This advice has always served me well. Your friends will either get you into trouble or keep you out of it. I grew up with a great variety of people in a time when most of us respected our parents and authority. But it was also a time of great turmoil and experimentation in our society. Some of my peers went one direction and some went the other. By and large, most of the ones that I chose to associate with were a great bunch of friends and many of them grew up in church. A number of them even ended up in the ministry.
There is so much wisdom in surrounding yourself with an environment that is safe and free from temptations. If, for example, you have a problem with alcohol, don’t go to a bar or a party where alcohol is being served. That opens the door for your downfall. The temptation will surround you and there is a greater than average chance that you will yield to it. If you find, in this example, that most of your friends are partiers and bar hoppers, you need to make new friends with other interests.
Study God’s Word and obey what it says. Know what your convictions are, stick to them, and choose your friends accordingly. If you have recently been saved, share your salvation with your old friends and lead them to Christ. You were given a new life in Christ and there is no reason that they should not hear the Good News that saved you. If they criticize and ridicule you for your newfound faith, then praise God that you were worthy to suffer for his sake. You are now a part of the family of God and a fellowship of believers.
Choose your friends well and live wisely. You will be amazed at how peaceful and fulfilling your life will become. Proverbs 22:11 (TPT) says that “The Lord loves those whose hearts are holy, and he is the friend of those whose ways are pure.” What better friend is there than Jesus?
Proverbs 22:10 (TPT) - “Say goodbye to a troublemaker and you’ll say goodbye to quarrels, strife, tension, and arguments, for a troublemaker traffics in shame.”