12 Scriptures from the Book of Proverbs about How to Choose Your Friends

Your friends can either positively or negatively affect your life. Thus, it is important for you to wisely choose them. In this post, discover what the wisest king who ever lived had to say about choosing your friends.

Choosing your friends can be tough without wisdom. When you thought that you finally made the right friends, you eventually realized that you made the wrong choice. Thankfully, you can turn to the Bible to find wisdom on how to choose the right friends.

But why the Bible, you may ask. Well, first and foremost, it is the ultimate source of truth, knowledge, and wisdom that are revealed to us by the supreme and omnipotent God of the universe. Therefore, if you want to live this life the right way, it is only through God’s revealed word and wisdom you can achieve this.

While there are many places in the Bible where you can read topics and issues about friendship, I will particularly focus on one book, the Proverbs.

Proverbs are written by the wisest man who ever lived in World. Through God’s Holy Spirit, King Solomon was driven to write the book of wisdom or proverbs. Therefore, it is not quite a surprise if we will concentrate on this book.

In this article, I will be listing practical advice on how to choose your friends according to God’s will and purpose.

By reading these proverbs, you will surely develop a WISER heart and mind that will make you a better person. Each of these proverbs is packed with down-to-earth and sound advice that when you practice them daily, YOU WILL SURELY HAVE A HAPPIER LIFE.

How to Choose Your Friends According to the book of Proverbs

How can you wisely choose your friends?

1. Proverbs 1:10-19

My child, when sinners tempt you, don’t give in.

Suppose they say, “Come on; let’s find someone to kill! Let’s attack some innocent people for the fun of it! They may be alive and well when we find them, but they’ll be dead when we’re through with them! We’ll find all kinds of riches and fill our houses with loot! Come and join us, and we’ll all share what we steal.” 

My child, don’t go with people like that. Stay away from them. They can’t wait to do something bad. They’re always ready to kill. It does no good to spread a net when the bird you want to catch is watching, but people like that are setting a trap for themselves, a trap in which they will die.

Robbery always claims the life of the robber—this is what happens to anyone who lives by violence.

2. Proverbs 4:14-19

Do not go where evil people go.

DO NOT follow the example of the wicked. 

Don’t do it!

Keep away from evil! Refuse it and go on your way. Wicked people cannot sleep unless they have done something wrong. They lie awake unless they have hurt someone. Wickedness and violence are like food and drink to them. 

The road the righteous travel is like the sunrise, getting brighter and brighter until daylight has come. The road of the wicked, however, is dark as night. They fall, but cannot see what they have stumbled over.

3. Proverbs 12:26

The righteous person is a guide to his friend, but the path of the wicked leads them astray.

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4. Proverbs 13:20

Keep company with the wise and YOU WILL BECOME WISE. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.

This proverb is truly useful when it comes to being wise. This has proven to be really true when I was still studying. As part of my strategy, I tried to make it a point to be surrounded by my bright classmates. I tried to study not only our lessons but the habits of my classmates who were topping our class. As a result, I also received good grades on my own. Proverbs 13:20 can also be used in other aspects of our life.

Therefore, if you want to be wise, you must surround your self with wise people.

5. Proverbs 14:7

STAY AWAY FROM FOOLISH PEOPLE; they have nothing to teach you.

6. Proverbs 16:19

VIOLENT PEOPLE deceive their friends and lead them to disaster.

7. Proverbs 18:24

Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers.

How wonderful it is to find a friend who sticks to you as close a brother. This type of friends is truly a blessing from God.

8. Proverbs 19:4, 6-7

Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend. 

Many curry favor of an official; everyone is a friend of the gift giver. All the relatives of a poor person shun him—how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he runs after them pleading, they aren’t around.

This proverb needs a little explanation. At first glance, it might send a negative connotation as telling us that only wealthy people have friends.

Verse 4 tells us that if you have money, people will be attracted to you not because of genuine brotherly love but because of what they can get from your wealth. It is said: “If you are rich, there will be more people to help you… spend your money.” These people are more concern about what they can get instead of what they can give.

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9. Proverbs 22:24-25

Don’t make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. You might learn about their habits and not be able to change.

There is a danger when you choose the wrong type of friends. There are only two possibilities; first is that you will influence them for the good or they will influence you for the worse. Most often than not, it is the latter consequence that happens.

10. Proverbs 27:17

People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.

11. Proverbs 28:7

Young people who obey the law are intelligent. Those who make friends with good-for-nothings are a disgrace to their parents.

12. Proverbs 29:3

If you appreciate wisdom, your parents will be proud of you. It is a foolish waste to spend money on prostitutes.

These are the 12 scriptures found in the Book of Proverbs about how to choose your friends. We are blessed because we are given the truth and wisdom on how to choose friends. We do not have to experiment our way and see which actually works because wisdom is already revealed to us.

The QUESTION left for you now is: “Will you read these scriptures and apply them in your life?”

Knowing wisdom is one thing but applying them in your life is a whole different dimension. You must be able to learn wisdom and be able to translate these valuable lessons in your life.

The friends you are about to choose should lead you to following God and not away from God.

You will eventually become like the people you spend most of your time with.

You will eventually become like the people you spend most of your time with.

How you choose your friends will exponentially affect your life. So choose wisely; CHOOSE according to God’s standard.


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