My five year-old granddaughter jumped into my arms and hugged my neck so hard I thought I may not be able to breathe! And I didn’t care! The question came pouring out of her mouth, “How many sleeps Mamma! How many sleeps?”
This has been our dialogue for the past several years now. We both hate saying goodbye, and as she would put it…
“My heart hurts when you leave Mamma!” So, we have developed a way that we both can handle the anticipation of having to say goodbye, and that is by counting the number of “sleeps“ (AKA nights) that we have together.
This time, however, because we have chosen to move forward in faith with our faithful God, I was able to say, “Lucy, we have as many sleeps as we want! We don’t have to say goodbye!”
As we continue to move forward in faith with our faithful God, there are still many steps that have yet to be answered! But there are many blessings that are crystal clear! One of the sweetest is not having to continuously say goodbye to our loved ones.
Lucy graduated from preschool today! We did not have to watch her graduation on video and we did not have to send her gift through the mail! I was able to put my arms around her, hug her, and tell her face-to-face how so very proud I am of her and the award she got for displaying the fruit of the spirit of FAITHFULNESS!
I couldn’t have made that up if I had tried! As her teacher read off the traits that she displays in her classroom on a daily basis, I was reminded that faithfulness is something we live out! When we do, it is not only seen by others, but it encourages them to walk in faith as well!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
FAITHFULNESS, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
It is a fruit of the spirit! Which means that it is something that by the spirit of God and the grace of God we can all have! Even if we are only five years old, or a child of God at any age!
Today I was built up and encouraged by my five-year-old granddaughter, to live out faithfulness to God no matter where the steps He leads me on takes me!
TRUTH BOMB
LIVING A FAITHFUL LIFE DEMONSTRATES THE FRUIT OF GOD’S SPIRIT!
Meet me back here next week for week two of ‘Moving Forward In Faith With Our Faithful God!’
This is moving week! So this week’s Blog is short and sweet as I sweat and continue to pack.
For most of us, moving produces stress as it inevitably involves change! Statistically 99.999% of the population cringe at anything that calls for change. The problem is anything that causes us to grow mandates change. The good news is we have a FAITHFUL God, who is with us every step of the way as we navigate change.
“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9
Boy, has God been faithful to us!
I have several Blog’s worth of ways that God has demonstrated His FAITHFULNESS, but the greatest lesson He has taught me is that in moving, I must move forward!
Moving forward with God will challenge us, stretch us, and at times push us to limits we doubt we can survive, only the faithfulness of God sustains us and propels us forward!
TRUTH BOMB
WHEN YOU MOVE IT’S THE DIRECTION THAT MATTERS MOST!
When you move with God it is always forward. It can feel at times as you are struggling through, that you are moving “two steps forward and then 2 steps back!” However our God is FAITHFUL to keep us moving in His direction and that is always forward.
PHILIPPIANS 3:14
“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward we press on!”
We are excited to be moving forward in what we know God is leading us toward, but the journey has not been easy. Our FAITHFUL God lead us and blessed us every step of the way. Please join me back here next week as I begin a series on moving forward in faith with our FAITHFUL God.
1) wealth or riches stored or accumulated, especially in the form of precious metals, money, jewels, or plate.
2) wealth, rich materials, or valuable things.
3) any thing or person greatly valued or highly prized.
The first two definitions state options for what a “treasure“ can be. The third definition describes perfectly what my intention is for writing today’s Blog! The first two definitions tend to be where our minds automatically go when we hear the word TREASURE. The Bible warns sternly against putting too much value in these earthly treasures!
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20
The next verse in Matthew chapter 6, verse 21, says… ”For where your TREASURE is there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
In Luke chapter 12, verse 34 it records the very same words. Why? Because they are the words of Jesus! Jesus cares about where our treasure is, and what our treasure is. Jesus is also the giver of all good treasure! Both verses point me to what God sees as Treasure, and what HE desires me to treasure! A little further down in Matthew we find the KEY to knowing what true treasure is and how to manage it. ”But seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
“AS WELL” implies that something comes first. Seeking God’s kingdom and the treasures that do not get eaten by moths or destroyed by rust and living lives that pursue God and His righteousness leads to God’s “as well!” When we seek God‘s kingdom and His righteousness FIRST, we are then blessed, “as well” with TREASURE beyond earthly compare!
When I took a huge step of faith and went to a Christian college at the age of 18 years old, because I knew God was calling me too, even though my parents were not happy about it, I received a TREASURE BEYOND COMPARE! It was not immediate! It came after my steps of faith and perseverance, and trust!
I found myself alone at a Christian college almost 500 miles away from home! Considering I had no money for gas or airfare, it may as well have been 5000 miles away. I checked into the dorms only to find my roommates had not arrived, and we’re not even going to my college. They were both attending the university across the street. I FELT SO ALONE! I asked where the closest Christian Church was? They literally pointed out the back of the college and across the street. I woke up that first Sunday morning and watched through the back of the University, across the street and into Eastside Christian Church. That morning the pastor preached the sermon on Matthew chapter 6! He challenged us to “Matthew 6:33 it! To live a life seeking after God‘s kingdom and his righteousness as our TREASURE! I have never forgotten that sermon. God spoke directly to my heart and spirit that day, and Matthew 6:33 has become a “mantra” for my life! I committed my life at that time to Eastside Christian Church. I would attend there and fellowship with fellow believers, I would join a small group(a.k.a. the College group which was anything but small, over 250 college students), and I would go to a smaller Bible study within that group. Then I would serve and give financially to this church home that God had brought me too!
I sat under that great preacher and man of God, and heard him preach the word of God time after time after time. I was learning to ”Matthew 6:33 it!” Over a year later, God gave me the first piece of my “as well” story! I kept pinching myself and praising God at the same time. Jim Swaney had asked me to marry him! I knew right then in there, beyond a shadow of a doubt, God answers prayer! Three years later God gave me “MY TREASURE!” Christina Nicole was born on May 22, 1987. I looked down at those crystal blue eyes looking back at me and thanked God for “My Treasure! MY GIRL, she is my TREASURE, a priceless gift beyond measure or compare! Tomorrow is her birthday, and I celebrate her and praise God for the continued treasure she is! She is beautiful on the outside, but her heart shines through with even greater radiance! She is intelligent and discerning. She is compassionate and caring and gives 100% of herself all the time no matter what it costs her! She is wise beyond her years and has been a compass for me over and over again! She is kind, loving, stable, confident, and sure! She is unwavering in the love that she gives and is no nonsense, so you always know that what she says and does, she means! She is my TREASURE, my jewel , my priceless gift from God! Happy, Happy Birthday My Girl, My Treasure!
God wants to give all his children treasure! He wants to lavish His love on all those that call Him God and Father! He just loves us too much to allow us to get our priorities for “treasure,” mixed up! As we learn to “Matthew 6:33 it,“ we will also learn the “as well,” gifts from God are nothing less than true TREASURE!
Today is my baby sister‘s birthday! She would probably be mad if she knew I was writing this about her, not because I am saying anything that she hasn’t heard before or that I haven’t said directly to her, but because she’s not a big fan of social media and she likes her privacy.
I truly do respect that and admire that about her. However, God has called me to ‘Speak His Truth In Love’ and to Give Him the Glory for all that He has done and does in my life and today is her birthday and I want her to know that she is a true gift from God to me and that she rescued me!
To know Krissy is to know, love and generosity! She gives both freely and without restraint! She gives without considering the cost or what she will receive in return. She has a pure heart that is bigger than an ocean! There is no measurement to its depth, and its width covers the world. To know her is to feel loved and lavished upon!
On a day like today when it’s your turn to give her a gift, it’s hard! She is the best gift giver I know! But because she gives so purely and generously, she never expects your gift to be like hers. She loves everything she receives!
That is Krissy now! A beautiful, strong, loving, kind, and generous, grown woman! I am so grateful to call her not only my “Sis,” but my friend!
That is not how she came into this world.
She came into this world with forceps! I remember it clearly because as a 10 1/2 year old, I sat anxiously on the edge of my chair in the waiting room! I was so excited that my mom was having another baby! It had been seven years since her last baby was born!
The nurse walked out and announced,
“It’s a girl!”💗 My heart was filled with instant joy! I couldn’t wait to see her!
I remember holding her for the first time and looking down at her round and beautiful face. Her complexion was perfect, even as a newborn. She had the rosiest cheeks that I had ever seen and two clear red marks on either side of her head, where the forceps had been used. Those marks soon vanished, but I knew that the mark she left on my heart would never go away!
God rescued me that day through the priceless gift that He gave me in my little sis, Krissy! Our family at home was in turmoil. My parents had been fighting off and on for years now. Although my sisters and I would only hear bits and pieces at times, the fighting had gotten worse, and my dad would leave for days on end. Being the oldest, he would often turn his anger on me. I really loved him! All I truly wanted was for him to stay at home.
Krissy came into my life and rescued me from sadness! She was a gift from God that brought nothing but love and joy! It may not have been the best way of forging a sister bond, she was actually more like my child for a while, but it truly was the antidote to my sad situation!
Krissy was born with a God-given, sweet and kind disposition! It was there in her as a baby, child, adult, and now shines brightly through her children and grandchildren!
One of the greatest examples I have of this is when I had my first child, a daughter, who Krissy loved as her own! She was only 16 years old herself, but she lavished her big heart all over my daughter and still does to this day!
God brings healing and gives gifts that are often the opposite of what we have prayed for or expect. I had been crying out to God as a child for God to heal my parents marriage! My parents at that point had not yielded to God and His healing. So my prayer was not answered in the way I wanted it to be answered. Instead God rescued me! He brought a beautiful little Sis into my life that allowed me to receive love and give love purely!
God gives good and perfect gifts! There is not one prayer that He does not hear or answer! We just have to be able to see with His eyes and hear with His ears what that answer is!
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from The Father of Lights.” James 1:17
When we first recognize that every good and perfect gift is from God, then we should be next drawn to our knees as Daniel was, asking God to open our eyes and ears to see Him and hear Him clearly!
Daniel prayed,
“Oh my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair.“
Daniel 9:18.
TRUTH BOMB
OFTEN ONE OF GOD’S GOOD AND PERFECT GIFTS IS A PERSON!
As a young girl, when my life was full of turmoil, God heard and answered my prayer. He gave me my sister Krissy and He rescued me!
More than ever, I realize now that she was indeed one of those “Good and perfect gifts from God!“
Our family went through many more ups and downs. That story is for another day!
But today is the day that I recognize and celebrate a true gift from God, my sis, Krissy!
Happy Happy Birthday Sis! May you be blessed and gifted today as you have blessed and gifted so many others!
What is it that you need rescuing from today? Ask God to rescue you and then stop and look around…who has He put in your life to be a good and perfect gift from Him?
There is no one on the face of this earth that has taught me to love people better than my husband!
Oh, I have been shown love, I have given love and forced myself to love at times. I can even be quoted as saying, “I am a people person,” and “I love people!” While I believe that I am and that I do, I am afraid if I am completely honest with myself, I must admit that the majority of the time those people are “My People!”
They are the people I have chosen! They are family, friends, colleagues, and associates that I click with! We have similar interests, similar beliefs, similar backgrounds, and even similar people that we connect with. Truth is, they are the people I like and the people I love! They are “My People” and the people that are easy for me to love!
Not my husband! Not Jim Swaney! He loves all people. I am ashamed to admit that I have even said to him that he is, “The Finder of all the lost puppy dogs!”
As I reflect on our 40 years, this year, of marriage and ministry, I see now that it is most likely the other way around!
The lost puppy dogs find him! He listens to them. He spends time with them. He counsels them. He helps them and meets their needs. He never gives up on them. He truly loves them with the love of God!
Jim Swaney is a Man among Men and a Pastor among Pastors! He gets down in the muck and the myer with People and gets dirty. He sits with them in their mess and prays with them and councils them with the Word of God and demonstrates God‘s love for them, by being the hands and feet of Jesus to them!
Jim does not know a stranger! All of God’s people have value and worth to him because they have value and worth to God!
I have seen Jim walk with someone through a civil trial and into jail and through jail and out of jail! I have seen him counsel those who have been unfaithful in marriage, and those who have had their spouse be unfaithful to them! I have seen him love those with athletic ability like himself and love those who have no interest or care about being athletic! I have seen him love the unlovely of Society with the heart of Jesus himself.
Jim Swaney has demonstrated for me how to take God’s greatest commandment and live it out to its fullest while living the second like it at the same time.
I was recently reminded, by a card sent to me in the mail, just how much others at church see my husband, to quote them, “always finding the time to listen and care for them,” and live out the commandment Jesus gives us in Mark!
“Jesus replied: “Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. All the Law and The Prophets hang on these two commandments. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mark 12:28-31
I do not know about you, but I find the first commandment fairly easy to follow. The second however, is a far greater challenge!
“Love my neighbor as myself!”
I believe God is saying here that my neighbor is anyone and everyone that I am around! If this is true, and I believe it is, then it can get messy!
We are to love them like God loves them!
For lack of time I would shorten it to say;
“Love your neighbor through the good, the bad and the ugly!”
I am sure glad that there are people in this world like Jim Swaney who love all of God’s people unconditionally like God does. He is my example of living out this verse the way God tells me to!
TRUTH BOMB
LOVING GOD’S PEOPLE CAN BE MESSY BUT PRAISE GOD HE IS THE CUSTODIAN!
God has cleaned up the mess of our lives.
We need to love Him and love others, trusting He will clean up their mess too!
Stop Signs, Yield Signs, Crossing Signs, Highway Signs, Construction Signs, Grocery Line Signs…and the list goes on!
Directional Signs: we look for them wherever we go! We depend on them to point us in the right direction. We count on them to show us the rules and regulations. We trust them to be accurate and to give us our expectations. We get angry and frustrated when there are not enough signs or the signs are not leading us in the right direction!
Have you ever stepped onto the sidewalk at an airport, luggage in hand, strapped with everything you could over your shoulders and grabbed the handles of everything else and wheeled them in through those two large sliding doors and stood and stared? Not running to get in line or grab your luggage tags, but instead, you just stood there and stared. Look straight ahead, look to the left, look to the right…You could develop an ulcer or a strong sense of anxiety, or even fall into an anxiety attack as you simply took in the barrage of signs!
Flat screens, larger than any TV in our homes post tons of flights, arriving, and tons of flights departing. Directional signs to TSA tell you which line you are supposed to join. Kiosks stand in front of you giving directions silently to receive your boarding pass, check your bags and receive your luggage tags. X-ray machines hold huge signs over the top stating what you can and cannot put through them or bring on board.
How many of you like me have left frivolous items and items of importance on the other side of that x-ray machine? I know I have! I didn’t walk through that scanning with a smile on my face!
Signs can be directional, but they can also be overwhelming! Which way do we go? Which move do we make? Which sign do we trust? Which path do we follow?
Making a move in any direction in our lives, can cause the same kind of overwhelming, confused, and even lost condition! When we are changing paths for any reason in our lives, it can be anxiety producing, to say the least! It can be frightening and scary and produce fear unless we know how to let FAITH take over!
FAITH is not the absence of fear! It is the trust and confidence to step through that fear, knowing that God will show you His path!
A path we choose in life is an action that we determine. It is a a direction we move in, a step we take, a choice we make!
FAITH in God’s path for us is letting go of the signs in our life that would scream, “CAUTION, COMMON SENSE, SECURITY, AND, I TOLD YOU SO,” and all of the other “signs” we as humans tend to live our lives by. We step through fear and doubt, and trust our God to direct our path!
“Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
TRUTH BOMB
THERE IS NO FEAR IN THE SURE PATH OF GOD’S LEADING!
What fear is keeping you from exercising the spiritual gift God has given you?
What fear is so crippling that it grips you and renders you paralyzed and unable to move forward?
What fear in your life is becoming so debilitating that it is stronger in you than the spirit God has given you?
For me, it took a crumpled piece of yellowed paper for God to cast out the fear that was keeping me from accomplishing His purpose.
As I faced walking into a setting that holds opposition to me, I began to let fear take hold, and I became confused and even questioning what I was supposed to speak!
I do not know what gift God has blessed you with and asked you to use for His glory and for the growth of His kingdom, but for me it is, ‘Speaking His Truth in Love.’ I had already said yes when asked to speak at this event and I had already spent weeks in prayer and study of God’s Word(His Truth), and was convinced that what I had prepared was what He wanted me to share!
But as the day drew near(the literal night before), the questioning turned to doubt, and the doubt turned to fear.
I had all these pages that I had prayed over and studied staring me in the face. I had a beautiful PowerPoint presentation with the perfect graphics and versus, but my fear was louder! It began pounding in my ears like a stick on a drum.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
It became louder and louder until it sounded so deafening that I was sure I was supposed to change my message!
As I began “tweaking” this message, I was sure no one would receive, I was reminded that I had spoken years ago on a similar subject, and I had points prepared inside of the oldest Bible that I own.
This Bible sits by my bedside and is truly my “security blanket“ in every sense of the word! My grandma, my spiritual angel, gave it to me when I left for college. It was a very vulnerable time in my life, and it has served to be my CONSTANT in every way!
God gave me a beautiful FIND that day!
I know that’s a strange word, but I can’t think of it in any other way.
As I was struggling through the “right“ way to say things and the “right“ versus to use and the “right” way to act, I was praying for the right scripture and I went to my security blanket… My NASB Bible that my grandma gave me.
It’s not leather bound and it’s completely falling apart! I’ve glued the back together and it has a cover on it, but I keep it by my bed and it truly is my security blanket.
I begin leafing through the pages, even though so many of them are literally separated and falling apart almost frantically, like I am searching for some lost treasure or something! I needed God to say something to me!
For some reason, I decided to put my hands in the side where the cover is over the back of the Bible and I felt something crunching! It wouldn’t come out and I almost gave up, but I kept pulling at it and when I pulled it out, it was a piece of paper that had my maiden name on it. The paper was yellowed from age, and it said…
Lisa Dye
Read I John 4:18&19
People, I have been married this year for 40 years! I have not been Lisa Dye for a very long time! That means this crumpled up yellowed piece of paper had to have been in my Bible for over 40 years!
I walked out into the living room, and showed it to my husband, my personal “Bible Answer Man”, who was sitting at the table studying, and when I showed it to him, he almost got tears in his eyes. And he doesn’t cry hardly ever!!l He said, Lisa that’s your verse, that’s what God is trying to say to you!”
I opened it up and read it from my security blanket…
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, Because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because he first loved us.” I John 4:18&19
God was clearly speaking to me that He wanted me to cast away my fear and trust in His perfect love! And more than that…He wanted me to share that love with all those that day that we’re going to listen!
We’ve all been given different gifts and we are to use them for His glory. No matter what obstacles, oppositions, even cruelty stands in our way!
“God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. “I Peter 4:10
TRUTH BOMB
THE ASSURANCE WE HAVE OF GOD’S LOVE CASTS OUT ALL FEAR!
I speak from personal experience when I say that stepping out in faith when we are afraid is anything but easy to do!
But I also speak from personal experience when I say that every single time I do step out in faith when I am afraid, always casts that fear out and holds me up and accomplishes His purposes through me!
You can trust Him friend to cast out all your fear so you can move forward in faith and love others because He loves you!
Last week we talked about the first part (Part A) to being a true friend. I confessed to you that I have spent the majority of my life, recognizing The Part A of friendship and stopping there!
A true friend must follow all of Proverbs 17:17, both Part A and Part B!
“A Friend loves at all times, and a brother/sister is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17
A True Friend does love at all times, but they are also there in times of adversity!
When you are born for something you are created for it, made for it and ready for it! If we are a true friend, then yes, we love at all times, but we are also there and ready to face the adversity that our friend is facing with them.
It is during adversity that we discover who we are really for and who is really for us.
Because adversity makes a demand on our friendship!
Adversity demands our time, our attention and at times even tangible expressions of the love that we have for someone else. It is often our opportunity to give back!
A true friend isn’t just there to celebrate a birthday, eat cake, and throw confetti! They are also there to encourage as someone heals, to listen to someone as they reveal their broken heart, to drop everything and meet the need at hand, and to give even though it hurts and costs us much.
We are not called to be a doormat, the giving should be reciprocated when you are going through adversity. But we are also not called to put up so many boundaries that we are no longer vulnerable, real, or accessible!
Only God can give us the balance required to be a true friend! And Jesus demonstrated it for us!
I like to say that Jesus had three circles of friendship. The first and largest circle is the outer circle, and it is huge and endless!
Jesus loved everyone, and we are called to love everyone with His love also!
“Love the Lord Your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:38-40
The second circle is smaller and has a manageable number of friends that are trusted and true. Jesus had 12. Jesus’ 12 disciples were the friends that he did life with! He poured into them with his wisdom and knowledge and love. Our second circle must include those trusted and true friends that we have the time to pour into and be poured into by.
The third circle is the inner circle of intimacy! It is the few true friends who have shown that they love at all times and are there in adversity! For Jesus, it was Peter James and John. These friends must pass the Proverbs 17:17 test they must love at all times and be there no matter what in times of adversity!
But even a Proverbs 17:17 friend will let us down. And no matter how good of a Proverbs 17:17 Friend we are, we will let our friends down. Because in our human state we fail, we falter and we even at times FALL ASLEEP!
Jesus sets the ultimate standard for our very best friend! Jesus goes up higher, out from even his innermost circle, to the only one who never fails, falters, or falls asleep. He goes to God and so must we!
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin. But, there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother/sister!“
Proverbs 18:24
TRUTH BOMB
WHEN GOD IS OUR BEST FRIEND WE WILL NEVER BE LET DOWN!
My prayer is that we will all strive to be a true Proverbs 17:17 Friend to all those that God puts in our life! But, that we will run to our very Best Friend, God, and point our friends to Him!
God has been speaking to me lately about what it means to be a true friend.
When we are believers, we are blessed to be a part of a sacred Sisterhood!
Our friends are not just simply our friends, they are sisters in Christ!
While we may all “walk to the beat of a different drum,” with our own unique personalities and skills, we follow the same Savior. His words are the ones we listen to above all others and His ways are the ones we walk in despite the different paths we could go down!
In this world and culture we live in, there are so many loud voices vying for our attention! There are so many paths to choose and directions to follow. We, too easily, can become confused and allow foreign voices to speak louder than our Saviors’ voice!
I am thankful to God for being a part of His family! I love that He has given me a sacred sisterhood to help me navigate His paths and hear His voice, the loudest. I never want to take my sisterhood for granted. I want to be a true friend!
On my own, I am not able. But with God, I know that He can make me more than able! His word speaks loud and clear to what a true friend is!
Proverbs 17:17
“A true Friend loves at all times…”
For years and years I have listened to this verse and used it as my roadmap for being a true friend.
A true Friends love is consistent! It “loves it all times!“ It is not dependent on convenience or availability. It is always there without conditions!
A true friend love is dependable! It can be counted on! It follows I Corinthians 13:5,
“…it does not insist on it’s own way, it is not irritable or resentful.”
This list can be exhausting and difficult to live by. It can make us want to run the other way and throw in the towel!
But remember, we are not just any sisterhood…we are a sacred sisterhood! We have the help of our Savior to be who He has called us to be in the lives of those we love!
But if you find that list, long and exhausting…buckle your seatbelts! What God has been showing me is that I have been living my life in my sisterhood, with only half of the verse He has called me to love my sisters by.
“A true friend loves at all times,
and a brother/sister is born for adversity!” Proverbs 17:17
There is a comma, not a period after,
“A friend loves at all times,”
I am not just called to love my friends, I am also called to be there in times of adversity!
During adversity, we discover what kind of a friend we really are.
Why? Because adversity makes a demand on our friendship. It demands our time, attention, and even tangible expressions of our love for our sisters.
A true friend isn’t just there to celebrate with you. They are also there to encourage you, to build you up, to support you and yes, even at times to redirect you when you’ve gotten off the Savior’s path!
TRUTH BOMB
A TRUE FRIEND IN CHRIST REALIZES FRIENDSHIP IS A SACRED SISTERHOOD!
I developed three prayers for me to follow so that God can help me be the true friend He’s called me to be.
I would love to share them with you and ask you to pray them through this week with me! Then, if you’ll meet me back here on the Blog next week, I’ll share the second half of God’s call to sacred sisterhood for all of us!
Spoiler alert…HE IS SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF IT!
Prayer Points
*1) God, help me know that you and you alone, are my best friend!
“I will never leave you or forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5b
*2) God, please help me to have your wisdom and discernment in knowing who my true friends are.“
“A friend loves at all times,“ Proverbs 17:17a
*3) God, help me be the friend that you have called me to be for my friends.
“…and a brother/sister is born for adversity.”Proverbs 17:17b
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