Tag Archives: character

Mirror Mirror

“All your commands are
trustworthy.” Psalm 119:86-NIV

Mirror Mirror

“You are what you
eat,” or so the saying goes. Our bodies tend to reflect the choices we make in
life, and that often goes to our detriment. Our skin reflects too much sun
exposure, our body mass index reflects too much donut exposure, our frown
wrinkles reflect years of bitterness and angst, our energy levels often reflect
our activity levels…and on it goes.

In much the same way
the Bible is a reflection of God’s character. It is God’s mirror, divinely
designed for us to gaze into and capture a glimpse of the heart of an almighty
sovereign God.

“Your laws are true.”
Psalm 119:142

“The statutes you
have laid down are righteous.” Psalm 119:138

“Your word is a lamp.”
Psalm 119:105

“Your instructions
are…valuable.” Psalm 119:72

This is just the
surface of Psalm 119 and the heart of God himself. We read these words and
automatically assume we’re talking about the word of God, and we are, but when
we’re talking about God’s word we’re also talking about the character of the Author!

Faithful

Righteous

True

Dependable

Sweet

Eternal

Guiding

Teaching

Priceless

If you own a Bible,
then you own a priceless mirror of the image and character of the holiest of
Holies, and you have the utmost privilege to pour over the pages and know your creator! How could you not
fall in love with Him and his words as the Psalmist clearly has done? The more
you focus on His perfect reflection through his words, the more attractive he
becomes, and the more you want to know.

He is truly
captivating, as is every word he breathed for us.

Prayer

Jesus, how grateful I am for the gift of your
word! The privilege I have of gazing into your heart whenever I want is a
treasure I often don’t take advantage of. Continue to develop your character in
my life and help me to fall in love with you more every day as I become a
mirror of your life to those around me

Settled

 “Forever, O Lord, your
word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 119:89-NKJV

Settled

Look in the mirror.
How often has your appearance changed over the years? How about your wardrobe?
If you’re honest with yourself, there may be a decade (or two) that you’d
rather forget when it comes to fashion!

Trends come and go;
music fads change; seasons change; ideas change; even the tires on our car
change (at the worst times, might I add!). Everywhere we look something is changing, and frankly it
gets to be a little tiresome. How do we keep up with it all unless we spend
money? Of course, that usually requires a job
change!

What a drag.

But wait…I see the
sun beams breaking through the graying clouds of our downcast spirit. Now there is something constant! The sun!
When have you ever woken up and not found the sun in the sky? Maybe it was
hidden behind some storm clouds, but you knew it was there, and it would shine
again. It’s constant, you can count on it. We count on the stars to be there at
night and the earth to continue rotating on its axis. Who put all of these
things in motion, anyways? Do we count on Him? If God’s creation is constant,
how much more so is his Word! No, it’s
not only constant, it’s settled!

Established.

Firm.

Immovable.

God has made up his
mind about a few things (to say the least) and he has graciously poured them
out into print for us: the BIBLE! What pleasure, what relief we have knowing anytime of the day or night we have the
honor of learning the heart of God through his inspired words! He breathed it,
he spoke it; these words have no variation. They are the same yesterday, today,
and forever, settled in heaven and on earth, unchanged for all eternity for you
and for me.

Prayer:

Jesus, when everything around me
bellows with uncertainty, I will cling to your words of life as the only unshakeable
source of constant truth.

I Do Not Compromise With Evil

 “[I] do not compromise with evil.” Psalm 119:3 (NLT)

“The surest way to abstain from doing evil is to be fully occupied in good.”

Charles H. Spurgeon (Treasury of David, Volume 6)

 

How often do we hear someone say (or even say it ourselves), “Well, this is what that verse means to me”? We are directed in 2 Timothy 2:15 to “be diligent to present yourself to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The New Living Translation puts it this way, “…one who correctly explains the word of truth.”  It’s not about what God’s word means to me; it’s about what God’s word says-period.  We need God’s continual transformation of our hearts in alignment to His word, in this way we can become aware of the many counterfeits standing in line to take our attention, our love, and our devotion away from the One who deserves it. Compromise often comes when we don’t fully understand the truth. “Sin will keep us from the Bible, or the Bible will keep us from sin-one or the other.” (John Phillips, Exploring the Psalms)

Affliction in the Silence

 “When will you comfort me?” Psalm 119:82 (NLT)

“My eyes strain to see your rescue.” Psalm 119:123 (NLT)

Affliction in the Silence

“John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’” Matthew 11:2-3

Even greats like John the Baptist experienced the painful affliction of silence, when left to fester in our minds this affliction often leads us to doubt. John the Baptist had been sitting in prison, awaiting his death, and I am sure during this time he expected Jesus to come to his rescue. But as time went by he started to wonder if everything he preached, everything he believed, everything he based his life on was even true at all. Had he made one colossal mistake when he invested his life in Jesus? Reading these words of John is almost a reassurance; yes, doubt is normal!  If we continue reading through Matthew 11 we would also see that John’s doubts were calmed by Jesus’ message delivered through the disciples, which reignited his passion and devotion to Jesus. God often allows us to wait in silence and the appearance of unanswered prayers to build our faith and endurance. When we are experiencing the silence that leads us to doubt we need to go back to God’s word for our reassurance; this is where God gives us the comfort of confirmation that he is still at work, and very much caring for our every discomfort.

Afflicted in My Conviction

 “…In faithfulness you have afflicted me.” Psalm 119:75 (NIV)

Afflicted in My Conviction

“So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.” Genesis 3:8

The first man and woman had committed the first act of willful disobedience to a direct command of God. Their heavenly Father came down from His throne to have a conversation with his children, and they knew they had to answer for their choice. Their first reaction: hide!

When we are willfully making choices that go against what God has made clear to us in His word we often find ourselves in a cycle of avoidance. Our prayer life gets a bit stale, and our Bible gets dusty. We avoid our Father because we feel something called “guilt”. God chooses to allow us to feel guilt as a divine means of convicting our hearts of sin and drawing us back to fellowship with Him. However, if your guilt leads you to shame, self-condemnation, despair, or hopelessness, then you are experiencing the guilt of the Enemy, who masks God-given guilt for a counterfeit guilt meant to tear down and destroy your soul.

If you are avoiding fellowship with God ask yourself if the guilt you are experiencing is God-given and necessary to convict you of sin that separates you from Him. If you have confessed all known sins and are still experiencing guilt, know that it’s merely a tactic of Satan to draw you into yourself and keep your focus off of the forgiveness God wants you to experience. God given guilt will always lead to repentance and renewed fellowship with Him!

Stand Firm; Fight with Faith

Stand Firm; Fight with Faith

 “And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” Romans 14:4b

When we think of words like fight, battle, and war we often get an image in our head that resembles many gruesome scenes. Perhaps this is due to the movie generation we live in where everything is put on the “big screen”, and easy for us to imagine. War movies are particularly popular. Maybe you’ve already got scenes from “Saving Private Ryan” in your head, or “Independence Day” (if you’re into alien movies), a western story like “Tombstone” is a favorite of mine. All of these movies have a common theme: the heroes have to fight for their freedom, and they must use a lot of violence. In all practical sense it is very logical to believe that in war we must fight with weapons, and use force to take what is rightfully ours.

Friends, we are in a very real battle in the spiritual realms. We are cautioned:

 “For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12(NLT)

Does this verse make you a bit nervous? The truth is, we are in a very real war, it is raging and you and I are IN this war, whether or not we want to admit it. We are either pawns on the chessboard, or we are active participants, ranking in God’s army and being used to fight against the “rulers…of the unseen world”. I know I would rather be a bishop in God’s army then a pawn in Satan’s chess game. We do have a choice as to what “player” we are going to be.

 But this isn’t a message about choosing to fight, or what player you want to be in the war. This is about strategy. Assuming you want to fight, what is the strategy you need to use to be a successful victor against these “mighty powers in this dark world”? We can be sure that this is serious business, and we need to know how to fight God’s way. One thing is certain: our battle plan will always fail.

First, we look to God’s Word and see how He instructed His faithful followers to fight in the battles laid out before them, and from that we will get some clues as to what our strategy should be.

Read Exodus 14:21-30

 Finally the Israelites have been released from captivity under the oppression of the Egyptians. As they are fleeing, the Pharaoh is enraged and has a little change of heart. He instructs his armies to chase after the Israelites. Coming up to the Red Sea the people become desperate. Did they come all this way just to be recaptured and killed by the wicked Pharaoh?

 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise it over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground…My great glory will be displayed.’” Exodus 14:15-17(NLT)

 God didn’t tell the people to grab the nearest blunt object and fight for their lives, He didn’t even tell them to run across the dry ground. He instructed Moses to stand still and hold up his staff to part the Red Sea so the people could walk across. Be calm, and trust God to fight your battle.

 “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today…The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still.’” Exodus 14:13-14(NIV)

This is one marvelous example of many. You can look at them for yourself. In Judges 7:19-22 we see how God delivered Gideon and his very small army from the Midianites. What did they have to do? We are told:

“Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.” Judges 7:21

Again we see words like, stood, and watched as the means for “battle”. Not exactly logical by worldly standards, but that is exactly how God’s glory is revealed! He takes the impossible and makes it possible only through Him, so there can be no denying His hand’s work. In Acts 16:25-27 Paul and Silas literally sat and sang their way out of prison!

 “All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off.”

In Daniel 3 we read of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who did nothing but stand for what they knew was right and they were delivered from the fiery furnace and God’s glory was revealed to all who witnessed it. Daniel 7 reminds us of how Daniel stood for what he knew was right, and was cast into a den of hungry lions for it! Did he pick up a club and start fighting for his life? Nope! It wasn’t necessary because he trusted God.

 “My God sent His angel to shut the lion’s mouth so that they would not hurt me.” Daniel 7:22

And finally I will mention the greatest example of all. Jesus Himself modeled for us His desire for us to stand firm, and fight with our faith, and use the Word of God as our weapon. In Matthew 4:1-11 we read of how Satan came to tempt Jesus after He had spent 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness. He was in a state of physical weakness, and most vulnerable to a spiritual attack. From this we are given an important clue. Our physical weakness does matter, and Satan will use that against us. He comes to us in our weakness and whispers enticing deceptions into our minds, and this is the biggest battle of all. We must have the Word of God stored up in our hearts to fight against this attack. During this time of temptation Jesus did not physically fight with Satan, He only used His words. He quoted the Scriptures, and He knew the will of His Father so He was not deterred by any of the “enticements” laid out before Him. Some things are made very clear from this encounter.

First, we must have an intimate prayer life with our heavenly Father to know His will for our lives. If we are in a state of confusion we are more vulnerable to the lies of the Enemy and more likely to make unwise choices.

 Secondly, we must know the Word of God, it must be hidden in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). How can we resist the devil unless we know what we are resisting? We have to know the truth to recognize the lies!

 Third, when we know the truth, we must then rest in that knowledge and trust God to follow through on His promises.

 “The Lord Himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The Lord will keep watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” Psalm 121:5,8

This is truth that sets us free! We must trust in this truth, choose to believe what He tells us, and live with faith. The key strategy for our battle is standing firm, using our weapon (the Word of God), and exercising Faith in His truth!

“Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

 “Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 3:7-8

 “Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.” Psalm 4:4

 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

 “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” Ephesians 6:13-14 (NLT)

“Good” Parenting Starts in My Heart

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deut 6:5-8

How to be a good parent in one sentence.

Society chooses to fill the minds of children with useless garbage, yet we as parents have a choice as what to teach our kids. What we allow them to spend time with, what we allow them to read, watch, and DO. All of these things truly effect their eternity, and it falls on US to teach them the right path. It is our responsibility as parents, and indeed, we will answer for our choices to teach our children-or not teach them the only thing that truly matters. Sounds serious? This is serious! Life is not a joke, and we are responsible with equipping our children with the appropriate tools to deal with life in a godly, wise way. We can’t expect them to do this unless we ourselves are living it. After all, we are immitators of Christ, and this is what we want our children to immulate in us.

We are quick to quote Proverbs “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”, however, that training involves a lifestyle, not just filling our children’s minds with knowledge or sending them to Sunday School once a week. This passage from Deuteronomy is perfect; we are told to walk it, talk it, live it every morning noon and night. It is a way of life. It starts with us as parents. Do WE love the Lord our God with all OUR hearts, soul, strength, and mind? Let’s start there, and we won’t need to worry so much about what happens with our kids…

“Lord, change ME, teach ME, and let my child see YOU in me, and grow to love YOU as they see me loving You!”

Inner Sanctuary….Outer Court

Psalm 91:1 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High.”

“The blessings here promised are not for all believers, but for those who live in close fellowship with God. Every child of God looks toward the inner sanctuary and the mercyseat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence. Those who through rich grace obtain unusual and continuous communion with God, so as to benefits, which are missed by those who follow afar off, and grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Into the secret place those only come who know the love of God in Christ Jesus, and those only dwell there to whom to live is Christ.

Outer court worshippers little know what belongs to the inner sanctuary, or surely they would press until the place of nearness and divine familiarity became theirs. Those who are the Lord’s constant guests shall find that he will never suffer any to be injured within his gates; he has eaten the covenant salt with them, and is pledged for their protection. Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The Omnipotent Lord will shield all those who dwell with him, they shall remain under his care as guests under the protection of their host….Those who commune with God are safe with Him, no evil can reach them, for the outstretched wings of His power and love cover them from all harm. This protection is constant- they abide under it, and it is all sufficient, for it is the shadow of the Almighty, whose omnipotence will surely screen them from all attack. No shelter can be imagined at all comparable to the protection of Jehovah’s own shadow.

The more closely we cling to our Almighty Father the more confident we may be.”

-Charles H Spurgeon, (Treasury of David, Vol 5 pp 71-72)

There is most definitely a difference in relationship amongst believers with the Almighty God. We have the choice of what our relationship with Him will look like. Will we choose to fellowship with Him in His inner sanctuary of ultimate safety, peace, and protection? This is the promise He gives to us, and what a wonderful promise it is! Yet the entanglements of the world often overtake many believers, and while they do not lose their postion as family members with Christ as their Heavenly Father, they do lose out on the special fellowship that He had planned, truly that He had designed for each and every one of them. What a disheartening thought! All of these wonderful promises He openly gives us, and yet many still choose another way. As the story of the prodigal son tells us, the “son” never ceased to be a son, his relationship and place in the family was always secure despite the fact that he did not act like the father’s son, or respect the father’s gift. Yet he always remained the son. Just the same we see here that we are safe under the protection of the Almighty’s hand, IF we choose to dwell in His secret place! This place is not something all believers choose for themselves, yet they are no less believers, and still remain a part of the kingdom, but the fellowship they have with the Father is much different then with those who have chosen to dwell in this sacred secret place and His inner sanctuary. This intimate relationship with Christ Himself truly is a special treasure that only a small portion of believers ever experience, which is why there are seperate areas of worship. The inner sanctuary for those who have chosen to dwell closely to Him, and the outer courts for those who have chosen to look on in apathy all their lives. God loves us all the same, and all who put their trust in Jesus work on the cross to cleanse their sin are truly safe forever in His hand, never to be plucked out. (Romans 8:38-39) But we see here, very clearly, that there are varying levels of relationship with Him, and as God is no respecter of persons, that means this relationship is up to us and how we decide to pursue it. He offers it all equally and freely and desires we all experience His perfect peace, and protection. How it must grieve the Spirit when we choose other gods before HIM! Do you dwell in the inner sanctuary of the Most High? Are you abdiding in that secret place with your Almighty Father? He offers it freely, He promises you safety, protection, peace, and calm amidst the many storms of life. Whether or not you abide in those promises is up to YOU.

“He wishes us to know Him, and by His Word and by His Spirit He puts Himself before us. Ah! it is not His fault if we do not know Him. It is our own carelessness.” Mary B. M. Duncan, in “Under the Shadow” 1867

Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 91:7

Verse 7. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand.‏

“So terribly may the plague rage among men that the bills of mortality may become very heavy and continue to grow ten times heavier still, yet shall such as this Psalm speaks of survive the scythe of death. It shall not come nigh to thee. It shall not be so near as to be at thy side, and yet not nigh enough to touch thee; like a fire it shall burn all around, yet shall not the smell of it pass upon thee. How true is this of the plague of moral evil, of heresy, and of backsliding. Whole nations are infected, yet the man who communes with God is not affected by the contagion; he holds the truth when falsehood is all the fashion. Professors all around him are plague smitten, the church is wasted, the very life of religion decays, but in the same place and time, in fellowship with God, the believer renews his youth, and his soul knows no sickness. In a measure this also is true of physical evil; the Lord still puts a difference between Israel and Egypt in the day of his plagues. Sennacherib’s army is blasted, but Jerusalem is in health.
‘Our God his chosen people saves
Amongst the dead, amidst the graves.'”

-Charles Spurgeon (Treasury of David, Vol 5-pp77-78)

Godly Friendships and the Bible

Godly Friendships and the Bible

 

What does the Bible say about Godly friendships? What does the Bible say about how we are to conduct ourselves once we have found ourselves in a Godly friendship? We can be certain that there are principles to be found in the Bible relating to this important message and how we can be sure our friendships are God-honoring, personally edifying to the glory of God, and sanctifying to both individuals.

First and most importantly we are told in Ecclesiastes 4:12 that a close Godly friendship is essential in our Christian walk. It is not really an option if we want to be successful and victorious in our Christian living.

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken.” (NLT)

 

A Godly friend is necessary if we hope to stand firm against the Enemy’s attacks. Without that companionship we are made weaker. So, once we have found that Godly friend/s, how are we to act within that friendship? Will it always be perfect since all people involved are “Godly” and seeking Him first with their whole hearts? What happens in real life within the parameters of these friendships?

1-Face to Face Fellowship

“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Exodus 3:11 (NIV)

In this day and age this simple concept is quick to be overlooked. We text, we type, we email. Rarely do we meet face to face in real time fellowship with our friends. Can you imagine God texting Moses? Did you laugh? It sounds ludicrous doesn’t it? You might argue that this is the day and age we live in, and while there is truth in that statement, there is even greater truth in the words we read in Exodus. Friends see each other face to face. Let’s face it, when we can talk to each other and see each other’s facial expressions, hear each other’s tones, it lends itself to a lot less misinterpretation, misunderstanding, hurt feelings…etc. (Why didn’t she text me back? Why hasn’t she emailed me in 3 days? She hasn’t called me back, I know she must be mad, I better call so and so and talk about it!) Let’s commit to getting back to basics within our Godly friendships and just have some coffee (or tea or whatever!) and have some real fellowship, because that is how true Godly friendships are cultivated in a healthy way.

2-Influential

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

It’s very clear from this simple verse that those we choose to keep company with will influence our attitudes. Whether that’s in a Godly way or in a worldly way depends on those we spend time with. Proverbs is full of wisdom written by the wisest man on the earth, and we would do well to listen to the advice given when choosing that Godly friend. If we have our radar set on someone, we should ask ourselves, is this person going to influence me towards the character of Christ? Will this person be “sharpening” me into the fruits of the Spirit or the lusts of the flesh?

3-Openly Honest and Always Sincere

“An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” Proverbs 27:5-6 (NLT)

Sometimes even our best intentions are hurtful. The fact of the matter is this: even in the closest and Godliest of friendships, people are going to get hurt. This proverb tells us as much. It also tells us that this “friendly fire” is better than an enemy who merely pretends to be nice to your face while speaking blasphemies behind your back. I think we all know what it feels like to be betrayed in this way. You find out this person who you know and trusted has been gossiping about you, spreading hurtful rumors about you all the while pretending to be something totally different to your face. We are warned about this person, this person is double-minded, and not to be trusted. The friend who wounds us in their sincerity is much more desirable.  You can be reminded that even this wounding is a blessing! Your Godly friend is being honest and sincere as God has designed! Not that it makes the hurt any less painful…but we will deal with that.

4-Loves at All Times

“A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17

Here we have the first solution to our issue of hurts. Love. It doesn’t say “A friend loves when it feels good”, or “A friend loves until he is hurt”, it states very clearly “all times”.  Love is an action, and it is a choice. Love is not a feeling in the context of this verse. There comes a point when the hurts are going to be so deep, perhaps the pain so intense that love will not come easily, and it may not seem possible. The most logical choice may seem to move on and be done with the whole mess. It is at this moment we are faced with a crucial choice-will we love at any cost? This is the Godly friend that you want in your life! This love has no strings attached, it is unconditional, and is not related to circumstances. It is the love that Jesus has for us, and the love He tells us to have for each other.

5-Forgives First

“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.” Matthew 5:23-24 (The Message)

Loving through hurts must involve forgiveness. This passage could not possibly be interpreted any other way then to forgive first before bringing your worship to God. God is not interested in your lip service when you have outstanding debts of bitterness against your friends. Settle all accounts before offering your praises to God! He sees our hearts, knows our thoughts, whether or not we like it! There is no way around this one. If we are hurt by the actions or words of another, we need to speak up and be honest and sincere always of how we feel, in love. Our feelings are valid, and our friend’s feelings are valid. We need to be heard, and they need to be heard, and we need good communication in order to have Godly friendships that glorify and edify each other towards love and good works! When we fail to communicate in a timely manner we allow the hurt to fester as we turn it over in our minds, often making things bigger than they are, and further misinterpreting the situation, so by the time we do talk about it, emotions are really running high. It makes things that much harder to be made right. These are the times we are tempted by our Enemy to “end” relationships. We are whispered lies that we must give up on this friendship, that it wasn’t what we thought, it wasn’t the right person, we were wrong, we failed again, we messed up again, we better just start over with someone who agrees with us on everything we believe in or hold to so as to avoid any problems. That is when we need to hold fast to the TRUTH of God’s Word, and what He says about Godly friendships. If we have already determined that the friendship we are in is an “iron sharpening iron” friend for Godly character then we must go back to our principles laid out under such a friendship. Am I loving, am I being honest, am I forgiving. Have I laid aside all my offerings to run to this person and make things right? Have I done all I can do to bring restoration, or am I insisting on being right and is that getting in the way of peace? I think the most important question here even than all of that is: am I honoring God in my decision to end this, or would He want me to obey His own command in Matthew 5:23-24? That seems rather clear. (There are SOME exceptions where relationships do need to end because of excessive sinful lifestyles or rebellion…etc, but for the sake of our discussion, I am not referring to those specific incidences.)

6-Sacrifices

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV)

Jesus as our Friend made the ultimate sacrifice for our sin, the price we could never pay. He gave His life, so we could have eternal life with Him. With this He modeled His idea of the Godly friendship for us. The true Godly friend is one who sacrifices without question. I’m not just talking about the sacrifice of taking a bullet for your friend in some “what if” scenario that will likely never occur. I am talking about the much smaller things, but perhaps more difficult. The sacrifices of time: the middle of the night phone calls, the house calls, the food delivered when sick, the trips to the hospitals, the sleepless nights, the hours of Bible study when your friend has a crisis and needs an answer, calloused knees from hours of earnest prayer….on and on it goes. These are the sacrifices of life that the true Godly friend gives without a blink of an eye. This person is selfless, and giving, and authentic. This is the person you want as your Godly friend, helping you on your journey of sanctification. If you have this person in your life, thank them, and pray for them! Because you have an Enemy who wants to destroy the beautiful relationship that God has joined together. Satan knows you are stronger together, and it scares him!

Remember to keep up the face to face contact with your dear friend to avoid that confusion and misinterpretation of email and text that may occur, especially in the early stages of a growing relationship. Ask God to help you have the Christ-like influence on your friend that you desire them to have on you, and commit to always being openly honest and sincere no matter how difficult that may be. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in speaking the truth in love at all times. Face to face is best! Throughout everything, choose to love and forgive quickly. As you reflect on building your own character, ask God to help you continue to become the sacrificial friend that He modeled for us in His Word. Putting the needs of our friend first, and truly esteeming each other better than ourselves. In this way we can cultivate our Godly friendship deeper and draw closer to our Creator in unity.

A Godly You+ Your Godly Friend+God Himself=A Triple Braided Cord Not Easily Broken!