Has “God can you please send me a godly friendship that glorifies You“ been your prayer lately? These characteristics will help you identify those types of friends when the Lord sends them.
I’ve been the person just like you on the opposite side of that prayer asking Abba that same question because I no longer wanted to do life alone. I wanted a sisterhood that reflected the Father’s love for me. Yes, I had my husband and I had my children but it’s something about finding friends who will serve the Lord with you that will make your heart full as it did mine.
This post isn’t just for the ones praying for a godly friendship, but it’s also for the ones who have a hard time understanding what that looks like. I pray that this post will give you a visual of what to expect.
As you keep reading you will learn what it means to not only be in a godly friendship but also how to be a friend to others the way that God desires it to be. This may challenge you, but my hope is that above all it encourages you!
This post is all about the qualities of a godly friendship.
Simple Insight Into A Godly Friendship
There Is So Much Beauty In Being You
First. let’s get real for a moment! Have you ever gotten around others and switched up who you were because of the fear of rejection? Putting on a mask can be so draining. What I’ve come to discover through my failed attempts of having solid godly friendships is that the friendships that are God ordained will allow you the freedom to be you in all of your glory and many different quirks. You are God’s workmanship and when He looks at you He says it is good. God put you together in such an intricate way and there is nothing dull about you. Your personality is not too big. You have substance and you have something to offer. Your daddy in Heaven takes joy in all of who you are as a person. Know that the friends He sends will value all of who you are as well.
Iron Sharpens Iron
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 NLT
Iron needs to be sharpened throughout its lifespan because over time it becomes dull. The process of sharpening iron looks like taking a kitchen knife and using a honing steel to create a sharper knife. A dull kitchen knife can be dangerous because you are more likely to cut yourself. Imagine yourself over time becoming dull in your christian walk because of hard seasons you had to walk through. When iron is sharpened there is friction, heat and sparks. The friction that comes with being sharpened won’t always feel pleasant but the end of the process causes you to be sharpened and allows for the fire of God to burn deep within you. A Godly friendship will cause you to look within when you’re wrong. It causes you to be accountable when your actions don’t represent Christ.
A true friend won’t be your “yes man”. Instead they will challenge your beliefs and not allow for poor behavior and wrong motives. If you have friends who call you out when your character is not aligning with what you believe keep them close. It can be hard to find people who will be brutally honest with you without fear of you getting offended.
Can They Stand With You Through Your Hard Seasons
It is undoubtedly easy to be in relationship with someone when everything is going well. It can be hard for friends to stick around when your world is falling apart. I went though a hard season in my marriage and with our finances. Those people who were with me disappeared or they stuck around just to use my pain for their entertainment. Galatians 6:2 tells us to carry each other’s burdens and by doing this we obey Jesus. A godly friend will not laugh at your pain. They won’t get tired of hearing about what you are going through. Instead they will go to the throne of grace on your behalf. Their support, encouragement and prayers are felt and it lets us know they are fighting with us. A godly friendship is an expression of God’s love for us because He knows that sometimes it can get lonely.
The body needs each other to overcome and to thrive. When a friend is going through something we should also share in the weight of what they’re experiencing. When they come out on the other side of that battle we will then be able to stand with them and rejoice with them.
Godly Friends Help Push You Into Purpose
When your friends are rooted in the word of God, wisdom begins to flow out of them. When your friends have the wisdom of God you can trust their counsel. If you have a business idea, or you need sound advice about something in your life you can reach out to your friend. God should be your main source for having your deepest needs met. However, godly friends can be led by Holy Spirit to give you insight where you once didn’t have a clear understanding. Also, godly friends tend to see the giftings and talents the Lord has blessed you with on the inside and they don’t allow you to sit on them. They push you into purpose by praying for you to come into alignment with who God has called you to be.
Not only will they pray for you, but they’ll nudge you with those gentle and loving reminders of what the Lord has put on the inside of you.
Simply Put… They Love You
Last, but definitely not least a godly friend will love you. They will love you with the love of God. They will not slander you, sabotage you and they won’t intentionally hurt you. The second greatest command Jesus gave was to love your neighbor as yourself. When a friend truly loves the Lord their God with all their heart and then chooses to love you like that it glorifies the Father.
This post was all about what a godly friendship looks like.
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