why it is important to have christian friends

This past weekend i had a sleepover to celebrate my 18th birthday, all the girls i invited were from my church .Being a teenager (well now I'm an adult :p) its hard to find friends that are a good influence and that can help you with your walk with God. Ive only been a christian since i was sixteen , and "REAL" christian friends that are truly living for Christ  are A LOT different than your average people that you meet. I am so blessed to have the friends that i have for many reasons. I believe that God puts these people in my life to help me with my walk with God, and also so that i can help my friends.The bible talks about being equally yolked, and how believers should not be unequally yolked with unbelievers and i have tried  countless times to be  close friends with people who are completely against what i believe in, and usually one of two things happen, 1. I choose to give up those friends because maintaining a friendship with an unbeliever is very difficult, or 2. getting influenced and sucked into their way of thinking,living,and acting. Now I'm not saying this will happen to you , this is just my experience.

2 Corinthians 6:14

 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

  

Quiet time

I love getting into the word of god with my friends,but i think its so importnat to be able to be one on one with the Lord. I find that God speaks to me the most when im in his word all by myself . The reason why its easier for God to speak to me is simply because theres no distractions, even during service its so hard to hear from God because im so busy just trying to take everything in. I have made it a forced habbit to get into the word of God every morning , and its not always easy, but its always worth it.A lot of people including myself ask "how do i hear from God?" and on thing ive learned that so many people dont realize is that Gods word is how he speaks to us, its so simple .

so here are some ideas for quiet time:

1.First thing in the morning

I love reading my bible first thing in the morning because sometimes the negitivity from the day can put me in a mood where i really dont want to read it, so if i read it before my day even starts it prevents most of those negative feelings and its the BEST way to start out the day!

2. In tough situations

Wether its an argument , or just a person whos giving you a bad time, there are certin times when we need to just step back from the situation and go to God .If you give yourself some quiet time with God and give your problems to the Lord he will sustain you.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved

3. Before you go to bed
No matter how your day went its always good to end your day with some quiet time with God .
I find that when i talk to God before bed thats when i spill my heat out and tell him EVERYTHING
its usually the easiest time for me too, because by the time i go to bed everyone else is already asleep so its just me and God :)

Sometimes all it takes is a little quiet time to really hear from GOD.

                                 -Ali