We can so overuse the word FRIEND! She’s my friend, he’s my friend, they are my friends, and she, he and they may be nothing more than acquaintances. Sure, they are people that we have met, we may see them regularly or once in a while, but there is no depth to our relationship with them. 

It is a common sight on any pre-school or elementary school playground to witness children in play stating, “You can be my FRIEND if…,” or “You are not my FRIEND anymore because…”

We love to throw around the term BFF or BESTIE, but what does that actually imply?

We buy the jewelry and wear the necklace until something happens and it is thrown in a drawer or easily tossed aside.

It is curious to me that in the book of Proverbs, a book written by King Solomon, son of King David, to instill wisdom to the reader and instruction on godly living, we are cautioned to know what a TRUE FRIEND is.

“There are “FRIENDS” who destroy each other, but a REAL FRIEND sticks closer than a brother.”  Proverbs 18:24

I believe that we are being cautioned to be wise in who we call a friend. A “friend” may have the ability to sustain us or destroy us.  A friend is someone that we spend a lot of time with, listen to and tend to believe. What they say has a big impact on what we think and believe. They have the ability, if we give it to them, to influence us for good or bad.  

God, through Soloman here in the book of Proverbs, is cautioning us to choose our friends wisely!

I know this is easier said than done. We are drawn to people who are like us and make us feel good about who we are, or we are drawn to people who are not like us but who we would like to be. I believe both of these are wrong motives for finding a true godly FRIEND!

Proverbs 17:17 sets the standard for a true friend…

“A FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES.”  PROVERBS 17:17

There are no “if’s, and’s, or but’s” about it!  A true friend loves you with the love of God if they agree with you or disagree with you. A true friend loves you when you are in a good mood or a bad mood. A true friend loves you when you are right or when you are wrong. A true friend loves you when you are on a mountain top high, or in a valley low. A true friend speaks God’s Truth to you when you want to hear it and when you do not. A true friend sees the best in you and prays the worst out of you. A true friend wants you to be all that God created you to be. A true friend loves you enough to point you in His direction to achieve it! 

TRUTH BOMB

A TRUE FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES NO MATTER WHAT THOSE TIMES HOLD!

In the book of Ecclesiastes we are told the value of a TRUE FRIEND.

The book of Ecclesiastes has, in my opinion, been given a “bum wrap!”  It is known in many circles to be rather negative, pessimistic and contain philosophical skepticism.

However, upon study and reflection it can become clear to see that the theme of  Ecclesiastes is the “necessity of fearing God in a fallen, and therefore frequently confusing and frustrating world.”  ESV Study Bible

Do we not live in a confusing and frustrating, fallen world? Do we not need help, guiding and directing us to make godly choices in our relationships? Do we not need wisdom and encouragement to be who God created us to be? Do we not need a godly friend who will be there for us to help us succeed and to pick us up when we fall?

My resounding answer is YES! I believe that is God’s plan for all of us. Through God’s gift of a True Godly Friend we can accomplish this!

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If the person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

True godly Friends are a gift from God. They help us succeed and pick us up when we fall. They do not simply tickle our ears with what we want to hear, but they speak God’s Truth to us in Love. This helps us become who God truly created us to be.

I do hope you have a BFF or Bestie! I do hope you can wear half of a heart necklace, knowing someone else has the other half and is a true godly friend. Just remember…

A TRUE FRIEND LOVES AT ALL TIMES AND JESUS IS THE TRUEST OF ALL FRIENDS!  

Speak Truth Love

BETTER YET, WHO’S GOT YOUR HEAD?

Are you tired? I am! Are you weary? I am! Are you frustrated, discouraged, lonely, angry, or hopeless? I am!  I am also not ashamed to share with you that I am all these things and more. Why would I hide them from you, when my God already knows them?

We all go through periods of time, even seasons of time, hopefully more often, moments of time, that are disillusioning to our FAITH. They rock us to our core and leave us shaking in disbelief. Disbelief that we are still in this, going through this, or facing this ONE MORE TIME!  

Haven’t we been here before and dealt with this already? Haven’t we found ourselves fighting this same fight, bloody knuckled and dripping with sweat, while left in a heap of exhaustion and defeat? 

I know I have! Yet, here I am again. So do I quit, throw in the towel, tap out, or ring the bell to end this round? Because, afterall, I cannot even lift my head off of the ground.

No, I turn my eyes toward heaven, I whisper a prayer for help and relief and follow in the footsteps of God’s Faithful servants who never gave up!

“But You, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, THE ONE WHO HOLDS MY HEAD HIGH.” Psalm 3:3

David wrote the majority of the Psalms. Psalms is the book we typically as believers, quote the most, send people to for comfort the most and run to the most when we are in need of God’s support, comfort and protection. We assume that David had it all together, that David wrote the Psalms from a place of strength and power. Afterall, He was a king and God Himself called him, “A man after God’s own heart.”  

However, quite the opposite is true! David wrote the majority of his psalms from a place of discouragement, fear, desperation and discouragement. A few, like the one I am quoting today, were even written through deep heartache, betrayal and depression.  

When David wrote Psalm three, he was running for his life from his very own son!  Now I have found myself in some pretty dark places, but I have always known that my son and my daughter have my back! They cannot prevent others from hurting me, but they can and do support, encourage, love and believe in me! They have my back!

But as hard as they may try and desire to, they can not lift my head back up off the ground when my heart has been so hurt, devastated and crushed, only God can do that!  And because He did it for David in the hardest of situations, I know He will do it for me!

“O, LORD I have so many enemies; so many are against me. 

So many are saying, God will never rescue him!

But You, O LORD, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the One who holds my head high.

I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain.

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for The Lord was watching over me.

I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.

Arise, O LORD!

Rescue me, My God! Slap all my enemies in the face!

Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

Victory comes from you, O Lord!

May You bless Your people!”

Psalm 3

No matter what you are going through, no matter what you encounter and no matter what the world and the enemy throw at you, DO NOT THROW IN THE TOWEL! DO NOT GIVE UP THE FIGHT, BECAUSE IT IS WON!

TRUTH BOMB

DO NOT GIVE UP, LOOK UP! THE LORD GOD IS THE LIFTER OF YOUR HEAD AND HE WILL HOLD IT HIGH!

He did it for David as he ran for his life from his very own son. HE WILL DO IT FOR YOU!

Speak Truth Love

BEEP!

You’ve reached Lisa Swaney‘s truth bomb Tuesday blog. I I am away from my blog this week on my anniversary getaway.  

Please read the scripture below and the Truth Bomb that follows:

Our relationships, all of the relationships in our lives, are important! They grow and flourish when we put time and effort into them. No matter how long you have been in a relationship, or no matter how difficult it seems to carve out time together, it is vital to prioritize each other. When you do, the dividends come back to you!

So know I am praying for you and trust you will pour into the relationships in your life like I am pouring into mine.

BEEP!

“Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season you will reap a harvest if you do not give up.”  Galatians 6:9

Truth Bomb

You get out of relationships what you invest into them!

I love you! You are an important relationship to me! See you back here next week!

Speak Truth Love

HOW ARE YOU WALKING?

Walking is a big deal. For most of us it gets us from point A to point B. If we are blessed to have two strong legs, then for most of us walking is the goal. As I have watched my one year old grandson grow and develop this year, it has become undeniably obvious to me that walking is the goal.

The first month or two of his life he was pretty content to be wrapped warmly and securely in a blanket and held. The next couple of months he began to break free from that swaddle and push with both arms and legs to look around and observe the world around him. Before we knew it he was scooting across the floor at record speed. This kid could scoot like nothing I have ever seen. Suddenly, it seemed like overnight, he was up on all fours and crawling. You would think since he had figured out how to get to just about any place he wanted to get to he would slow down. No, he has started pulling up on everything in sight. He will not stop until he can walk! 

Walking is the goal! No one told my grandson he had to walk. In fact I think his mommy would prefer he slow the whole process down! I know you have watched your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends all go through the same experience. No one sets a baby on the ground and demands them to walk. It is innate, something we are all born to do. My question for us today is, “How are we walking?”

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”  

Isaiah 30:21

This verse is talking about our spiritual walk, and so am I. But I love that our physical walk goes through many of the phases that our spiritual walk goes through.

When a baby begins to slowly let go of what they are holding on to, they take that first step and fall. It is what they do next that intrigues me, they get back up, almost with a stubborn insistence, and they try it again, and again, and again and again. They keep at it until they get it right.

I wish this was as true spiritually as it is physically! We hear God tell us something, you know what it sounds like, that voice behind you, in your spirit and we attempt to follow it, to obey. But when we “fall” or fail we tend to quit! Even worse I think, we tend to say, “It must not have been God’s voice I heard.”  I think God is telling us to get up and try again, and again, and again and again. Because He promises that if we listen to His voice, obey it and continue to follow it He will show us the way to walk in it!

I know life is hard! I know that sometimes the “getting up again and again,” is weeks and months and years of walking. But I also know that if we do keep getting up and WALKING in His ways He will be faithful to what He has called us to.

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN WE LISTEN TO GOD’S VOICE AND FOLLOW IT HE WILL SHOW US THE WAY TO WALK!

REMEMBER, children get lots of bumps and bruises as they learn to walk, but eventually they figure it out! So do God’s children. Keep listening to His voice and walking in it friends. You have a walking buddy in me!

Speak Truth Love

Oneness, easier said than done.

Unity may come easier for some, depending on how your bent. Some of you may love being on a team, while others of you consider yourself more of a lone wolf. Regardless of your natural bent, we are called to oneness as believers in Jesus Christ!

Summer can be a deterrent from the very thing we are called to as believers. Summer often affords the ability to break out of our normal routines. Our schedules are more flexible, vacations are often taken, the demands of life often simply reduce during summer. Don’t get me wrong, a break from routine is very welcome, and much of the time extremely needed! However, we must continue to keep our focus on what God requires of us most. Is it time for us to refocus our focus on unity?

“For there is one body and one spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.” Ephesians 4:4 (NLT)

God is not asking us whether we are an introvert or an extrovert, or even an ambivert. He is not asking us which animal we are, on the personality profile test. He is not even asking us which number we are on the Enneagram. God is telling us that if we are to shine his light to this world as believers in him, then we must walk in unity, serve in unity, fellowship in unity…we must be one in Him!

TRUTH BOMB

As we finish up the last few weeks of this summer series, let’s focus on making the truth of this passage come to life by committing it to our mind and heart and by putting it into practice!

Doing life together, joining in community together, serving together, all to the glory of God!

Speak Truth Love