Choose Godly Friends.

[missmuffet]

Are your friends and associates godly people? If you spend time with people who are walking with the Lord, it will help you to grow closer to Him. The company that you spend your time with can influence how you view the situations and circumstances of your life. 

So consider: Do the people you associate with meditate on God's Word? Do they have a Christ-centered lifestyle? Do they have a humble spirit and seek godly solutions to problems? If not, then you may want to examine the time you spend with certain people and how they influence your daily decisions, behaviors and opinions. 

[ravindran]

I think this is pretty true. Friends definitely influence our spiritual lives. Bad friendship could suck time out which could be better spent. I think this is also very important when you have little kids. Kids easily get influenced. While we cannot control who they develop friendship with, we should try to put them in situation of good influence as much as possible.

[missmuffet]

19 minutes ago, ravindran said:

I think this is pretty true. Friends definitely influence our spiritual lives. Bad friendship could suck time out which could be better spent. I think this is also very important when you have little kids. Kids easily get influenced. While we cannot control who they develop friendship with, we should try to put them in situation of good influence as much as possible.

I agree. Our children are very easily persuaded. I think Satan tries to work on our children very early. That is why we need to be very careful as parents. 

[turtletwo]

46 minutes ago, missmuffet said:

you may want to examine the time you spend with certain people and how they influence your daily decisions, behaviors and opinions. 

@miss muffet Definitely true. In my early walk with Christ I learned this the hard way. I thought I could help my best friend. But in the end her worldly ways were rubbing off on me instead. It happens quite subtly. Sometimes, by the time you're aware of it damage has already been done.

 Christian Standard Bible
Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

Contemporary English Version
Don't fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you. (1 Cor 15:33)

[Havelock]

I agree it is important to have friends that are godly and a rock to lean on and a good example to you in Christ.

However, there might be a slight but - and that is that having a variety of friends, both atheists and agnostic or perhaps of a different religious persuasion can be beneficial as long as you have the strength of the belief to hold on to what you have.

A respectful debate with an atheist can set you thinking about godly things in different angles. Ones that you wouldn't have discovered on your own. For example a useful technique for me when I'm reading the Bible is trying to imagine I'm explaining what I read to one of my atheist friends or perhaps a child who has never heard of God - not necessarily persuading, just explaining - and it often leads me to a thought process that ends in a sudden understanding of what I read from an angle that was previously hidden to me.

Conversations with my atheist friends and observations of their lives - with the help of Holy Spirit - have lead me to conclusions and ideas I wouldn't be able to think up on my own.

Of course it's very important to have a good Christian base to refer to and friends who are able to relate to everyday struggles and joys of a Christian as well :)

[BeauJangles]

47 minutes ago, missmuffet said:

Are your friends and associates godly people?

I'm not comfortable even making acquaintances with people who don't have some kind of belief in Christ. If there are other things in common, that may work for a while, but it always comes down to faith in the long run. At that point, it just gets too awkward to carry on a relationship of any kind. Much less, consider hanging around. 

[Sower]

I have had to be in the world, because of my trade. I may meet several new
people weekly, and become friends with some. Professionally. Associates.
I have developed friendships with many over the years. I cannot remove
myself from "worldly people"and remain in business.
Some of these people remain friends, some good friends.
Many are not born again. Many of my relatives are not born again.
Many of my neighbors are friends, and not saved.
I try to be friendly with total strangers I may encounter.
I do not go to church with them, nor study scripture with them.
I do try to share scripture with all of them, the unsaved, when it is possible.
I believe the opportunity to sow seeds with them is a wonderful privilege, and great blessing.
If you would know how well versed you are, try sharing the word to strangers you meet, daily.
A good test for myself as to my boldness, or lack thereof. And my concern for them, or lack.
I feel I have let the Lord down should I not somehow steer the conversation eventually to how
God has blessed me and my family, how He takes care of us, since I/we have been born again. 
The mission field might come to your front door. If you ask God. Get ready. Be friendly.

 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.