Not Every Agreement Is Loyalty
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:6 KJV
An audience that cheers every decision is not the same as a group of faithful friends. People can enjoy your bad choices because those choices entertain them. A friend may risk your displeasure because your well-being matters more than your approval.
Proverbs teaches us to distinguish honest care from flattering harm. Examine correction by truth and purpose. Faithful correction agrees with Scripture and addresses a real concern instead of simply humiliating you. Cruelty does not become godly because someone calls it a hard truth.
Be willing to receive a faithful warning. Be willing to give one without arrogance. If a friend is in serious danger, get responsible help instead of promising secrecy. Love should not assist a person in doing what will harm him.
Keep the passage in context
The proverb contrasts faithful correction from a friend with an enemy's deceptive affection. Loving honesty can be uncomfortable. It does not excuse cruelty, insults, or physical harm in the name of correction.
Read further: Proverbs 27 in the King James Bible.