He is…MY FRIEND

To know me is to know that I am thrilled over any opportunity to sing and share what God is doing in my life. I had an awesome time yesterday as I spoke and sang for a Tea Party at First Baptist Lawrenceville. I’d like to give a shout out to those wonderful ladies who welcomed me so warmly, who listened respectfully and sang along with joyful hearts…what an angelic sound as you lifted up praise with me!

The message the Lord gave me for these ladies was “He is our Friend.” Isn’t it just chilling when God gives you a message and it turns out to be a recurring theme in an event? Makes me wanna shout HALLELUJAH! Nothing reveals God to me more than when this happens. It makes ministry so alive and drives me to serve Him with more passion.

Yes, God is my Friend. John 15:15 says, “I no longer call you servants…but I call you friends.” Allow me to share the Tea Party message with you.

It began with the song “Friend of God”…a simple, humble chorus that will bring you to your knees if you sing it with heartfelt abandon. “Who am I that You are mindful of me? That you hear me when I call? Who am I that You are thinking of me? That you love me? It’s amazing!”

Are you amazed that God is mindful of you? That He hears every word you speak to Him? That even right this very moment He is thinking of you and the future He has planned for you? Can you hear Him speak “I love you” from His heart to yours? I don’t know about you, but there’s another hallelujah moment for me!

I shared with my tea mates that my testimony begins in childhood. I grew up in a Baptist church. My mom, in my eyes, was a saint if there ever was one! She loved the Lord; she walked the walk and talked the talk. She taught me to pray, to read the Bible and BE IN CHURCH EVERY TIME THE DOORS WERE OPEN!! I didn’t understand her motivation then, but I do now.

As a very young child, I played the piano and sang hymns in church with my little sister. I played Mary in our Christmas programs and have a cool picture of me with the shawl on my head. That must be when the drama bug bit me!

I was baptized at age 9. I still remember walking down that aisle with tears streaming down my face. All my life I have known God, believed in Him and thought He was in control of my life…BUT…..I did not develop a relationship with Jesus until much later. You see, my mom laid the foundation, but it was my responsibility to ask Jesus into my heart. No one else could do it for me.

I still recall, quite vividly, the morning I ask Jesus to begin a relationship with me. A young pastor’s wife in my church gave her testimony…she was baptized as a child but realized she didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. My heart stopped! The huge hole in my life, all the searching and emptiness, could it be that I didn’t know Jesus? I sat in my choir chair holding on for dear life. I was NOT going to move. I was a children’s choir director, adult choir member, music teacher to many of the church members' children…what would everyone say if I went forward at the time of invitation???

I did not go forward…I went to Sunday School and the Holy Spirit followed me there!! I’m quite sure He sat down right beside me, tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Whatta ya gonna do now frady-cat?”

He wouldn’t leave me alone! I realized I had to go back at the end of the next service and talk with the young women who gave her testimony. I had to know for sure that heaven was my destiny and that Jesus was my Lord.

I did just that. She counseled me, and I prayed for Jesus to come into my heart and be my Savior. And what a wild ride these years with Him have been! I was baptized again and began to serve Him in ways I never dreamed possible. To apply an Oswald Chambers quote to my life…He has made a holy experiment out of me – and His experiments always succeed!

Jesus is not only my BFF, He is my Shield, my Strength, my Portion, my Deliverer and my Everlasting God. A devotion book I’m reading has a wonderful description of how great a friend our awesome God is.

“Our God is an interested and willing listener. Let Him be your teacher and share all your secrets with Him. Take God as your spouse and friend and walk with Him continually, and you will not sin. You will learn to love, and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.”

If Jesus is not your best friend, why isn’t He? You can ask Him right now to forgive your sin and come into your heart, and instantaneously, He will do just that. No physical exam to check your heart, no financial questionnaire to check your wealth; just your willingness to follow Him whether He leads.

Are you ready to do that? Oh please say "yes." It will be the greatest day in your life!

Debbie lives in Dacula, GA with her wonderful husband Sonny and wonder-dog Bandit