{"id":1676,"date":"2011-05-24T21:32:06","date_gmt":"2011-05-25T01:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=1676"},"modified":"2017-11-03T21:26:24","modified_gmt":"2017-11-04T01:26:24","slug":"real-friends-are-dependable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Friends are Dependable"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forget social networking! How many real<\/em> friends do you have?<\/p>\n

Sometimes it\u2019s the fiery trials that reveal the real person.\u00a0 Anybody can handle life well when circumstances are going well and things are happening the way you want them to happen.\u00a0 But what happens when the circumstances you are facing are not going so well and the very thing you want to happen is not happening?\u00a0 How do you respond? What are you thinking during these difficult times? What do you do in response to these kinds of situations?\u00a0 We have to be honest and admit that times of trial and suffering not only reveal our true nature and character, but it can also help us grow to think and act like Jesus Christ, and as a result, God is glorified.\u00a0 Peter wrote these words in 1 Peter 1:6-7 \u201cIn this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big question today is: What do you do when your friend is facing trials & suffering?<\/p>\n

Tell Them You Love Them<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For you to tell your friend that you love them means a lot to a person.\u00a0 To let them know that you really care about them \u2013 enough to tell and to show them.\u00a0 Sometimes, a simply phrase like, \u201cI love you my friend\u201d can go a long way in building a relationship and in helping that friend make through the fiery trial they are facing.<\/p>\n

I think sometimes we underestimate the power of our words. It\u2019s not just what we say, but how we say it and when we say it.\u00a0 When you tell somebody you love them and care about them, don\u2019t do it in a half-hearted manner.\u00a0 If that happens, your friend probably won\u2019t believe you or will at least doubt the sincerity of what you just said \u2013 especially if the tone of your voice doesn\u2019t really communicate the passion and sincerity of what you just said.<\/p>\n

Timing is also an important element in telling someone you love them.\u00a0 When that friend is hurting in some way, or struggling with responding to a trial in a way that is pleasing to God (they probably don\u2019t understand why a loving God would allow something like this to happen), your timing can make a huge difference.\u00a0 Tell your friend that you love them when you find out about the trial they are facing, but then call them back the next day, or the next couple of days, and tell them, \u201cI love you my friend, and I really care about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tell Them You Are Praying for Them<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What an encouragement it is to know what your friends are praying with you and praying for you.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the act in and of itself that is encouraging, it\u2019s the fact that you are talking to the God of the Heaven who is \u201cable to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think\u201d (Ephesians 3:20).\u00a0 Think about that wonderful privilege \u2013 to come boldly to the Throne of Grace that \u201cwe might obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need\u201d (Hebrews 4:16).<\/p>\n

For your friend to know that you are praying for them can be a huge source of encouragement and comfort.\u00a0 And while you are telling them that you are praying for them, you can also pray with them right then while you are talking together.\u00a0 Don\u2019t put it off \u2013 take a minute or two and pray for your friend while the two of you are talking to each other.\u00a0 Ask God to give them wisdom during this time of trial or suffering.\u00a0 Ask the Lord to let your friend see how God\u2019s grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). While God has a will, and it will be accomplished, He also tells us that we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2).<\/p>\n

Be With Them When They Need You the Most<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When my father died in 1983, I had a friend that drove all the way from Greenville, SC, to Decatur, Alabama, where my dad\u2019s funeral was being held.\u00a0 I was shocked when my friend walked in the door of the funeral home about 30 minutes before the funeral began.\u00a0 I told him I didn\u2019t expect him to come, and I didn\u2019t think he was able to come.\u00a0 He said to me, \u201cMark, people are important.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019ve never forgotten that phrase, and my friend modeled that phrase with love, prayers, and being by my side when I needed him the most.\u00a0 When his mother died, I was there for him.\u00a0 When my mother died just a few months ago, he was there for me.\u00a0 When he called me on May 19th<\/sup>, and told me his dad just died, I made a decision \u2013 I\u2019m going to be with my friend.<\/p>\n

There are some things people will never forget, and one of them is when you were there with them, standing beside them, and helping them through the fiery trials of life.\u00a0 Be the kind of friend that Jesus is \u2013 love you friend, pray for your friend, and be there for your friend!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forget social networking! How many real friends do you have? Sometimes it\u2019s the fiery trials that reveal the real person.\u00a0 Anybody can handle life well when circumstances are going well and things are happening the way you want them to happen.\u00a0 But what happens when the circumstances you are facing are not going so well… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[221,4251,110,229,117,4311,163,4269],"yoast_head":"\nReal Friends are Dependable - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Real Friends are Dependable - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Forget social networking! How many real friends do you have? Sometimes it\u2019s the fiery trials that reveal the real person.\u00a0 Anybody can handle life well when circumstances are going well and things are happening the way you want them to happen.\u00a0 But what happens when the circumstances you are facing are not going so well... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-05-25T01:32:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-11-04T01:26:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"faithadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"faithadmin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/\",\"name\":\"Real Friends are Dependable - Faith Church Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-05-25T01:32:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-04T01:26:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/9f2c283b49c4acf05bff23e5ed62ca85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Real Friends are Dependable\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/\",\"name\":\"Faith Church Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/9f2c283b49c4acf05bff23e5ed62ca85\",\"name\":\"faithadmin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dac9cb30cc6796bfb05bd1e5eafbe524?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dac9cb30cc6796bfb05bd1e5eafbe524?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"faithadmin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/author\/faithadmin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Real Friends are Dependable - Faith Church Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Real Friends are Dependable - Faith Church Blog","og_description":"Forget social networking! How many real friends do you have? Sometimes it\u2019s the fiery trials that reveal the real person.\u00a0 Anybody can handle life well when circumstances are going well and things are happening the way you want them to happen.\u00a0 But what happens when the circumstances you are facing are not going so well... read more","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/","og_site_name":"Faith Church Blog","article_published_time":"2011-05-25T01:32:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-11-04T01:26:24+00:00","author":"faithadmin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"faithadmin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/","name":"Real Friends are Dependable - Faith Church Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-05-25T01:32:06+00:00","dateModified":"2017-11-04T01:26:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/9f2c283b49c4acf05bff23e5ed62ca85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/real-friends-are-dependable\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Real Friends are Dependable"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/","name":"Faith Church Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/9f2c283b49c4acf05bff23e5ed62ca85","name":"faithadmin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dac9cb30cc6796bfb05bd1e5eafbe524?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dac9cb30cc6796bfb05bd1e5eafbe524?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"faithadmin"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/author\/faithadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1676"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7099,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676\/revisions\/7099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}