My Ride-Or-Die Friend

FRIEND: Definition

a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection.

Exodus 33:11

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.

James 2:23

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called Gods friend.

2 Chr 20: 7

Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

Prov. 17:17 A friend loves at all times

John 11:11 Jesus raised his friend, Lazarus, from the dead

James 4:4

You adulterous people, dont you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (friendship is loyal)

Today were going to be discussing what it means to be a true friend of Jesus Christ.

Jesus doesnt need more obedient robots or servants running around. He needs friends who will ride-or-die with Him.

John 15:15

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (being a friend means youre privy to His intimate, inside info)

Im not going to lie to you and tell you that Ive been a perfect Christian or that I havent made a lot of mistakes. I have suffered failures.

But since the age of 18 I also have had the ability to hear Gods voice.

John 10:27

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

It also means My friends know the sound of my voice when I call.

Think about your best friends. They dont have to introduce themselves every time they call you. You know their voice on the other end of the line, right?

Kings and prophets of the Bible werent anything special. Flawed human beings who had one thing that set them apart: They could hear Gods voice and see visions God would show them. They were usually marked by God as babies, and faced impossible odds against them as adults. These men and women were considered the friends of God walking through an evil earth. Abraham, Noah, Moses, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, Elishah, Disciples, Apostle Paul the list goes on and on.

I consider myself a friend of God. Not because Ive done anything remotely deserving, but because He called me out as a young girl. I was always different. I could never enjoy sinning like my brother did or my peers did. If I ever stepped out of line even a little bit, there were severe consequences that came quickly. God always made me walk the line. And Hes always been good to give me boundaries not to cross.

When Ive crossed those boundaries during some of my foolish, dark seasons, Ive suffered incredibly. God chastens those He loves, thankfully.

Ive learned, oftentimes the hard way, that how we wait and obey God during the dark seasons of our lives is important. .. Just as important as how we wait when things are good.

Ive been through what my Christian mentors have told me is a dark night of the soul for about 25 years now. Without going into detail, my life has been impossibly hard and bleak for 25 solid years in a row. Nothing ever improves or gets better.

There have been a year here or there where I would become discouraged, swimming in self-pity, and told myself, Well, since nothing I do or dont do makes a difference, I might as well just live however I want.

Why pray if your prayers are going unanswered?

Why try if all youre going to be met with is failure and disappointment?

Why live holy if it doesnt make life circumstances any better?

Jesus didnt promise us an easy life. He said if you follow Him, you will have trouble. You will be falsely accused, persecuted, abandoned and hung out to dry. He said we would have hard times for several reasons:

1. We live in a flawed world where bad things, like accidents, happen to good people

2. Satan hates us because we are friends/children of his enemy, God

   1. Satan is constantly undermining us at every turn

3. We make mistakes and suffer the consequences

4. Others make mistakes and we suffer alongside in their consequences

He also said itll all be worth it someday. He said everything were going through is preparing us for things He will have us accomplish later.

I was young and now Im old … at least I feel really, really old … and I believe a life laid down for the sake of the cross so that I can walk with my faithful, precious Friend, Jesus is better than a life lived without Jesus.

I believe the world has a way of doing things, and I believe Gods ways are better.

My message today was going to be about waiting well. But waiting alone without a friend to share it with isnt much fun, is it?

What does it mean to WAIT WELL?

Psalm 5:3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Isaiah 40:31 but those who wait upon (hope) in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

TO WAIT in Greek & Hebrew means to MARCH IN PLACE actively practicing Gods ways & developing godly character

The Israelites did not wait well as we read in Exodus and the books of the Bible that followed…

Psalms 106: 12-13 Then [the Israelites] believed [God’s] promises and sang his praise.

But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.

You see, when we go through a Dark Night of the Soul or a Desert Season like what I have been going through for 25 years you cannot help but ask if youll ever make it to your Promised Land.

The Israelites, God’s family, were delivered from hundreds of years of captivity and it shouldve taken them 11 days to make their journey across the desert into the Promised Land. But, they kept making mistakes, and so what shouldve been an 11 day journey took 40 years.

Me and certain family members have made mistakes over the years that have cost me the last 25 years of progress. Some of them were my fault, some of them werent. Mostly, Ive been in a desert of sorts for 25 years not because of my unbelief, but because of the unbelief and sins of those around me. Theyve delayed what God wanted to do in my life.

Thankfully, that time hasnt been wasted. God has used it to teach me how to walk in His character and the fruits of the spirit. I mostly like who I have become in the process. Still have a long way to go in cultivating the character of godliness in my own life. We’re all works in progress.

Galatians 5: 19-25

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Since we [Gods Friends] live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit…

Actively March in Step with the Spirit = Wait Well

Our desert seasons or dark nights of the soul where we cant see the light at the end of the tunnel none of that changes the fact that God has a standard by which we live.

He doesnt change. His standards dont change no matter what this world throws at us.

It doesnt change that He has a destiny and a purpose on our lives.

It doesnt change that He may have been delayed, but Hes coming to bring us into our Promised Land.

For some of us, that promised land is in this life, and for some of us, we wont see it until the next.

But, if we wait well, we will see it!

Psalm 27:13-14 says, I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

I wouldve died many times over had I not been obedient and allowed God to teach me how to pray and fight His way…to be a sheep who knows my Shepherds voice.

What would’ve happened had I not learned how to wait well cultivating long-suffering, patience, peace, self-control and the like?

Every time God told me to go to school, take a job, be faithful to attend church even when it was so unbearably boring and so hard … those little obediences taught me discipline and the fruits of the spirit over time.

Im an adventurer at heart. I love to take on big challenges, travel, test the boundaries of the impossible. BOB GOFF is my spirit animal LOL.

Do yall remember Caleb and Joshua who spied out the land God wanted to give them?

Numbers 13 God tells Moses to send spies to spy out the land of Canaan a land inhabited by evil people. God wants to send the Israelites, His people, to conquer that land. This was God testing them to see if they had enough faith to believe He could help them win the battle against the Canaanites.

Num. 13: 30-31 Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it. BUT, the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.

I feel like I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by people telling me something couldnt be done. Ive always questioned WHY NOT?

The only reasons Ive been held back many times is because I didnt have anyone to partner with to go in and conquer the thing before me.

Being an adventurer with no one to go on the adventures with is miserable!

Jesus needs more adventurers. More friends like Joshua & Caleb so that we can lead His people into their promised lands.

He doesnt need servants and robots. He needs friends who know and respond positively to His voice.

He needs friends who hear Him call and they say with readiness and excitement If youre waiting on me youre backing up!

How we live in the midst of our personal struggles matters. But also, our attitude matters during the good times when Jesus is calling us into an adventure. No one wants to travel with a sour, cranky sloth! Ask any parent of a teenager who has dared a vacation to anywhere!

I asked God once why I couldnt have had it easy like some other female ministers and pastors wives women whove never had to deal with divorce, mental illness, addiction, financial struggles, debilitating illnesses and more…

He said, Casey, I gave them extreme empathy. Ive given you extreme experience.

Peter was someone in the Bible who had to learn through extreme experience. Peter learned through trial and error. He made mistakes over and over again. And yet, he was considered a disciple and friend of Jesus because he was bold and brave and would step out on the water and take risks.

So were the disciples who were hung upside down and stoned to death for being Jesus unapologetic friends.

The whole story of the Bible from cover to cover is simply a story of a God who lost His family His plan of how to get them back and a promise of the glorious life Hes going to provide them with once hes finished destroying Satan.

The Book of Revelations:

Once Jesus returns and Satan is dealt with once and for all, God is basically going to restore the earth to a Garden of Eden state, and He cant let just anyone into this place because Hes all about family. Hes going to protect His family and keep the idiots out who might be foolish enough or evil enough to hurt His family.

Its important we learn His ways and walk in them now so He knows, and so we know, we can be trusted later to be responsible sons and daughters of God. So we can partake in all the benefits and blessings of being His children living in His house in His gardens … eating His food at His table.

Everything were going through now is preparing us for who were going to be then.

So, no matter what youve been through, dont use your self-pity as an excuse to throw your life and health away on eating too much, alcohol, drugs, careless relationships.

You can live a simple, holy life and it might not seem like much now but just marching in place being holy, godly mothers and fathers to your children … loving, conscientious spouses … a light to coworkers and fellow men … will go a long way in showing God how much He can trust you later.

Wait well. Stay out of self-pity. And dare to dream not just about who you want to be ten years from now but what kind of friend do you want to be for Jesus in eternity.

I want to be a friend He can count on to do the right thing even when it hurts and life isnt fair.

I want to be someone who walks in the fruits of the spirit.

Sometimes being someone He can count on requires us to be tried and tested and taught how to overcome our very real enemy, Satan. That means we have to go through some hard things.

We have to be excited about going on adventures with Jesus. He needs more adventurers, soldiers, prayer warriors and risk takers on his team!

In a world where our individual identities have become everything, I implore you for maintaining Gods standard of holiness.

I cannot, as a friend of God ever support a lifestyle that perpetuates the agenda of Satan to destroy Gods family the very family Hes worked for centuries to win back.

The best chance we have to winning over people who are unaware of Gods ways is to love them unconditionally. But, healthy love also includes putting healthy boundaries and borders in place in order to protect our families, Gods family.

We have to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

When I engage with people who do not believe as I believe, my goal is not to turn them over to my side. My goal is to be their friend. Share meals with them. Have loving, heart felt discussions with them where I dont get defensive. But, when I feel like I need to, I boldly speak the truth of Gods word.

Befriending those who are not like us is an adventure with Jesus. We can use that friendship as an opportunity to share with others about Jesus and His ways, but also to learn about others and the human condition. It is also an opportunity for us to grow in loving, long-suffering patience, compassion and self-control.

REMEMBER: Truth spoken without love is not truth.

In todays world were being challenged to claim an identity:

He/Him She/Her They/Them

I only claim one: I AM JESUS FRIEND.

He only claims one identity: I AM.

I AM … the beginning and the end of everything.

I, Casey, am a friend of I AM and that is the beginning and ending of every decision I make, and every fiber of my DNA.

With every fiber of my DNA, I am His and He is mine.

Love is, simply, a friendship caught on fire.

So, in the spirit of adventure:

If Jesus asked you to spend 20+ years in paralyzing boredom while you faithfully served your spouse, children or church, would you do it?

If He asked you to sell all you have to move to the hood of Chicago or Detroit and minister to people who will rob, beat and leave you for dead, would you do it?

If Jesus showed up tomorrow, and asked you, His Friend, to befriend someone who wasnt like you a sinner would you do it?

Im not asking you to do anything I havent been asked to do myself. Jesus has asked me to do things in the past that cost me EVERYTHING.

Health, money, home, reputation & status, marriage, happiness, fun, recreation, vacations, friends, church family. I stood up for my Friend and it cost me everything. #NOREGRETS

John 15: 13-14 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for ones friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command. [if you learn to love Me and My ways & are willing to go on adventures with Me]

I dont know if Jesus will ask you to give up everything.

He might.

But, if He doesnt, remember, how you wait and live day-to-day through the monotony of your routines matters.

It matters. You matter. He wants to be your friend.

You are he family Hes been trying to win back for thousands of years.

You were created to be a part of His family . For friendship . For relationship.

He doesnt want to do adventure and life without you!