Blog by Lainie Williams
Before I got saved, my life revolved around the bar and club scene. I knew that if I truly wanted my lifestyle to change for the better that having solid Christian friendships was a MUST. A couple of months after being saved, I remember my pastor praying over prayer requests and asked us to pray as a ‘Church Family’. Ummm Hello?! Light bulb Moment… I finally got a revelation that if I wanted to be part of the family that I needed to get to know my family. So I started with a simple prayer “Lord, please bring me some great Christian friends”
So the following Sunday, I finally decided to change my routine of always being the last in and the first out. I took that scary step and walked up to two girls in church and introduced myself. I was not sure if they would embrace me and felt insecure about not knowing a lot about the Bible or what it truly meant to be a Christian. To my surprise, they were very friendly and welcoming… PHEWWW! They were an answer to prayer and ended up becoming my closest friends. They were so fun to hang with and because they were so much stronger in their faith and has been Christians a lot longer, I learned so much from them. I know that I would not be where I am today if I did not have the right friends in my life. There is nothing like having loyal, life giving, authentic friends that are willing to be honest and give you ‘tough love’.
I have been a Christian now for 17 years and I learned that to continue growing in my walk with God I would have to keep my relationship with Jesus Fresh, to be in Church every Sunday, and have Christian friends around to encourage me. That’s why I love this verse…
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
Life is too short to do it alone. I have learned you may have lifelong friends or those for just a season, either way it is important to do life with others. I understand that we cannot be BFF’s with everyone we come in contact with, but are you willing to be open to friendships that can help you, as well help others build stronger relationships within the body of Christ? I’ve had friendships in the past that led me in a number of different directions. It was only after surrounding myself with Godly friendships that I’ve truly been able to get through some of the toughest moments of my life. My prayer for you is that you too will have those kinds of Godly friendships… one’s that will challenge you, stand by you and those that you can lean on.
Let’s Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you that we are not called to do life alone. I pray that I continue to be someone’s Answer to Prayer. Help me be a great friend to others and be a ‘Connector’ to people so they can grow healthy and Godly friendships. In Jesus Name, AMEN!
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