Day 8: Friends of God

James 4:8- Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

God wants us to develop a friendship with him; He created us for companionship. In order to become intimate friends with him there a few things we must do:

1)      We must be honest with Him:

God wants us to be frank and share our true feelings. If you are frustrated or in disagreement with something in your life, TELL HIM! When we try to cover our true feelings, we often become bitter and bitterness is one of the greatest barriers to friendship.

In Exodus 33: 12- 17 Moses is frank with God. He tells God “If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans.” Moses was considered one of God’s closest friends and even he would get frustrated. But God would respond to Moses because Moses was honest.

V. 17: God said to Moses: "All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name."

God longs to have a connection with each of us. He wants us to talk to him. We can talk to him about everything; in fact He wants to hear about everything. I often wonder how my mother has put up with me all these years with all the insignificant things I tell her about or complain about, but to her those things are significant. Most parents want to know every detail of their child’s day because they have an unconditional love for their child. This is how God feels about you!

The book of Psalms is full of doubts and fears combined with praise. David says in Psalms 142:2 “I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him.”

2)      Obey in Faith:

We should not feel like we have to obey out of obligation, but rather we should obey out of love. God gives us daily instructions and we must obey him because we love him.

John 15: 14- “ You are My friends if you do what I command you.”

“Great opportunities may come once in a lifetime, but small ones surround us everyday.” ~ Rick Warren

God treasures simple acts of obedience. Obedience is the most favorable action to God. (look up 1 Samuel 15:22)

3)      Value what He values

We (every single person!) is who God longs for! More than anything, He wants His lost children found. If we have Gods values, then we want every lost person to be saved.

“Friends of God tell their friends about God.” ~ Rick Warren

4)      Desire a friendship with Him more than anything!

This is the most important of them all! If we desire a relationship with Him above all else, then the other three will be easy. We must ask that God make this desire stronger than any other.

“If you’ve just been going through the motions spiritually, don’t be surprised when God allows pain in your life. Pain is the fuel to passion- it energizes us with an intensity to change! Your problems are not punishment; they are a wakeup call from God.” –Rick Warren