You need people who believe in you to surround you. Those who will vouch for you, stand for you, and say categorically that they know you. Unfortunately, many crowd up their lives with people with whom they share only a flitting relationship. Those who are there for the benefit, when your life can dispense such benefits.
Some share with you the wave of success in terms of material accomplishment and social recognition. The Bible describes this as the pride of life. Many who claim the Lord’s name are caught in such a wave. And it is just half the distance to the lust of the eyes and of the flesh. The three, namely, pride of life, lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, are a triplet. You find one somewhere because the others are present. And they are in display because the love of the Father is no longer in existence.
You will be a steadfast and committed person in the Lord before you can find those who will believe deeply in you, vouch for you and willingly make sacrifices for you. The best of such relationships are lifelong. In other words, you draw valuable relationships because you are yourself valuable. The Spirit of Jesus helps to sift our thoughts, motives and actions and therefore bestows us with the power to nurture enduring relationships.
Some trustful relationships pass on to succeeding generations. We find an example in the transition between David and Solomon. David had a formidable relationships with Nathan the Prophet and Zadok the High Priest. There was also a man named Hushai. You find him playing a role during the uprising of Absalom. The two sons of Nathan went on to become very influential under Solomon. One was even designated as “the king’s friend”, an extremely strategic position in any dispensation, if you ask me. The sons of Zadok and Hushai were also very powerful in the new regime. These truths are recorded in the boring passage about Solomon’s officers. And I recommend you do not leaf over such portions in your Bible you may find tedious during your private study.
The present generation needs to understand the power of viable relationships. And as earlier indicated, this is distinct from fair weather friendship which exists purely to massage your defective ego. Believe me, you have nothing, and you are nothing, in the absence of a community that supports and trusts you. Remember also, it is impossible to stay faithful to God without Him building such a strong wall of strength around you. The church of God was the primary place to find such a band before we built an ambience that is more in resemblance of a party house or a political party! You have everything if you have people, however few, who are so convinced, they can lay their very lives down, or put their interests at jeopardy, for your sake.