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	Guest Article Choosing Your Friends Wisely!!! By: Brooke Hilliar ** Friends are GREAT! Friends can help you. Friends can comfort you. Friends will do things you like to do. Whether you realize it or not, your friends certainly influence you! That’s the thing with friends—we learn each others ways. You pick up on each others habits, sayings, likes and dislikes. Think of the cloths you wear and the sayings you share. Think of the attitudes. So when I say your friends influence you, believe it or not THEY DO! That’s why it is SO important to have godly friends! You’ll develop godly habits by following them and spending time with them. Yet, quite the opposite is true if your friends are ungodly or don’t care about pleasing God. In 1 Corinthians 15:33 is says, “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts bad habits.” In this God is saying- Evil friends—ungodly friends will corrupt you. Maybe some of you have already experienced this. Perhaps ungodly friends have led you down the wrong path, or have led you to do wrong—to sin. “But their my BEST FRIEND” you say. As Christians, your First responsibility is Not to yourself, Not to your Friends, but to God. Does your Bible say in Mark 12:30 "And you shall love your Friends with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength"? No! Your FIRST Responsibility is "to love God with all your heart". To love Him, to Serve Him and to follow Him - FIRST. Yes you will love your friends, but God must have the Supreme place in all that you do. Including who you choose as friends! Remember this when choosing your friends! * Editor Note: Brooke Hilliar is the granddaughter of Sherman and Nelda Bailey of Arab. Brooke lives in Cullman. "Choosing Your Friends Wisely" was a devotional that she presented during a recent youth revival.

Guest Article
Choosing Your Friends Wisely!!!

By: Brooke Hilliar **

Friends are GREAT!
*Friends can help you.
*Friends can comfort you.
*Friends will do things you like to do.

Whether you realize it or not, your friends certainly influence you!

That’s the thing with friends—we learn each others ways. You pick up on each others habits, sayings, likes and dislikes. Think of the cloths you wear and the sayings you share. Think of the attitudes. So when I say your friends influence you, believe it or not THEY DO!

That’s why it is SO important to have godly friends! You’ll develop godly habits by following them and spending time with them. Yet, quite the opposite is true if your friends are ungodly or don’t care about pleasing God.

In 1 Corinthians 15:33 is says, “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts bad habits.” In this God is saying- Evil friends—ungodly friends will corrupt you. Maybe some of you have already experienced this. Perhaps ungodly friends have led you down the wrong path, or have led you to do wrong—to sin.

“But their my BEST FRIEND” you say.

As Christians, your First responsibility is Not to yourself, Not to your Friends, but to God.

Does your Bible say in Mark 12:30 "And you shall love your Friends with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength"?
No! Your FIRST Responsibility is "to love God with all your heart". To love Him, to Serve Him and to follow Him - FIRST. Yes you will love your friends, but God must have the Supreme place in all that you do. Including who you choose as friends!

Remember this when choosing your friends!

** Editor Note: Brooke Hilliar is the granddaughter of Sherman and Nelda Bailey of Arab. Brooke lives in Cullman. "Choosing Your Friends Wisely" was a devotional that she presented during a recent youth revival.