Am I Enough: Embracing The Truth About Who You AreSample

Lie #6: God Just Wants to Be Your Friend

What does it look like for us to friend-zone God? Yes, God is always there when we need Him, but when we don’t “need” God, we are often content to keep our relationship with Him at a lower level than He desires. Sometimes it seems easier to avoid building a relationship with God that is based on the type of love that provokes change—it’s easier to keep control of our lives so we can do whatever we want and still say we know Him.

God wired us to live in community, and He desires for us to find loving Christian friends. However, we can still encounter seasons of loneliness when we think that finding joy is dependent upon our popularity. Jesus was lonely at times, yet He never friend-zoned His heavenly Father. We need to stop ignoring His requests to pursue Him to the degree He pursues us, and we need to stop chasing the world and leaving God “over there.”

I’ve learned about how undeserving we are and how beautiful God’s covenant love can be if we choose to embrace it. But I have struggled selfishly with taking advantage of God’s grace. For me, this struggle was with alcohol. I knew God had called me to stop drinking, but I took advantage of His grace in order to numb my social anxiety. We all have forbidden fruit we want to indulge in. I hope you’ll be like me and confess that you are guilty of taking advantage of God’s grace.

Yes, God forgives you when you fall. He says, “Come back to Me, My child.” But you must also listen to Him when he says, “Go away from your sin, My child” (see John 8:2–11). God will forgive you if you fail again, but that’s not a gift that should be abused. Being thankful for His grace should produce a change within you—a desire to live a life that reflects His saving power from your sins, but also from committing them again. Let’s show we care about Him and want to make Him proud—that we understand we’ve been forgiven even though we don’t deserve to be.

Our words are a reflection of our hearts. What comes from our hearts forms our character, and our character influences our actions. We can get so caught up in our own happiness that we lose concern about what makes the One we serve happy. God calls us to be holy because He is holy (see 1 Peter 1:13–16). The definition of holy is “to be set apart.” God is apart—or separate—from His creation because of His perfect nature. But God also created us to be in relationship with Him. Sin made us unholy, and only Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross can make us holy. Are we choosing to participate in unholy activities while trying to maintain relationship with a holy God? Let’s commit to honoring our relationship with God. 

Respond

What tension do you feel between living God’s way and living how you want? 

What does your choice of friends, activities, and interests tell you about the depth of your relationship with God?

What would it mean for you to have a deeper relationship with Christ? 

How is a thankful heart key to holy living?