Fight the good fight of faith. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV) When a butterfly emerges from a cocoon, a struggle is involved. Effort is also required when a chick hatches from an egg. First you hear the sound of faint tapping; then small cracks marble the surface. The chick works bit by bit to free itself from the egg. In a similar way, you also have to do something different to change your situation when you feel confined in life. A struggle may be involved, but you need to know what you’re struggling against so you don’t waste your energy. People often waste time and effort fighting the devil. In reality, your biggest battle takes place within your own heart. You see, your heart determines how …

Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. Proverbs 27:6 (NLT) We’ve been on a series talking about the wisdom of Proverbs for relationships, and today we’re going to cover two proverbs on the topic of friendship. The first, Proverbs 27:6, talks about wounds from a sincere friend, and it’s not talking about holding on to friends who purposefully hurt you. These wounds it speaks of are the little loving corrections we can get from good friends. You see, we all have blind spots—problems or bad habits that we don’t see or that we’re choosing to ignore. Sometimes we need a good friend to point out one of these areas to us. A good friend might point out when they …

The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26 (NKJV) To a large degree, the friends you choose determine the direction of your life. Every person you enter into a relationship with has the power to influence you, which is why today’s verse encourages us to choose our friends carefully. We know this is true of kids. We say things like, Little Johnny got in with the wrong crowd, and now he’s in trouble all the time. As adults, sometimes we think we’re immune to the influence of others, but it’s not true. In reality, we are all impressionable to a certain extent. Our hearts absorb whatever we expose them to, whether we are conscious of …

The heart is delighted by the fragrance of oil and sweet perfumes, and in just the same way, the soul is sweetened by the wise counsel of a friend. Proverbs 27:9 (VOICE) The book of Proverbs contains many principles for building great friendships. We’ve been on a series talking about Proverbs’ wisdom for relationships, and today we’re going to cover another point. Today’s verse says that our souls are sweetened by the wise counsel of a friend. Sometimes we just want to be our friends’ cheerleaders. When they tell us about their problems and conflicts, we are tempted to get upset right along with them. We think that we should always side with our friends, so we agree with them when they point the finger …

A true friend loves regardless of the situation, and a real brother exists to share the tough times. Proverbs 17:17 (VOICE) We’ve been on a series about the wisdom of Proverbs for our relationships, and today’s verse provides another gem about how to be a true friend. Let’s dive in to its two main points. In today’s verse, we’re encouraged to love unconditionally, regardless of the situation, and share in those tough times. All too often, we are so busy or so focused on getting our own needs met that we miss opportunities to be there for our friends and family. We try to convince ourselves that someone else will do it—someone else will stop in on that friend who’s grieving, who just lost their …