We Need to Talk 

Your friend Josh comes up to you and says the dreaded words: “We need to talk.” Your stomach turns sour. He tells you you’ve been letting bitterness get in the way of your friendship and your faith. Guilt starts to seep in. He has a point. At first, you were just angry at him because he started dating a girl you liked—even though you told him you were fine with them dating. But after a while, your anger became resentment. You hated seeing them as a couple, so you cut them out. The problem is, Josh was the friend who took you to church on Sundays. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since you’ve prayed too. Josh’s words are so gentle. He doesn’t seem angry. In fact, it still seems like he cares a lot about you. When he’s done speaking, you say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” It’s difficult to admit you’ve been wrong, especially when someone confronts you with the truth. The important thing to realize is, confrontation is often done from a place of love. Your friend cares about you and your spiritual wellbeing. When you’re tempted to get defensive about your sin, lean on the Holy Spirit to restore an attitude of humility and repentance in you. Even if your friend doesn’t approach the topic as well as they should, understand that their intentions are good and that we are all broken people in need of salvation through Jesus Christ. When we are unified around our faith in Jesus, we can have true peace—even during hard conversations (Philippians 4:1-9). • Naomi  

 

• Is there a sin you’re struggling with? Has a friend talked to you about it? • How would you react if a friend confronted you about your own sin? • If you are struggling with a particular sin, who can you run to (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:9–2:1)? As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17