Everyone has examples of bad friends to share with teens. I always point to a night I remember so clearly. I was driving down a dark, narrow two-lane road with the gas pedal to the floor. Intoxicated. It was the night my life hit rock bottom. I wasn’t man enough to throw my truck into a tree, but if I happened to lose control, then so be it.
How did I get to that point? Two words: bad friends. Don’t get me wrong. I owned my actions. My friends didn’t put me behind the wheel. I was responsible for the mess that was my life.
But the man behind the steering wheel that night allowed the actions of his friends to influence the man God created him to be. “Bad company corrupts good morals,” says Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:33. But those words never applied to me…or so I thought.
Looking back, I realize my naivety. The words did apply to me. Truth isn’t selective; it doesn’t pick and choose. And the truth in Paul’s words is a warning for us: Your friends will shape your life. In fact, friendships contribute more to who you’ll be (or have become) than any factor outside of God. Bold words, I know.
But this might change the trajectory of your life. Through these examples of bad friends, I pray that you might see where a friend is shackling you from becoming the person God created you to be. And I hope you’ll make some changes.
Your friends can challenge you to achieve things you never imagined. Your friends can also cripple your dreams, leaving you feeling hopeless. Keep reading to learn about examples of bad friends. Then steer clear of them!
7 Examples of Bad Friends
1. The “tells you what you want to hear” friend
These friends say exactly what you want them to say and do exactly what you want them to do. To put it bluntly, they’re groupies, not friends. Groupies think their respective group, player, etc. hung the moon. The person they admire could open-hand slap an old lady on a cane, and a groupie would find some way to justify it.
These people are examples of bad friends because they don’t really love you. They’re infatuated with something you have. Popularity. Looks. Athleticism. But they aren’t concerned with pointing you to God and challenging you to be the best man or woman you can be.
Friends who love you and want you to succeed point out flaws. Friends who love you and want you to succeed point out your inconsistencies. They don’t enjoy doing that. But, with love and grace, they step into difficult conversations because they can’t bear to watch you continue down a path that might lead to destruction.
2. The “not that serious about God” friend
You know these friends. They usually attend worship on Sunday. They might go on a foreign mission trip. But they never give God their lives. These friends are lukewarm and think God is okay with having just some of the pie.
These friends are toxic because they model a dangerous approach to Christian living. This approach says status-quo Christianity is okay. These friends maintain that you don’t need to be a Jesus freak. Jesus freaks don’t enjoy life. So go to worship on Sunday, read the Bible occasionally, but leave a piece of the pie for yourself.
And the moment you try to go “all in” for God, you’ll meet fierce resistance. Believe me. I’ve been there. Several times in my teenage and early-adult years, I wanted to go all in for God. But my friends weren’t in the same place. They saw my attempt to go all in as a threat to our Friday and Saturday nights. So they said things like, “Are you really going to stop partying, getting drunk, etc.? You know there’s no way you’ll stick to it. In two weeks, you’ll be back to your old self.”
And those examples of bad friends were right. After a few weeks, I was back to my old self. As long as “not that serious about God” friends are close enough to you to ask these questions, you’ll never give your full allegiance to God.
