i want to have real, godly friends
Hello friend! Welcome to the blog!
I hope you have had an amazing week so far; I am so excited to talk with you today about real and godly friendships!
Friendships are so important- we weren’t meant to do this life alone! In many places of the Bible, it talks about the value of friendship- here are just a few examples:
“two are better than one” because “one can help the other up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
“a sweet friendship refreshes the soul” (Proverbs 27:9)
“As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend” (Proverbs 27:17)
We all need friends- but let’s be honest, it can be really hard to find real and godly friends. Even though it may be hard, it is crucial that we are careful of who we let influence us. So, I want to start this conversation by asking you a question- who are your friends?
Are your friends leading you closer to Jesus? Do their lives produce good fruit (Matthew 7:17)? Do they call you higher, and challenge you to grow in your faith? Are they honest about the hard things, and stick with you through the hard times (Proverbs 29:5 and Proverbs 18:24)?
The reason why this is so important, is because you become like the 5 people who are closest to you. Statistics and research show (you can look into this yourself) that those people will influence you to be more like themselves. So, if your friends are not living for Jesus, then they will influence you to make decisions that are not glorifying or following the Lord and His Word. This is why it says in Psalms 1:1
“Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, to join in with mockers.”
And in 1 Corinthians 15:33
“bad company corrupts good character.”
We still need to love these people and tell them about the amazing message of Jesus, but we can’t let them influence us. Don’t let those people you are evangelizing to into your inner circle. If those people become your besties, that is when they start pouring into your life. Stay strong in your faith, don’t make compromises to earn someone’s friendship- if you have to do that, that is a big red flag! Instead, show them the “truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), and keep them in your community sphere- not your core sphere.
Now that we’ve talked about who to keep OUT of your core group, let’s talk about who to allow IN! Real, godly friends will draw you closer to God, call you higher, challenge you to step out of the boat, are honest with you, support and encourage you. They will live out the Word of God, and produce good fruits (Galations 5:22)! When you spend time with them, you will feel refreshed, and maybe a little challenge to go deeper in your relationship with God- and they will feel the same. Because that’s how a true relationship works- both people need to pour into and sharpen one another! If you guys can unapologetically get a little passionate for Jesus together- that is a good sign! (Examples- you start worshiping in public, evangelizing together, going on Bible studies, ect.)
Of course, nobody is perfect. We are all human, and we all make mistakes! Don’t expect perfection in your friendship, because it won’t be perfect! But that is a true test of friendship- despite hard times, disagreements, or mistakes, you stick together, give each other grace, call one another higher, and come out of the situation even closer!
If you don’t yet have this friend or couple of friends, don’t be discouraged! It isn’t easy to develop friendships like this, they don’t happen overnight! It requires time, energy and work. But a real, godly friendship is one of the greatest treasures of all, so it is worth it! I encourage you, to be intentional and create this kind of friendship! Don’t wait for someone to come to you- be the kind of friend you would like to have. And put yourself out there! Get planted into a local church- if you are a teenager go to youth group! If you are 20 years old, 50 years old, or any age, go to small group! Don’t just stay in your house, go to those church events! And PRAY! Pray that the Lord would bless you with a real and godly friendship! And ask Him to teach you how to be that kind of friend to others! If you continue to be faithful by doing these things, you will find that friend that the Lord has planned for you! Don’t stress, don‘t be anxious, the Lord has an amazing friend for you- just trust Him!
Thank you so much for reading friend! I pray that this encouraged you this week! Let’s all tell someone how amazing Jesus is this week! Stay tuned for the next blog post! I love y’all so much, and Jesus loves you more!
