Thursday: Like we talked about last week, it's great to have true friends, but true friends are few and far between. More often we must be on the lookout for enemies and frenemies. Enemies try to hurt us, try to make us look bad, and try to sabotage us. But frenemies can be more dangerous. "Frenemies" masquerade as friends but are truly enemies. Frenemies are posers. The greatest enemy and frenemy that we Christians have is Satan. He will do anything to lead us away from God. Sometimes he works as an enemy, attacking us with sickness, past sins, or tough situations. But more often Satan works like a frenemy, wooing us to him with false promises. Satan will make a sinful life in his service seem fun and carefree, but we Christians must recognize this lie. Satan is constantly on the lookout for those of us whom he can attack--either as an enemy or a frenemy. 1 Peter 5:8 compares him to a roaring lion, looking for a victim to devour. This week, pray for vigilance against our enemy/frenemy Satan.
Friday: How can you tell the difference in a true friend and a frenemy? True friends always have your best interests at heart. If they correct you, they do so because they want you to live the best life that you can. Frenemies, on the other hand, aren't concerned about you. They are concerned about how they can benefit from their relationship with you. They may never correct you and instead flatter you with kisses--that is, butter you up. Proverbs 27:6 says that "wounds from a friend can be trusted, but enemies multiply kisses." In other words, listen when a friend points out something that you're doing wrong; he or she just wants you to change your bad habits. But if someone spends all their time kissing your tush, they're probably not really your friend. Today, pray that the Lord will place the true friends that you need in your life.
Saturday: So what kinds of frenemies might you encounter? There are two: users and corruptors. Today we're going to talk about users. Users pretend to be your friend because they want something that you provide. Maybe you're friends with the crowd that they want to join. Maybe they like being able to ride in your car or borrow your cash. Maybe they want you to help them become more popular. Users, however, ultimately don't care about you; all that they care about are themselves. A good example of this is the Cupbearer in the story of Joseph. You can read this story in Genesis 40. Most of us remember that Joseph had eleven brothers, but his father, Jacob, loved him the most. When Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors, his brothers decided that they had had enough, sold him into slavery, and told Jacob that Joseph was dead. Some time later and after being accused of something that he did not do, Joseph ended up in an Egyptian prison. The other inmates included the Pharaoh's Baker and Cupbearer. The Cupbearer had been having strange dreams which Joseph was, with God's help, able to interpret for him. He told the Cupbearer that the Baker would be convicted and hanged but that he (the Cupbearer) would return to his position at the palace. When this came to pass, Joseph asked the Cupbearer to remember him and help him. But the Cupbearer didn't; he forgot Joseph until another opportunity came when he could use him.
Ultimately, God used the Cupbearer to help Joseph, and he was freed from prison and made second in command of all Egypt. But the Cupbearer is still a classic user frenemy: he gets what he wants from Joseph and then discards him. Today, remember that all things work for the good of those who serve the Lord, even bad situations. Pray that God will use your bad situations positively, just like he did Joseph.
Sunday: See you at church!
Monday: The second kind of frenemy is a corruptor. Corruptors are not content to sin alone; they want to take you along for the ride. Proverbs 4:14 warns us to stay away from wicked men and women because they can't sleep until they do something evil and make others do evil, too. In other words, they want you to join them in their evil deeds. Have you had "friends" who tried to involve you in a bad situation? For example, has a "friend" encouraged you to shoplift with them, try drugs or alcohol with them, or vandalize a something with them? If they have, they are not your friend! They are a classic corruptor frenemy. Today, pray that God will help you be strong when resisting corruptor frenemies who try to lead you into unrighteous actions.
Tuesday: So now what? What should you do when you encounter an enemy or frenemy? Jesus's answer might surprise you. In Luke 6:27-36, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. If they curse you, bless them. If they hit you, give them your other cheek to hit, too. If they take your coat, give them your shirt. This kind of action does two things. First, this is an example of killing someone with kindness. The Bible says that if we respond to our enemies this way, it will be like pouring hot coals over their heads; they will be frustrated because we don't respond in anger or hate. Second, this models God's mercy and forgiveness. If your enemies don't know God, you might be the one who leads them to Him. By being merciful, meek, and forgiving, you show them that God is forgiving, too. Today, ask God to help you respond to your enemies the way that He wants you to, the way that Jesus describes.
Wednesday: See you at church!
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