What is a Real Friend?

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend Proverbs 27:17

A lot of us grew up singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"...Today one popular song is "He is a Friend of Mine" With so many friends you might think that Jesus is a very popular guy. But, what does the Bible have to say about what it means to be a real friend? How ready are we to really be a good friend of Jesus?

According to Proverbs a real friend is someone who is not afraid to confront us about our failures. Just going along to get along may be the easiest way, but is that really being a friend?

One day as we walked along the boardwalk in California our Grandsons began to race ahead alone and I yelled for them to stop because I knew there were dangers that they couldn't see. So when we are racing ahead in our life and our friends begin to yell and ask, "What are you thinking about?" Are we willing to turn around and listen.

James 1:19 .... everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry...

Are we only willing to listen to compliments and to people who agree with us? If so we will find ourselves surrounded by those who will feel badly about our wounds, but will do nothing to cut us so that the bitter infection will drain and we can slowly heal. 

Faithful are the wounds of a Friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful Proverbs 27:6

"There's not a Friend Like the Lowly Jesus, No not one.." are the words of another old song. Yes Jesus is humble but He is also Holy and He will confront us about our sins. He is being our truest friend because He know where our sin will lead. He cares enough to correct us because He has better things in mind for our lives. 

A friend is someone who will not pretend with us that it is a bright sunny day, when in fact it is a dangerous and stormy night. A friend is someone who we allow to make us uncomfortable when we know that they are telling us the truth. 

Zechariah 13:6  And if one asks him, what are these wounds on your back?" he will say, " The wounds I received in the house of my friend"

Jesus does not command us to be His friends, but He paid the price by being a true friend. One of the most valuable gifts He gives are true friends. Today may be the day when a true friend will challenge us to take another look at ourselves. Will we be willing to listen to a brother, a Pastor or a neighbor who is acting as a friend today? Will you look back tomorrow and say, "Oh I wish I had paid attention to my friend" or will we slow down and begin to listen? When we really start to act like a friend of God, we will find that He is a true friend and a true friend is one who sticks closer than a brother.

Misty Edwards - People get ready (Live IHOP)

The Jennifer Barrick Story: Part 2 | Joni and Friends

The Jennifer Barrick Story: Part 2 | Joni and Friends

The Jennifer Barrick Story: Part 1 | Joni and Friends

The Jennifer Barrick Story: Part 1 | Joni and Friends

He's Always Been Faithful Sara Groves

Mercy Angels Pakistan.

Rumors of Imminent Execution of Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani Unconfirmed | Liveblog | Christianity Today

Rumors of Imminent Execution of Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani Unconfirmed Liveblog Christianity Today

"sweet jesus" by selah and jill phillips

Iranian Christian pastor to be hanged ‘immediately’ | CatholicHerald.co.uk

Iranian Christian pastor to be hanged ‘immediately’ CatholicHerald.co.uk

Once Again - Matt Redman (with lyrics)

Rendido Estou - Aline Barros e Fernandinho

God's Unconditional Love

I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life; messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth; neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow, neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God's whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 8:38-39


While passing through some difficult times lately God reminded me of the unconditional nature of His love for me. Some difficult memories of the past had clouded my heart and I had spent half the night awake battling with unseen enemies. God seemed so very far away and yet there in the morning He came and brought these promises to me again. How strange that in the midst of trials and sorrows that the most wonderful hopes of God's word can seem somehow distant and powerless.

Yet God's love remains constant. He never changes His mind or falls into a dark mood. The love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord is always powerful enough to take on any and all of our fears. The love of God in Jesus Christ is eternal enough to outlast both life and death itself. He is unfolding for us new depths of His mighty love like the petals of a flower continue to open and bloom in an ever amazing transformation. God's love alone has the power to pierce those dark nights and to lead us to Him again. He stills the storms again, he raises our dead hopes and dreams. He shows us again the wounds in His hands and feet as proof of His love; then He asks, "Why did you doubt? Don't be doubting any longer. Only believe! "

Kari Jobe -You Are For Me (Legendado em Português).avi

Jesus and the Woman at the Well

Was Jesus surprised to see the woman with a pitcher coming as he rested by the well on that day? The Bible doesn't tell us directly,but we learn that He stayed alone while His disciples went into town to find food. Jesus met a woman, and her conversation with him that day is remembered after 2000 years. She had come every day to the same well to find water for herself for most of her life. It was a special well, because Jacob had made the well and left it to her ancestors long ago. Yet the water in that well never satisfied the thirst for more than a moment. At Jacob's well she met a man who offered her water that would quench her thirst once and for all. Jesus talked about living water that He would give, if only she asked.

Jesus is still waiting now today, beside a thousand times ten thousand wells. He is waiting for us to come, as we have come so many times before, looking for something to drink that will last only for a moment. There, he offers us His water that will satisfy us forever. He is so interested to know all about our thoughts and struggles, yet when he speaks we find He already knows everything we have ever done! What a Savior is this? He is coming to us, who have wandered, coming back again and again to what can never quench our thirst. He is coming and offerering us water, real eternal living water, that will become a well springing up inside us. Jesus takes His time again today to come and rest by our well and offer us new water that we know nothing about. Once we have had a drink from His well and His water, we will leave knowing we must tell others about someone, who knows everything we have ever done. Isn't this the Christ who was sent into the world? We know that answer once we have the well springing up inside of us! That is His living water that gives us life for ever after!

Kari Jobe - We Cry Out

Calvin Hunt - Blessed Assurance.wmv

Bethel Music - Come to Me ft. Jenn Johnson

How Deeply I Need You Shekinah

The Preacher's Wife "I Love the Lord" Whitney Houston

He Is With You

Gateway Worship - Great Great God - with lyrics/subtitles

The Desert Song - Kari Jobe - Legendado

Jesus Culture - Nothing But The Blood

Always Rejoicing

In youth group we used to sing a chorus that went , "Praise him in the morning, Praise him in the noontime, praise him when the sun goes down!" We were all truly filled with the joy of the Lord as we sang those words. It seemed so easy to always be rejoicing. It seemed a lot easier of course when we were all young, full of energy and had no real world responsibilities.
                 Now looking back I see that though the words we sang and the joy we felt were true, we had not yet been really tested.  We had a lot of growing up to do before we could finish that journey. Even on days when I do start praising God in the morning, I am often running and busy by noontime and scarce have another thought till the sun does begin to go down. Jesus warns us about living a life like this. He calls it having his word planted among the thorns of our life. The end result of this kind of gardening is plants that are being choked out and unfruitful.

But thankfully our own failure is not the end of God's work in our lives. In chapter twelve of Hebrews we hear a strange kind of encouragement.

Have you forgotten the encouraging words that God spoke to you as His children, " He said, "My child don't make light of the Lord's discipline and don't give up when He corrects you.  For the Lord disciplines those He loves and He punishes every one He accepts as His child.


No God isn't through with any of us yet! No matter where we are in God's process we can take a deep breath and begin to thank him that He is still working on us. That is a different kind of rejoicing than we may be used to, but it is the kind of rejoicing that God gives us that will last forever...

Revive us again

Kutless - Carry me to the Cross

Kisses from Katie.mp4

I Look to You

Audrey Assad - Blessed Are The Ones(Live)