God's mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
“A Sweet Friendship Refreshes the Soul” Proverbs 27:9 The MSG 
GOD designed us to be in community with each other. None of us are an island to ourselves. Even Jesus Himself desires to be in a relationship with us. I love Proverbs 27:9. When I looked up the meaning of the word ‘Refresh’, I found the following:
Refresh:
“To restore strength; to freshen up; replenish; renew; stimulate;
revive; enliven; to become fresh or vigorous again; restore;
repair; renovate; to run water over or restore water to.”
I love that, don’t you?
One of the ways God sends refreshment or restoration is through friends.
I was drawn to the last part of the definition: “to run water over or restore water to.” What came to mind was how, at the end of a football game, they would pour a huge jug of Gatorade over the head of a winning coach.
God can use a Holy Spirit filled friend to splash some of His refreshing and thirst quenching Living Water on us.
We Believers have this ‘Living Water’ (John 4:14) bubbling up from deep within us.
But sometimes, when we feel weak or discouraged, we need good friends to revive and kick start our internal fountains to overflowing again, don’t we? The Spirit within us leaps when it connects with the Spirit that lives within our believing friends!
Good friends remind us who we are in Christ when we’ve forgotten.
God will give them Bible Verses to speak to us right at the exact moment we need them so our spirit is strengthened from within.
Jesus confirms things through His Word and our friends to bring us clarity.
There is no limit to the refreshment we can receive within a community of Holy Spirit filled Believers!
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says that where two or more are gathered together in His Name, there He is in their midst. Our collective prayers are powerful. And when we share our “God experiences” with each other, it reminds us we are not alone and gives us hope to move forward and not give up.
But sometimes, relationships can be messy, can’t they? The Lord definitely understands. Jesus dealt with many difficult people during His earthly ministry. In Mark chapter 3, we see where his family didn’t honor Him.
In many areas of the gospels, we witness people and religious leaders in the community refusing to accept Jesus. Even His disciples struggled to understand Him at times.
Building healthy boundaries is a difficult process but one that is absolutely necessary. The Lord will help us if we seek Him.
The Bible teaches us “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18 NIV) But as much as we are called to love and be kind to all, we have to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance before bringing a friend into our inner circle.
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