A FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP 1

"THERE ARE “friends” WHO PRETEND TO BE FRIENDS, BUT THERE IS A FRIEND WHO STICKS CLOSER THAN A BROTHER."
Proverbs 18:24 (the Living Bible)

• I would be sharing about friendly relationship, a relationship between acquaintances.

• To a certain extent, whatever a person would become in life, would be through relationships. God created mankind a relationally being. It might be difficult to do any appreciable thing without one good relationship or another.
• Your rising in life would by and large be through the godly relationships which God has orchestrated in your life—around you.
• Some had gotten to good places in life through some relationship, of friends, which they found themselves in; whilst some are regretting where they are today through wrong friendships or relationships which they cultivated.
• Some had lost their lives, fortunes or businesses, marriages, and whatever, through the wrong companionship, or friendship, or relationship, which they cultivated: "DO NOT BE DECEIVED: “EVIL COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD HABITS" (1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV).
• The Bible warns that any ungodly friendship or relationship should be allowed in your life:
  17 THEREFORE “Come OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE, SAYS THE LORD. DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, And I will receive you.” 18 “I WILL BE A FATHER TO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY" (2 Corinthians 6:17,18 NKJV).

• Examples of wrong friendly relationship that led to regret and sorrows.
I. Amnon, David's first son had inordinate affection towards his half sister who happened to be Absalom's sister, of the same mother.

• A friend of Amnon counsel and encourage him to commit incest, rape his half sister, and that eventually cost him his life:
  3 BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND WHOSE NAME WAS JONADAB THE SON OF SHIMEAH, David’s brother. NOW JONADAB WAS A VERY CRAFTY MAN. 4 And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” 5 SO JONADAB SAID TO HIM, “LIE DOWN ON YOUR BED AND PRETEND TO BE ILL. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand’ ”(2 Samuel 13:3-5 NKJV).
• This friend of Amnon counsel him how to commit incest with his half-sister. Amnon heeded the counsel of his friend and lost his life as a result of it (2 Samuel 13:28,29).
• This same Jonadab was the one who gave the narrative, the details of what happened, when Amnon was slain or killed by Absalom:
  "BUT JUST THEN JONADAB, THE SON OF David’s BROTHER SHIMEAH, arrived and said, “No, don’t believe that all the king’s sons have been killed! IT WAS ONLY AMNON! ABSALOM HAS BEEN PLOTTING THIS EVER SINCE AMNON RAPED HIS SISTER TAMAR" (2 Samuel 13:32 NLT).
• This wrong friendly relationship of Amnon with Jonadab led to his untimely and gruesome death. When he had that evil Desire in his heart, If he had a good friend who could tell him the truth, Such a friend would have dissuaded him from doing such a thing, and he would not have wasted his life—ended his life the way he did.
• Some Believers who claimed to be born-again are in some friendly relationships that Encourage them to wallow in Sin.
• Any unholy friendly relationship can cost you your life, your relationship or fellowship with God, and the fulfilment of your God-given Purpose in life.

II. Rehoboam, King Solomon's son who succeeded him lost his privilege to rule over the entire nation of Israel, because of the wrong counsel given to him by his friends, which he heeded:
"BUT REHOBOAM REJECTED THE ADVICE OF THE OLDER MEN AND INSTEAD ASKED THE OPINION OF THE YOUNG MEN WHO HAD GROWN UP WITH HIM AND WERE NOW HIS ADVISERS" (1 Kings 12:8 NLT).

• The people of Israel came to Rehoboam who succeeded his father, Solomon; for him to lighten the burden placed on them during his father's regime. The people poised to be his loyal subjects If he did consider their plea—the polite request they brought to him (1 Kings 12:4-7).
• Rehoboam chose to listen and heed the advice or the opinion of the young men, his friends, which was a wrong counsel.
  HE lost his grip on the kingdom of Israel, ten out the twelve tribes in Israel revolted and spilled or broke off As a result of the unwise decision of HIS (1 Kings 12:12-19).
  READ: 1 King 12:1-19
• If you had the privilege of leading in any capacity, endeavour to cultivate or surround yourself with godly relationships—the godly people, who would be able to tell you the truth. Those who have the fear of God, who wanted you to succeed in whatever God has assigned you to do.
• When you find yourself in an enviable position, some people who are around you might be counselling you wrongly, doing whatever they are doing with pretensions, and negative motives, to cause your downfall:
  15 IT'S TRUE THAT SOME ARE PREACHING OUT OF JEALOUSY AND RIVALRY. BUT OTHERS PREACH ABOUT CHRIST WITH PURE MOTIVES. 16 THEY PREACH BECAUSE THEY LOVE ME [Paul], for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 THOSE OTHERS DO NOT HAVE PURE MOTIVES AS THEY PREACH ABOUT CHRIST. THEY PREACH WITH SELFISH AMBITION, NOT SINCERELY, INTENDING TO MAKE MY CHAINS MORE PAINFUL TO ME. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice" (Philippians 1:15-18 NKJV).
  READ: 2 Timothy 4:10,16,17
• Whatever friendly relationship that would not help you in your God-given assignment should be quitted, halted or desisted.
• If your friendship relationship with someone is parasitic, let the friendship be stopped. Also, any relationship that would not help you, As a Believer, to be what God wanted you to be, should be done away with.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• Whatever is contrary to your health is rebuked and uprooted in Jesus' name.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!