friend

24/7/365

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

April and I were discussing one of her friends recently. They were going through something. Sorry, I don’t recall what it was. I suggested April do something for them. She didn’t respond. I enquired. Finally, she admitted that she didn’t want to do that for her friend. After a few minutes, she asked, “Am I a bad friend?” I thought for a moment, trying to find some words of wisdom. Then I responded, “You’re a friend. You’re just not a good friend.”

 Maybe you are a good friend to others. Perhaps you give them as much time as you can when they call and are upset. You provide them with a ride to the airport no matter the time of day. When they are sick, you stop by their house to give them a helping hand or to provide a meal. In other words, you are always there for them. They know they can count on you.

 A few days later, I was sitting at a traffic light. I looked up and saw the billboard pictured here in this post. It made me think of Jesus. Then I thought of the above conversation with April. One of Jesus’ characteristics is that he says he is a “friend” who never leaves you.

There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Prov. 18:24 (RSV)

 But Jesus is one part of three. They are one yet individual, and together, they take complete care of you.

God.

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deu. 31:6 (MSG)

And nothing you can do can separate you from the love of God.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. Rom. 8:38 (MSG)

The Holy Spirit is there to comfort you and to give you power when you are ministering to others. He can give you words to say when you have no idea what should come out of your mouth. He also has a list of supernatural gifts that he gives out to whoever he wants.

Being in a relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is the best. They are our God, our friend, and our comforter. Jesus isn’t “just” a friend but a good friend. They are always there for me. I love doing life with them. They are with me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Can We Talk?

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Joan Rivers (a comedian who started in the 60s appearing in nightclubs) catchphrase was, “Can we talk?” I think she wanted people to enter into meaningful dialog about current issues. She must have known the power of communication.

I have said this before, “Communication brings understanding. Understanding brings acceptance. And in the case of a close relationship, acceptance brings love.” When you take the time to listen to someone else, you will begin to understand where they have been and what they have been through, leading to why they act the way they do.

Communication started with God, Adam, and Eve. He talked with them in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. (Gen. 3:8) It is essential to this day to talk to God at any time. He can guide you and give you insight and wisdom into any matter you face. You can ask God anything because He has all the answers. I have often asked him, “How do I …” and He has answered me in many ways.

Talking to people is good, too. It is important to keep a good line of communication open, especially if you are in a relationship with them, whether it is a working one, a neighbor, a friend, or a spouse. Even if one of you isn’t speaking to the other, take the time and effort to find out why. Of course, this may be difficult, depending on the issue, but stay calm and hear the other person out. They may actually be right.

Good conversations can be uplifting, encouraging, and downright fun. They may take time, but spending time with people is a gift. As my father taught me, be generous.

(Photo by StockSnap via Pixabay)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

“One Friend Coming Up!”

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

This is not a continuation of my last post about friends.  This is different.

Do you ever find yourself saying something like, “God, if I only had …”   Or something along the line of, “I wish I had a …”   I’m sure you have no problem filling in those blanks.  You are not alone.  A lot of people will “wish” they had something they feel they need or want.

What if you could speak what you strongly desire into existence?  Guess what, you can.  And how much would you pay for that?  But wait, there’s more.  A few years ago I heard a story of a lady who was up in her years of life.  She decided one day she would start looking into the mirror and declaring, “I look younger every day.”  Crazy?  Perhaps.  Until you hear the rest of the story.  After some time, her friends and family started telling her that she keeps looking younger and younger instead of aging as she would in the natural.

When I heard her testimony I was intrigued.  I knew the way God did it for her probably wouldn’t work for me, but the principle is the same, and here it is:

Speak, out loud, what you want, or desire.

Some call it making declarations, I think God calls it, “Speaking it into existence.”  I started doing this.  Whenever I would think of it I would stop and say out loud what I wanted.  I’m not going to list them, because they are personal.  What they are doesn’t matter, but what does matter is this; it works.  The things I have spoken out loud are coming to past. They are coming into existence!

This is not the same as sitting in a restaurant and going over a menu selecting what you want.  What you are declaring should be submitted to God, for He knows if this is a need or a want.  Will this help you, or hurt you in your relationship with Him or with others. As well, this is not “name it and claim it” type of faith either.

The mouth is a very powerful tool.  And the words that come out of our mouth are critical.  In a nut shell, every time we speak, we are either creating or tearing down.  We are building up, or destroying something, or worse, someone.

So a friend of mine, the other day, talked about wanting a friend to hang out with.  His other friends have moved away, or have transitioned into new chapters of their lives.  I challenged him to begin speaking out loud what he wanted.

I can only imagine God looking at him and saying, “One friend coming up!”

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

You Have a Friend in Me

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

friend

  1. a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.

So what’s your definition of a friend?  A true friend is difficult to find.  And when you think you have found one, it can take more time to know if you can completely trust them.  Do you have such a friend?

The Bible talks about, “Confess your sins one to another.” (James 5:16)  After becoming aware of this scripture I first thought, “No way!”  And for many years I didn’t.  How in the world could you trust someone with the darkest side of you?  Here is a good test to see if you can trust a friend with something you did wrong.  You tell them something, that if it got out would be embarrassing, but not career ending.  Then, you can feel safe confessing your sins.

I have such a friend.  It took a few years of getting to know him before I knew I could trust him with anything.  I have told him things I have not spoken of to any other living person.  He has shared likewise.  I value my friendship with him very much.  We talk to each other every week.  As well, we pray, intercede, and there are times when one of us has to correct the other’s attitude toward another person or situation.  I thank God for him, for he is a sure gift from God.

The great philosopher Woody, from the movie “Toy Story” put it like this:

You’ve got troubles, and I’ve got ’em, too
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you
We stick together and we see it through
‘Cause you’ve got a friend in me

I hope you have such a friend.  If not I pray you would find one, and if you don’t, you should ask God to help you find one.  You will be glad you did.  I should also add, if someone opens up their heart, and confesses a sin in their life to you, please do not speak of it to anyone else.  The damage you could cause may take years to heal in them, if they ever do.

Like my trusted friend once said, after revealing a sin in his life, “Wow, I feel so much better, and lighter after sharing that with you.”  That is something you can’t put a price tag on.  It’s priceless!

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Now What?

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Charlie 011520 1You finally drop off to sleep, and when you wake up the next morning you have a few seconds of peace before the pain of your current life situation comes crashing back into your mind like a tsunami.  You lay there and say to yourself, “Oh yeah”.  You force yourself to get out of bed, but if it wasn’t for having to go to the bathroom you would more likely pull the covers over your head and try to go back to sleep.

If this is you, what do you do?  You may feel your only options are; runaway, become a hermit, seek revenge on those that have hurt you, drown your sorrow in alcohol, over eat, pop pills, or even worse bring physical harm to yourself.  For those who have a relationship with God, the only thing you can do is lean into him even more.  Anything else is of the flesh, and it will not ease the pain like God can.  It may take all you have left inside you to even ask him to help you trust him more, but He will.  If you don’t have a relationship with God, now is the perfect time to ask for him to forgive you and come into your life.

The words of old hymns can be comforting, reminders of God’s reality, which is more true than our own.  Read the words of the song below.  Let the melodic words soak into your soul.  Be encouraged with the truth of knowing that this too will pass.  May God bless you, and comfort you.  Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  He will never leave you, nor forsake you.

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Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.