Being sad with the right people is better than being happy with the wrong ones ~ Philippos
So true.
If you’re sad or upset, you need people around you who will support you and care for you. Sadly however I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves with people who don’t seem to care about us when we’re most in need of support. But have you realised these are not the people you should be calling “true friends”?
Therefore make sure those you call true friends are people you know and trust will be there for you in your times of need, because if they’re not, don’t leave it until you need a friend most, to find out they don’t really care for you.
True friends will be there for you during your lowest times as well as during your happiest moments, I hope you’ve found some true friends!
Effective prayer is not only about believing God is listening to every prayer, but believing that He will answer our prayers in the way in knows is best for us. God knows better than any of us, what is best for us, because He knows us better than we even know ourselves.
And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
Therefore pray in the knowledge that God is listening. Pray in the knowledge that He knows what is best for us, and therefore whatever He gives us in response to our prayers, will enable us to find the greatest joy in all we do.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
So remember that while life’s problems may challenge and test you, God will not let you face anything He does not think you can cope with, with His help. It’s only by facing problems in life that we gain experience and knowledge, and it’s by sharing that knowledge that we can teach others about God’s love for them, because we have experience His unfailing love in our own lives.
We all plan our lives, some of us, just a day at a time, others months or even years in advance. However is there really any point in us planning our lives in advance?
The answer to that is, if we have accepted God as our Saviour and friend, no, because we believe that God has planned out every detail of our lives long before we were born. Therefore, if our lives are truly in God’s hands, our plans are God’s plan for our life.
If you haven’t already given your life to God, I’d urge you to do so today, because He can change your life, and he will change your heart. In return all He asks is that you are willing to change your plans to His plans.
There is no moment when God will love you more than He does right now! His love is complete and never fails. (1 Corinthians. 13:4-8)
Sometimes we can be so busy and caught up with life, that we can forget to say thank you to God for just how much He loves us. Take time each day to spend a few minutes thinking about all the love God has shown you/given you during that day.
I suspect if you sit down and actually think about it you will be amazed just how much God shows his love for you each day.
Let do as God does, and show love to everyone we meet each day.
When you read the title of my blog post today, what did you think about? A meeting that never happened because the other person didn’t turn up; A date when you were stood-up; A time when a close friend failed you and you felt let down.
Well, the last example above was actually what I was thinking of when I wrote the title of this blog post. It’s a real horrible and empty feeling you get when someone you love and trust lets you down, no matter the way in which they let you down – Shared something with others that you shared with them in confidence; Weren’t there for you when you needed them most; etc.
Being let down is something I hope you never have to experience as it really can be very heartbreaking. However I can recommend a friend to you who will never let you down, who is trustworthy and honest, and who will always be faithful to you…God!
In yesterday’s blog post Always Special I asked you to think about the special people in your life who have had a big impact on your life.
How many special people have you had in your life? Personally I’ve had a few.
However there is one person who has been a very special friend to me for many years now, and despite all my faults and the many times I’ve let them down or disappointed them, they still love me, support me and help me, and even better than that, they are always there for me no matter where I am or what time of day or night it is.
Yes, I’ve turned away from Jesus many times and refused to do what He’s asked me to do, but He keeps on loving me, and He never lets me down. I can honestly say I have never had another friend like Him, and I know I will never find anyone else just as loving and forgiving as Him.
What do you think of when you hear those words? Work, DIY, housework, homework, your life…
These last few days I’ve spoken about how God can help us Be The Person He wants us to be, so doesn’t that make us His work in progress?!
No matter what age we are when we give our heart to God, God starts working in our life to help us become more like Christ, but because we are human we fail Him so many times. But all is not futile, as God doesn’t give up on us – If we seek Him and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive us, and no matter what God will continue to love us unconditionally.
Yes, we need to try to be more Christ-like, however, no matter how many years God is at work in our life we will always be His “work-in-progress”!
I hope you enjoy Twila Parissinging All Things Work Togetherwhich fits in well with my thoughts for today:
Do you have a friend or friends who you consider to be faithful?
Unfortunately for many, finding a single faithful friend can be something they will never experience, and that I find is very sad. It’s wonderful when you have someone who you can tell anything to, and talk about anything with and know not only that they will not judge you, but will not pass on anything you have told them to anything else.
For some their faithful friend maybe someone they have known for many years, possibly since childhood. For others it maybe someone the met just a few years ago and instantly “clicked”. For some it maybe someone they’ve known for a while but through a particular situation you’ve found you have so much in common and have subsequently become good friends. Then there are those for whom their closest and most faithful friend is their partner.
It’s great when your best friend is also your partner, after all why would you want to spend your life/commit your life to someone who you’re not friends with!
However great your friendships are, there is one person who we can all rely on to be faithful at all times, and that is Jesus. Do you consider Him to be your friend?
If you don’t consider Jesus to be your friend, why not give him a go, talk to Him…He will listen and He will be there for you at all times.
Everyone knows you as a man of honor I am glad to know you simply as a friend You’ve always taken time to be my brother And I’ll be standing by you in the end
But I will never put you on a pedestal I thank the Lordfor everything you do I’ll be there to pray for you and for the ones you love I believe that He will finish all he started in you.
Chorus I will be an open door that you can count on Anywhere you are, anywhere you’ve been I will be an honest heart you can depend on I will be a faithful friend
I am one of many whose path has been made clear By the light you’ve carried faithfully as a warrior and a child God has used you greatly to encourage and inspire And you’ve remained a true friend all the while
So I will never put you on a pedestal Cause we both know all the glory is the Lord’s But I’ll be there to pray that He will keep you by his grace And I always will remind you to be seeking His face
Chorus
Should there ever come a time to cry I will weep with you And every single time you win I’m celebrating too
Yesterday in Worldwide Prayer I told you about the call by the General of the Salvation Army for a worldwide prayer meeting every Thursday. I also mentioned how in order to have that weekly worldwide prayer meeting we were asked to spend 30 minutes each Thursday in prayer.
Does 30 minutes seem like a long time to you? Personally, I would say it depend what I’m doing and whether I’m enjoying it, whether half an hour seems like a long or a short period of time. For example, I’m sure we’ve all been in meetings which seem to go on and on, and nothing productive seems to be discussed – these are meetings which always appear to be much much longer than they actually are. In contrast, when we’re in the company of good friends, isn’t funny how time always seems to fly by then.
How about your prayer life? Do you prayer times seem to fly by or are you clock-watching , desperate to get on to doing other things?
Spending time in prayer should be a joy not a grind. It’s personal time with God, in other words we should treat it as spending time with a good friend.
Going back to the Salvation Army’s call to prayer, is asking for us to spend 30 minutes of our Thursday, too much to ask of us? Definitely not! Thirty minutes out of 168 hours each week really isn’t much…especially when you consider we probably all spend much more than that a week on the phone to our friends and family!
Don’t let your prayer time become a grind or a chore, you’re spending time with your best friend, so cherish your prayer time with God.
Does 30 minutes seem like a long time to you?
