15:33
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.'”
Explanation: We shouldn’t be misled into thinking that our associates (be it teachers, peers, etc.), have no bearing on our character. On the contrary, our companions influence what we become and can corrupt good behaviour. Therefore, we should avoid false teachers and corrupt friends and choose godly people as close friends. - Proverbs 22:24-25
“Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.”
Explanation: Evil begets evil. So we are to avoid the society of people who get angry quickly or those who can not control their anger because associating with them can make us breed similar temperaments and bring destruction to ourselves. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
“Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion; But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.”
Explanation: No person is an island and selfish greed is futile. But having a society, friend or support group around you is more rewarding because you can strengthen, encourage, comfort and help each other in difficult times or in times of need. - Proverbs 27:6
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
Explanation: It is better to have a true friend who can kindly and lovingly reprove, correct and tell you your faults than to receive pampering from one who hates you. Though the rebukes may feel hurtful at first, they are more trusted than lavish kisses or outward professions of friendship from an enemy. - James 4:4
“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Explanation: The ultimate friendship is that between us and God. To seek happiness or favour from the world or a friendship with worldly pleasures or sinful practices will corrupt our minds and hearts to make us enemies of God.
Topics and verses are generated from multiple resources and are reviewed by our team. If a verse or topic does not belong or is missing, please contact us. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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