Have friends who will lower you through the roof of someone’s house for your healing.
Your friends have the capacity to help save you by bringing you back to Jesus.
I know this because I have failed to maintain my holiness. I sinned by engaging in a sexual activity outside of marriage. I stumbled and I felt ‘miles from God.’ I know I am forgiven for my sins because I repented and asked for forgiveness (1 John 1:9.)
My redemption occurred through Jesus’ grace and mercy. A friend helped by praying with me, supporting me by reminding me that no one is perfect. We all fail but through the grace of Jesus we are forgiven when we confess our sins.
The value of friends who fully support and accept you; and want to see you healed and set free is illustrated in the bible. Mark 2 (1-5) details how a paraplegic man was lowered through a roof in a house where Jesus was preaching so that he could be healed. This is what friends are for. Imagine having friends who were willing to remove a roof on someone’s house, lower you down into the lounge area so that you could be healed. His friends are the type of people I want to be with. In this man’s brokenness they carried him, lifted him up and then ensured that he was placed in front of Jesus.
When I stuffed up, I spent a few days disillusioned with myself. I hadn’t intended to engage in the sexual behaviour that I ended up doing. The day started off perfectly normal. There was no work pressure or any indication that I was going to make a bad decision later that day. Yet I did make a bad decision.
The next day I went to God and apologized for my behaviour. I was genuine in my repentance. Yet I knew that I also had to talk to my friend about the incident. (James 5:16) “Tell your sins to each other. And pray for each other so you may be healed. The prayer from the heart of a man right with God has much power.”
My confession to my friend, his support, encouragement, and prayer lifted me up spiritually and emotionally. I would not have recovered spiritually or emotionally without his unconditional support and time that he personally gave me.
Because of the shame associated with pornography and sexual activity outside of marriage we are quickly trapped by the enemy. It is easy to ask a church minister to pray for your habit of lying. But to ask a minister for prayer to break the habit of sexual sins? This is not easy and not something that any of us would want to do on a Sunday morning after church.
A friend who is able to help you when you fall is without doubt the greatest friend that you can have. I would like to share that it is important that this friend has the following attributes; they have been a Christian for a while, they are ‘on fire’ for God, confidentiality is paramount (don’t share anything that you want kept a secret with a gossiper) and their faith is as strong or stronger than your faith.
This is why this ministry is important. As Christians we believe that Jesus wants us to live our lives based on the bible. His Word for us. Jesus knows that you are up against an enemy that makes sexual activity (outside of marriage) and pornography enticing. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection was all for you. For the forgiveness of your sins. If you would like to talk to us, feel free to contact us (click here.)
By JS. “A friend loves at all times…” — Proverbs 17:17(a)
