A Friend of God

Friday 17 March
READ: Isa. 41: 8 - 13
MORE LESSON: Gen. 18: 17 - 33

In every generation, God seeks men that will break away from the things that preoccupy the hearts of other men and make Him their one devotion. There are always many things calling for the attention of men but a special few always decide to step out of the rat race and pursue God with all their heart.
Abraham lived in Ur of the Chaldeans; a land of great merchandise where people were busy pursuing things of the world and worshipping idols. God called Abraham out to walk with Him and he obeyed. Abraham walked closely with God in faith and became a friend of God. There is a place of relationship where you become so close to God that you are like lovers and friends. It is possible to enter into the exalted relationship with God as His friend. When you are God's friend, He begins to discuss things that are dear to His heart with you. He tells you secrets about people and places, He reveals things in the future that have not yet happened to you. He even asks for your opinion on what He wants to do.
There are great rewards of being God's friend. In Gen. 18, God was on a silent mission to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He didn't tell anybody and wanted to get there and destroy everyone. But then His friend met Him on the way and they started talking. The Lord thought within Himself, ...Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?: Gen. 18: 17. God had to disclose His intentions to Abraham and thus, Abraham was able to plead with God to save Lot and his family. If not for Abraham's relationship with God, Lot would have been destroyed. Being a friend of God grants special benefits to everyone associated with you. Even your children are given a special place in God's heart and He does exceptional things for them that they don't deserve because of His relationship with you. The reason God favours Israel exceptionally and destroyed nations to save them is because they are His friend's children (Isa. 41: 8).
John 15: 14 – 15 says, Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Jesus wants to be your friend; He wants to tell you things that are dear to His heart. However, the price of friendship is love and time. You have to love Him more than any other person or thing in your life. You have to give Him more time than you give other things in your life. This entails studying His Word, spending time with Him in worship, enjoying His presence with other believers, giving sacrificially to Him and obeying His Word.
Oh the blessing of being a friend of God!

Prayer/Action
* Father, bring me into an exalted and intimate relationship with You, in Jesus’ name.
* Father, grant to me today access into the deep things of God, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I am moving up, no going down, no turning back, my place is in the highest of all, in the mighty name of Jesus.