FRIENDS THAT ARE NOT TRUE FRIENDS AT ALL

We have all been in relationships in which we thought

someone was our friend and then down the road realized he

or she wasn’t a true friend. A true friend doesn’t just call

themself a friend, but backs up his or her words with action.

Here are 6 “friends” to avoid.

The back-stabber. This is someone who acts one

way in front of you, but acts totally different behind

your back. A back-stabber cannot be trusted by anyone.

2. The user. The user is just looking for a temporary

friend. This person will borrow your friendship for personal

gain and then toss you like a dirty dishrag.

3. The control freak. “It’s my way or the highway,” this

one will say. The control freak will not compromise.

You’re only going and doing what this person wants to

do. Your opinion doesn’t matter.

4. The manipulator. If you don’t want to do what the

manipulator wants you to do, this person will find a

way to convince you to do it his or her way. The

manipulator is sly and will influence you to do things

you never thought you would do—all for his or her

own selfish ambitions.

5. The moocher. This person wants you to provide for

his or her every need. “Can I borrow your clothes?”

“Can I borrow your car?” “Can I borrow a couple of

bucks?” As you give, you’ll never receive anything in

return. In plain English, this person is a bum.

6. The complainer. You can never please the complainer

no matter what you do. If you gave this person

a $100 bill, he or she would complain because it’s not

2 $50 bills. Save yourself and avoid this one.

REASONS FRIENDSHIP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ROMANCE

Romance is a good thing. As a married man, I know. However,

friendship is more important: it should be the foundation that

romance is built on. Let’s take a look at 3 reasons friendship

is more important than romance.

. Longevity. Friendship is long-lasting. Romance is

temporary. Romance is defined as a strong, usually

short-lived, attachment or feeling. Friendship is there

for the long haul.

2. Not a feeling. It’s a fact. The feeling of romance will

come and go. Romance has a lot to do with its environment

and circumstances. Friendship, on the other

hand, is there whether we feel it or not.

3. You can be yourself. You don’t have to worry about

impressing others. There is no need for you to present

yourself in an unrealistic manner to gain affection. A

true friend will still love you when you’ve had one too

many Big Macs.

THINGS REAL FRIENDS NEVER DO TO EACH OTHER

If you want to be a real friend, I suggest you do the complete

opposite of these 5 things.

1. Lie and deceive. A real friend looks out for the

interest of others. We must realize that to lie and

deceive does not protect anyone, but it hurts all parties

involved. Be a person of truth and honesty.

2. Spread rumors. Be sure you are a positive promoter

for your friends, not a negative rumor spreader. If

you’re talking bad about someone else, someone else

is probably talking bad about you.

3. Be jealous. Love is not jealous.We

should be the happiest people our friends know

when they succeed. If your friend gets a new video

game system, don’t be jealous. Enjoy the benefits of

your friendship.

4. Discourage. Discouragement is simply the taking

away of courage. Encourage—give your friends the

courage to face all opportunities and obstacles that

come their way. Be your friend’s number-one fan.

5. Give up. Jesus is our ultimate example of a real

friend. Are you thankful He never gave up on us? As a

real friend, you shouldn’t quit on your friends because

of challenging times. Jesus said He would never leave

us or forsake us. Let’s make that commitment as well.

FRIENDSHIP KILLERS YOU MUST AVOID

Good friends are hard to come by, and acquiring good friends

is only half the battle. The other half is keeping them. If you

want to keep your friends, I suggest you don’t do these friendship

killers.

1. Gossip. Gossip is simply mischievous talk about the

affairs of others.

separates close friends. A good friend will keep what

he or she knows in confidence, unless someone in

authority needs to be notified.

2. Selfishness. How can we expect to keep the

company of others if we are only concerned about

ourselves? In Philippians 2:3, Paul wrote that we are

to consider others better than ourselves. If we act

unselfishly, we will encourage our friendships to grow.

3. Unforgiveness. Our friends will make mistakes.

Why? Because they are human. As our friends miss it

and then turn from their mistakes or sin, we are to

forgive them. We are to forgive our friends as Christ

forgave us

WAYS TO ATTRACT NEW FRIENDA

Iacocca says, “Success comes not from what you know,

but from who you know and how you present yourself to each

of those people.”1 Good friendships are vital to success.

Maybe you are in need of some good friends.

Here are 5 ways to attract new friends.

1. Smile. Turn that frown upside down. This gesture

may be small, but it packs a powerful punch. Showing

those pearly whites is a magnet to new friends (be sure

those pearls are white).

2. Listen. Let others talk about themselves, then

respond. When someone else is talking, don’t be

thinking about what you’re going to say. Give the

person your ear and thoughts.

3. Be dependable. Be there for others during the good

and the bad. Anyone can be there for the fun times, but

only a friend will be there when things get rough.

4. Keep your word. If you say you are going to do

something, do it. Keep your word even if you don’t

feel like it. If you can’t keep a promise, then don’t

make it. It’s better to under- promise and overachieve.

5. Help others succeed. Be others-minded. Ask yourself,

“How can I help this person?” Then do something

about it. If you have this mindset, you will attract so

many friends you won’t know what to do.