Proverbs 12:26 The righteous choose their friends carefully but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

At the beginning of every year, many people have resolutions, and guess what? Not many think about taking a second look at their friendships and associations. We forget that to become better, we need the right set of people around us.

If you set goals and yet associate with those who do not inspire you to do greater things, you’d be going nowhere. I believe in forming strategic friendships because what matters is not the number of friends you have. Quality must be preferred over quantity any day. If you have many friends and yet there is little or no result in your life, you’d have to check it. 

Proverbs 27:9b says: A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. You must be refreshed in your friendship. You should be learning new things that improve your life with your friends. Refreshing denotes renewal of strength, an update of knowledge, and refilling. Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. 

Your friends reflect who you are.

I can tell who you are by those you associate with. You are the average of the five people you hang with most of the time. Choose friends who are better than you and you’d be pushed to do more.

If you’re the best among your friends, the tendency to be complacent is high.  They could be people who pray better than you do, study the Word more, or do better in an academic subject than you. People who are good managers of money, people who are doing well in using their gifts- talent or spiritual gifts- and have traits you desire to see in you are great people to be with.

Don’t judge people by the family they are from. The choice of friends is what reveals who a person is. We didn’t choose our families. However, we chose our friends. Your choice of friends is indicative of your sense of judgment, discernment, maturity, and wisdom.

The influence of friends is real. Don’t say that you can associate with just anyone and get away with it. By the time you know it, you’re behaving like they do. When your friends get to the top one day, you’re also getting to the top.

• Relationships