Telling the truth, revealing your heart will be the test that will expose your real friends. Even if you disagree with an authentic friend, they will still value you, allow you to be who you are, while treating you with the deepest respect.
Those who do not love you will not treat you with respect. They are likely to covertly poke away at you whenever they can get away with it without being seen by others.
Most of us have experienced this at least once in our life. Some of us have lived a life continually fraught with this sort of nonsense.
Those who have encountered it will know exactly what it looks like. Christ and all the apostles encountered it and so will anyone who speaks boldly about the things of God.
Matthew 10:21-22 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next."
God does not require that we remain in the lives of those who are hostile toward you and toward your God. We can pray for these people, God knows how much they need to repent, however we are not told to remain with them.
The most wonderful truth I have learned recently has been that we can move on and trust that God will work in the lives of those we love, and better than we think we can. When someone is not listening it is pointless to keep talking.
There is a measure of arrogance involved in thinking that we must remain in someone's life in case one day they might listen. When someone demonstrates hostility toward the principles of God and our speaking of them, it is time to remove ourselves and leave it to God.
I suppose this is one of the reasons I have no interest in ancestry or DNA for determining who we are related to, those ancestors are dead, they have no impact in our lives for Christ. God made it clear that when we become born again we are completely changed, our new family are those who are born again and share our same hope and desire and that is to live for Christ.
Folks.....it really is that simple.
Romans 12:2
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Galatians 1:10
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
James 1:2-4
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Romans 8:28
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
Romans 14:8
"For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's."
We either live for Christ or we live for family, we cannot do both. When family takes priority over Christ and family does not support our walk with Christ, then it is family who must be set aside not Christ.
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