“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17

When I was still in college, I remember having a friend, member of the same choir. He was not a student as I was; he was a reinforcing ion and rebar worker. We were so close that I spent a lot of time with him. During vacations, I would follow him to building sites and offer my services as a laborer; that earned me some money. In the evenings, I would spend time teaching him basic French. For a while, my watchful father said nothing. One day, he called me and said: “Martial, you are a student, right?” I responded: “Yes, Dad”. “Do you think it safe to befriend somebody who does not have the same purpose as you, somebody you spend that much time with? What if he ultimately drives you away from your passion to his?”_ I knew my father to be a man of few words and I did not wait to be reminded before keeping distance with that friend.

You have probably heard people say “if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go with somebody”. Do you know that when God wants to help a person, He introduces him/her to another person? Likewise, the devil connects whosoever he wants to destroy to somebody else. You therefore need to be watchful about who you associate with if you want to succeed both in the journey of life and your walk as a child of El Shaddai.

Imagine a farmer putting the same yoke on an ox and a fox! How far do you think he will go in his work of plowing the earth? Likewise, apart from both being human beings, what commonalities are there between an idol worshipper and a Christian? The very dangerous side of any friendship is that you both are influenceable. Therefore, beware the bad effect somebody who does not share your values and faith can have on you. You may tend to overlook any negative effect on the onset of the relationship. However, down the road, you might lower your vigilance and give Satan an edge to wreck your faith down and make you sink in sin.

My brother and my sister, a good friend will challenge you to draw closer to God. Conversely, a bad association will delay your progress, ruin your future, and draw you closer to destruction. You are an iron. Choose your like as ally.