Choose Your Friends Wisely

Here's a cross-posted article I wrote for WeUsed2bu Ministries. The topic of the month on WeUsed2bu is Friendship-The Heart of the Matter .

Choose Your Friends Wisely

Our Lord has a specific plan for each of our lives. We are His masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things that He planned for us long ago. We are citizens of heaven here on earth as foreigners for just a short season to fulfill God’s will and purpose. On our journey, we will meet many people who will impact our lives. Those we choose to call our “friends” are the ones who will probably have the most influence on us. They can help us fulfill our calling or serve as weights that will slow us down. Some will be a gift from God, and others will be tools in the hands of the enemy. That is why we must learn to choose our closest friends wisely. (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 3:20, Colossians 4:1-3, Ephesians 2:19)

“Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

I remember when I was a young teen, my mother would try to warn me about hanging out with the wrong crowd. She always finished her lecture by saying to me, “Lisa, birds of a feather flock together.” Of course I had that teen know-it-all attitude, and I would respond to her, “Mom, just because they do those things, or act like that, doesn’t mean I do or that I will.” I was so naïve. The more I hung out with them, the more I changed for the worse. I started to compromise everything good my parents had taught me. I listened to the advice of my friends more than I would listen to my mom who loved me with all of her heart and only wanted the best for me. She was right—I did start becoming part of their flock by looking, talking, and acting just like them.

She was trying to teach me to choose my friends wisely because she knew that if I hung out with people that did bad things, I could follow their influence and get in trouble. She wanted me to hang out with people who were doing positive things with their lives because she knew that if I followed their example, I too would reap the rewards of doing good. King David knew this also, and gave his sons the same advice. Listen to what he tells his sons…

“Oh, the joy of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.” Psalm 1:1

“I don’t spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.” Psalm 26:45

His advice stuck with son King Solomon too. Listen to what he says…

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. Trouble chases sinners, while blessings reward the righteous.” Proverbs 13:20-21

“Don’t do as the wicked do; and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.” Proverbs 4:14-15

No matter what age we are, we should choose our closest friends carefully. If our closest friends are ones who are backstabbers, haters of God, rebellious or unrepentant ‘Christians’, insolent, proud, boastful, drunkards, partiers, or gossipers, then we are in danger of allowing our contacts with these individuals to influence and corrupt us. We must realize that sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough. We may not intend to participate in our friends’ sinful activities, but it is really easy to find ourselves compromising what we stand for, our values, and our morals, when we are spending excessive time bonding with others who refuse to acknowledge God, or have abandoned the Word for their own foolish ideas. Their sinful influence is like the yeast of compromise that will eventually spread through our minds and hearts, causing us to be torn between our beliefs and our friendship. (Galatians 5:9, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Romans 1:28-32)

Sooner or later, they will encourage us to participate in their sin. Maybe it’ll sound like this...

“It’s ladies night. We’re going dancing, come with us. There’s nothing wrong with dancing. It’s not a sin. You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to, but even Jesus drank wine.”

“Did you here that _______ is in trouble? She looks terrible! I ain’t one to gossip, so you didn’t hear this from me. But I heard…”

“I hooked up with this hot guy. He’s got a lady, but I don’t care. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I’m hooking up with him tonight. He’s got a really hot friend! Come with us.”

These types of ‘friends’ are tools in the hands of the enemy, meant to cause us to stumble on our Christian journey. They will try to keep us from following the truth. It certainly isn’t God who put them there to test us. He never tempts us to sin. So let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially these friendships that will trip us up. And let’s find friends that belong to our Good Shepherd’s flock. (Galatians 5:7-8, James 1:13, Hebrews 12:1-2)

“…Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

It is a blessing from God to have friends in our lives who love the Lord and long to please Him. He puts them in our path so that we can hold one another up as we go through this life’s trials, tests, and tribulations. Our Lord has placed some mighty women of God in my life who are full of God’s love and Spirit. Their Christ-like lives have impacted my life forever. They have shown me examples of being long suffering, patient, determined, forgiving, loving, faithful, submissive, honest, and hopeful. They have held up my arms in battle when I thought I could not go on any longer with their prayers and words of encouragement and admonishment. They are true friends, gifts from God, placed in my life to help me fulfill His calling. (Exodus 17:11-13)

We all should enjoy the companionship of friends who truly love the Lord with pure hearts, because they will come along aside of us to help us run this race instead of causing us to stumble. Since their desire is the same as ours, to live for Christ Jesus, they will be the conduits that God will use to help us on our journey.

We need true friends that will pray and intercede on our behalf, speak the Word of God into our lives, encourage us to be living witnesses of Christ Jesus, and who will want to hear our dreams and visions from God. Friends who will encourage and motivate us to step out in faith and trust what God is calling us to do for Him. We need friends who will challenge us to become the women of God that He created us to be. As iron sharpens iron, so these friends will sharpen us. (Proverbs 27:17)

When we have problems or temptations that we are facing, we need friends who will speak the Truth to us in love. A godly friend will bring us back to what the Word of God says about our situation, knowing that it is His Word that will set us free and give us hope. They will share with us how they overcome their struggles and temptation. They will encourage us to do what is pleasing to God. These are the types of friends we need in this sin infested world.

We must never lose sight of the fact that we are here in this world for such a time as this to be used by God and to fulfill His great purpose. Friendships with people who love the Lord will help us fulfill the vision and purpose that the Lord has put on our hearts. Friendships with people who live only to satisfy their sinful desires and gratify the cravings of their flesh will hinder us. It is time for us to come out from among them and enjoy the companionship of those who truly love the Lord.

May the Lord help us to evaluate our friendships and give us wisdom and the courage to separate ourselves from those ‘friends’ who are tools in the hands of the enemy. May He bring us friends that have a true heart for Him, and that will love us because of their love for Jesus.

(all the above scriptures were taken from the New Living Translation)

Will You Be Obedient & Tell Them?

“When the watchmen sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn't sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths." Ezekiel 33:3-6

There will be times that the Lord will prompt you to speak a loving word of correction, warning, or even rebuke to others. Perhaps it is a brother or sister in the Lord that is not living a life worthy of their calling or has strayed off the narrow path. It could be a lost soul that needs to know that Jesus died for their sins and if they do not confess and repent of their sins and believe in Christ they will die and go to hell. My question to you is will you be obedient and tell them or will you say it’s none of my business Lord? It's not my place.

Don’t allow yourself to be conformed to the world’s way and its customs. (Romans 12:2)The world does not care about the eternal souls of men. They do not have the Spirit of God and the love of Christ in them so they do not understand the things of the Spirit. But we do and we must watch out for one another and also hold each other accountable. We must speak the truth of God’s Word to each other. It is our responsibility as servants of the Most of God to be watchmen and watchwomen for one another, helping each other to stay on the narrow road. This does not mean that we are to become sin spotters going around trying to spot sin in our brothers and sisters lives to call them out on it. No..what I am talking about is lovingly watching each others back. If you see your brother or sister slipping away from the truth, being drawn into sin or disobedience and the Lord tells you to talk to them then go quickly and address the situation in love. Don't wait when the Lord tells you to go.

We all know it is not easy to give someone a word of correction, warning, or rebuke but our heavenly Father said through Ezekiel that we are to warn others when we see the enemy coming. We are to sound an alarm to warn the people. The alarm is our mouth. I plead with you don’t turn your back on your brother or sister when you see that they are heading down the wrong path and are in disobedience to God. Don’t say it is not your business, because IT IS! Lovingly remind them what the Word of God says about their situation, circumstances, attitude or actions. If they refuse to listen and ignore the warning then they will suffer the consequences. But if we see that someone is surely headed for destruction or is even only ‘a little’ involved in sin or disobedience and we don’t warn them then we are responsible for their bondage and even their spiritual death. (Ezekiel 33:6) Remember also that it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:17)

Imagine how the prophet Nathan felt when the Lord had him go to King David and talk to him about the murder of Uriah. He presented a story to the king about an injustice that was done to a poor man and King David became angry at the offender in the story and said that he deserved to die. He ordered for the poor man to be repayed for what was stolen. The Prophet Nathan immediately revealed that the man in the story was King David himself. He rebuked King David and told him that his sins were rooted in dissatisfaction with God's blessings. David just couldn't be satisfied with what God had given him (his own wives) he had to take more (another man's wife). King David repented immediately and Nathan the Prophet encouraged him by saying his sins were forgiven, although there would still be consequences for his disobedience and sin (the death of their unborn child and rebellion in his household). (2 Samuel 12:1-15)

It’s not easy to tell another believer that they are sin or are compromising their faith. Perhaps it is not easy because we don’t want to offend anyone. We want to be liked. We may even fear that the person will get angry with us, but we can not fear what man will say or do, instead we must fear the Lord and do His will at all times. We can not try to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people is our goal then we will not be able to be Christ’s servants and responsible watchmen. (Galatians 1:10)

If our Lord says, "Please tell them that their foul and abusive language, telling obscene stories and coarse jokes and foolish talk are not for them", then tell them in love.(Ephesians 5:4). If our Lord says, "Please tell your sister that her life of fornication and adulterous relationships is not pleasing to Me. This sin is against her own body and Me. Leave this lifestyle and turn back to Me", then do it promptly. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 7:1-2) Do it immediately when the Lord says, "Share the love of Christ and tell this thirsty soul about the life giving water of Jesus Christ. Tell them that they will thirst no more if they will drink from the Living Water, but if they continue down this destructive path they will surely die in their sin."

Do not hesitate trust the Lord. We can be sure that whoever brings a sinner back will have saved that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. (James 5:19-20)An open rebuke is better than hidden love! (Proverbs 27:5) Love will move you to point out a person’s failings because you know the consequences. Your love for them will want to see them living in the light. The rebuke will benefit the recipient, whether they seem to have received it or not. Our job as watchmen is to sound the alarm. It’s up to them if they heed the warning or not. (Ezekiel 33:4-5)

May our Lord help us to watch out for one another. May we be obedient and go at once when prompted by the Spirit to speak the truth in love. Give us eyes to see when we and others are under attack. Help us to sound the alarm with all the Love that you have put in our hearts for the truth of God’s Word. Help us to do your will even if that means being rejected or persecuted. In Jesus name..Amen.

Blog Awards for Consecrated To Him

Over the past months I have received a couple of blog awards from fellow bloggers acknowledging and praising Consecrated To Him. I am truly honored and humbled to be recognized and given these awards.

Since I started Consecrated To Him back in February of this year I have asked our Lord to use me to help encourage and edify others. Receiving these awards and the comments on my postings gives me the encouragement, affirmation, and confirmation that I need to keep pressing forward in this ministry.

To God be all the glory because without Him my words are nothing. It is His Word and His Spirit that heals and restores us all.

So without further a due I would like to say thank you to:

Karen Zemek, lover of the kitties and of our Lord Jesus Christ, from Zemeks Blog for awarding me with the Coolest Blog Award. Thank you Karen you are the cool one for thinking of Consecrated to Him.




Thank you Elvz from Mighty In Spirit who has passed on the Power Blog Award to Consecrated to Him. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that I am able. Elvz you truly are mighty in spirit. I look forward to reading your blog. God bless you and keep you safely in His care.

Last but surely not least my new dear friend Lynn Mosher from Heading Home-Following God's Compass. She has awarded me with the Proximity Award. The award is for proximity, which is best explained this way:

“This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!”

Wow Lynn..with all humility I saw thank you really. I am honored. Thank you not only for the award but for your prayers and words of encouragement.

I would also like to thank the Holy Spirit who has been so faithfully patient to teach and disciple me so that I can be used by our Lord to serve Him and others. It is Him who deserves all the honor, glory, and praise. Thank you Jesus!!