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I was talking to a young Christian friend from a sister church a couple of months ago. She opened her heart to me and told me about how she was struggling to walk righteously before God. Before she became a Christian she had allowed herself to indulge in any kind of 'fun'.
But now that she was a Christian she was beginning to feel uncomfortable about some of the night spots she and her friends always frequented. The Sunday preachings would stir her conscience to keep away from ungodly socializing, but the pull of her friends was too strong to resist.
She tried to make new friends at church but she always felt that they were not her type; they appeared to be too 'straight' and unreal for her.
As she waited for my response, I tried to think of some word to encourage her with. All I could think of was to tell her to try harder to make friends with the straight girls and just forget about her worldly friends. But in my heart I knew that it was easier said than done. The reason why she had opened up to me, an older and mature Christian, was because she needed help for a problem she was finding difficult to resolve.
I prayed silently for the Holy Spirit to help me. And while I waited for guidance, I asked her a few questions about her church family. In my studies on Soul Care by Dr Larry Crabb, I had learnt that it was God’s intention for every human being to live in a relationship where four things ought to happen – to be known, deeply known; to be explored; to be discovered and to be touched. Was this happening to her in her church family, I wondered?
The Holy Spirit then brought to my mind the story about Moses on Mount Sinai, as he entered into the Presence of God to receive the Ten Commandments. When he came back down the mountain, the Bible said that his face shown like an angel's. The people around him were so terrified of the glory on Moses' face that they hid their faces from him. This story is from Exodus chapter 34, particularly verses 29 & 30.
So I opened my Bible and shared this story with my young Christian friend. She asked me what this meant for her. As I sensed from the Spirit of God, I explained to her that God did not want her to be bothered about how to let go of her old lifestyle or how to choose new friends. He wanted her to spend more time with Him by reading the Bible. As she drew closer to God, His glory would become more and more evident in her life. Her old friends would notice, and slowly but surely draw away from her. She wouldn’t have to struggle with keeping their company. If God would want them to stay her friends then they would be drawn to her glory; otherwise because of the sin in them, they would now avoid her presence.
What my young friend needed was more of God's Word in her, and all her spiritual struggles would no longer be an issue. Today this girl radiates Christ as she ministers in her church through music. In my own personal walk with God over the years, I have discovered with joy that all my struggles can be easily resolved by simply spending more time in God’s Word.
Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
http://agiema.blogspot.com/2015/01/counseling-young-believer.html
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