The friends you choose reflect and influence the person you are. There are two more relationships I want to mention.

Business partners are very important relationships because when you are in business with a person, that person will inevitably have a very strong influence on you, just as a marriage partner does. From 1 Corinthians 6:14 we see that believers should not be yoked together with unbelievers, and when you have a legal or implied partnership with someone in business, that is being yoked together. That partner has the power and influence to make decisions and form business practices which could be quite unbiblical and unacceptable to a believer who intends to honor God in their business lives.

I don't believe this applies to co-workers, people we work with or for, but to those with whom we are in some kind of partnership. So, if you're in business with someone, or contemplating it, remember that if you choose the wrong partner, you will be inviting disaster to your business endeavor as well as your spiritual life.

Another relationship you need to be very cautious about is anyone you go to as a counselor. Whether that counselor is a casual acquaintance, good friend, a professional psychologist, or a spiritual leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that the counsel you receive is biblical and edifying. Just because someone has a degree of some sort, or has a position of importance or influence does not automatically mean that that person is qualified to be your counselor.

How do you know if you're with the right counselor or not?  Well, if a counselor gives you advice that is in any way unbiblical, you have chosen the wrong counselor. Any counselor who leads you to be self-focused, to concentrate primarily on your past, to shift blame, and to be dependent upon them instead of the Lord, is not giving you good counsel. In Psalm 1:1 (NASB) we read that blessed is the person who walks not in the counsel of the wicked. Be careful from whom you seek counsel.

Remember the verse from Proverbs 12:26: "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."  It is so true that when we continue in wrong relationships, we are much more likely to go down to their level than we are to bring them up to our level. So, please check out your relationships. They are having a significant impact in your life.

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