“Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go, lest thou learn his ways and get a snare to thy soul.” – Proverbs 22:24-25 (KJV)
It’s important to understand that our associations significantly influence our emotions. Before I got married over fifteen years ago, I enjoyed having many friends. Even in my early days as a young minister, I often visited friends. However, after I got married, I realized that my wife was the complete opposite. In fact, since we’ve been married, I’ve never seen her, nor heard her say, that she was going to visit a friend.
Over time, I began to recognize that some of the negative emotions I frequently expressed were learned from my friends. If you tend to struggle with anger, it’s crucial to surround yourself with calm and prayerful people. You will, consciously or unconsciously, begin to adopt their way of handling emotions. God used my wife to teach me a great deal about patience and calmness. Just as you can pick up the habits of hot-tempered individuals, you can just as easily learn from those who are calm and composed. This is why it’s so important to be mindful of the friends you choose.
PRAYER:
Ask God to deliver you from unhealthy associations and guide you toward relationships that nurture patience and peace.