LESSON 19

Becoming Best friends with GOd – Part 2

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1.goal

We will learn that God wants to be our best friend.

2.Introduction

Isaiah 41:8 "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. (NKJV)

James 2:23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. (NKJV)

Acts 13:22And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.' (NKJV)

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor with the Lord. (NLT)

Job 29:4 Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;(NKJV)

We were made to live in God’s continual presence, but after the Fall, that ideal relationship was lost. Only a few people in Old Testament times had the privilege of friendship with God. Moses and Abraham were called “friends of God.” David was called “a man after [God’s] own heart,” and Job, Enoch, and Noah had intimate friendships with God (Exodus 33:11, 17; 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23; Acts 13:22; Genesis 6:8; 5:22 NLT; Job 29:4). But fear of God, not friendship, was more common in the Old Testament.

Then Jesus changed the situation. When He paid for our sins on the cross, the veil in the temple that symbolized our separation from God was split from top to bottom, indicating that direct access to God was once again available.

Unlike the Old Testament priests who had to spend hours preparing to meet Him, we can now approach God anytime. The Bible says, “And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11)

Romans 5:11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God. (NLT)

3.QUESTIONS

Do you pray unceasingly? How does prayer build friendship with God?

  1. CONTENT

Becoming a Best Friend of God through Continual Meditation

A second way to establish a friendship with God is by thinking about His Word throughout your day. This is called meditation, and the Bible repeatedly urges us to meditate on who God is, what He has done, and what He has said.

It is impossible to be God’s friend apart from knowing what He says. You can’t love God unless you know Him, and you can’t know Him without knowing His Word. The Bible says God “Revealed Himself to Samuel thought His Word” (1 Samuel 3:21). God still uses that method today.

While you cannot spend all day studying the Bible, you can think about it throughout the day, recalling verses you have read or memorized and mulling them over in your mind.

Meditation is often misunderstood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics. But meditation is simply focused thinking – a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere.

Worry is when you think about a problem over and over in your mind. Meditation is when you think about God’s Word over and over in your mind. You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the less you will have to worry about.

The reason God considered Job and David His close friends was that they valued His Word above everything else. They thought about it continually throughout the day. Job admitted, “I have treasured the Words of His mouth more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:12). David said, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” (Psalm 119:97). “I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.”(Psalm 77:12)

Friends share secrets.

Friends normally share secrets with each other. God will share His secrets with you if you develop the habit of thinking about His Word throughout the day. God shared His secrets with Abraham, Daniel, Paul, the disciples, and other friends (Genesis 18:17; Daniel 2:19; 1 Corinthians 2:7-10).

Genesis 18:17And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, (NKJV)

Daniel 2:19Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 2:7-10But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 10But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (NKJV)

When you read your Bible, hear a sermon or listen to a tape, don’t just forget it and walk away. Develop the practice of reviewing the truth in your mind, thinking about it over and over. The more time you spend reviewing what God has said, the more you will understand the “secrets” to this life. The Bible says, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” (Psalm 25:14)

Start today by practicing constant conversation with God and continual meditation on His Word. Prayer lets you speak to God; meditation lets God speak to you. Both are essential to becoming a friend of God.

5.DISCUSSION QUESTION

What can I do to practice the Presence of God and improve my relationship with Him?

6.Memorized Scripture

Psalm 25:14 “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.”

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