The Bible tells us that those who walk with the wise will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed (Prov. 13:20).

Here are 5 different kinds of "friends" that can destroy your relationship with the Lord:

1. The mocker: the friend who always makes fun of spiritual things.
   
2. The doubter: the friend who believes and talks about the worst; usually the last to acknowledge what God can do.
   
3. The compromiser: the friend who goes to church and talks a good talk but, more often than not, does not back it up with a life that honors God.
   
4. The proud: the friend who thinks he or she is more spiritual than you or anyone else and constantly displays a critical attitude about everyone else's "lack of commitment".
   
5. The gossip: the friend who always "talks down" other people around you. If a person says negative things to you about his or her other friends, what is the person saying to them about you?

Source: Every Teenager's Little Black Book of Hard
to Find Information by Blaine Bartel.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers