Is Your Friend A True Friend?

We all have certain people we call friends, we say Hi, have small talk conversations, but don't feel close enough to share our deep feelings and secrets with. Then, there's those special, CLOSE friends. People whom we've established a bond with. People we can trust with our hearts. They have our 'backs,' they're always there through good times and bad. We feel safe, secure and comforted just by talking to them.

There's an obvious difference in our level of relationships with people. There's also a difference in our level of relationship with God and our Savior Jesus Christ. 

You'll never get to know Him on a deeper level until you begin to stay in His Word (The Bible) daily. This allows you to see and know God's nature, His heart, His caring, unconditional love. Getting closer to the Lord will help you realize that you no longer have to carry your burdens alone. You have a safe place to go and release everything that's been weighing you down.

Seek God daily, open up to Him and share your feelings, trust Him, lean on Him, know that He wants to help you. Allow Him to get close enough to restore you through a CLOSE, intimate, trusting relationship with Jesus Christ.

Run to your CLOSEST friend, JESUS CHRIST. He will never hurt or disappoint you. He loves you like no other...He gave His life for you! You will find the safety you've been craving. Take your relationship to a deeper level & be set free! 

John 8:31-32

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

Daniel 10:12
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

Are You My Friend?

By: Lisa Petrarca

Imagine you had someone you thought was your friend and often listened to their advice. As the years went by, a pattern began to develop. Your life started falling apart. The friend was leading you down a destructive path.

You started making bad choices (drinking heavily, stealing, taking drugs, lying, cheating, pornography...fill in your issues). You started feeling depressed, unhappy and/or anxious. The things that were supposed to be so much fun and seemed cool in the beginning, now make you feel terrible. The more you went along with the friend the worse life became. You began to spiral out of control.

Once you finally realized the source, do you think you would continue to listen to anything the friend told you?

Would you eventually start to distance yourself from the friend?

..............................................................................................................................................................

This is exactly how the enemy works. He makes us think that something is fun, it doesn't matter if we don't feel right about it, it's no big deal.

He whispers over and over again, "Come this way. Just take that drug or take another drink, look at that pornography, it's only a small lie, if you take it they wont even miss it, it's no big deal."

Little by little you have allowed the enemy to guide you down a self destructive path. One small, wrong choice at a time, until you no longer recognize who you are.

This is why you need to distance yourself from him. Your prayer life and daily scripture reading will force the enemy away, he will flee, he is not your friend, do not allow him into your life.

Jesus has given you the ultimate gift. He has sacrificed his life and was risen on the third day, so that you will be forgiven, saved and have eternal life with Him.

This Easter, take time to reflect on His love for you. Stop and take a few minutes to look at not only your life, but your choices. Are there some areas that you need to make some adjustments?

Don't waste the gift that Jesus has given you. He is your TRUE FRIEND...He gave His life for you. Take this opportunity to start over...Jesus Christ has made it possible. HE IS RISEN!

Take His offering!

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. for if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for youare not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:4-8, 12, 14

Happy Easter.