Show me your friend.

I am always excited anytime I am part of a women's conference whether physically or virtually. I once watched a women's conference and I could not help but be amazed at the number of 'heavy-duty' women at a single conference. I am sure you are wondering what I mean by 'heavy-duty'... yes, each of these women were sold out to God in one form or the other, their sole mission; to transform women's lives in a godly manner, to empower and to educate them. As each one was introduced, she was either a prophetess, pastor or prayer warrior not just by title! They were professionals; lawyers, accountant, architects etc. It wasn't their title or professional qualifications that interested me, but the fact that they had so much in common for God...

Birds of the same feather flock together... It makes me wonder the kind of conversation those women would constantly have! How much positive influence they will have one on the other. The kind of spiritual and physical networking, the kind of sharpening they will bring to one another and the kind of sweet and life transforming fragrance they will emit everywhere they go... Trust me they were all good looking and it was not their Gucci or Prada that added value to them but the glory of God upon their lives. 

Who are your friends? Who do you turn to when you hit a snag? What kind of counsel have you been listening to? What is the unifying force between you and your friends and what is your reference point? When you are at your wits end and you need to confide in someone who are those you turn to? Friends who will tell you it does not matter, that God is not a mean God, that you can lie, compromise the word of God or cheat and God will forgive you? When you share with your friends your challenges, what is their usual response? Do your friends pray with you or do they provide carnal solutions? Perhaps they tell you that you learn from the mistakes of others and should "help" God? A king in the bible consulted his friends and they gave him the counsel that got him into trouble:

1 Kings 12: 8-11 KJV

⁸But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:  ⁹And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
 ¹⁰And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
 ¹¹And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

¹⁶So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.

The counsel of his peers led to the tearing away of the kingdom from him! What a colossal loss! It is important to x-ray every counsel in the light of the word of God. Every counsel that does not conform to the word of God will only lead you into trouble! It is up to you to decide whose counsel you will listen to Acts 5:29 When a  godly counsel does not seem popular, watch it, in God's own time it will yield the right fruit. 

It is better for God to be pleased with you and for a particular process to take longer, than for you to take short cuts only to be miserable at a dead end! You need to begin to examine who your friends are and what counsel they give you. Are you willing to show God who your friends are? Shalom!

Blessings.