"Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." Psalm 41:9
A friend of mine recently told me how excited she was to be able to go out with a friend of hers for lunch. I was excited for her. Isn't it nice to be able to get away with a good friend to enjoy a nice meal, and to spend that time catching up on each other's lives and families and just have another opportunity to edify one another and strengthen your friendship? I think so. My friend did too.
That's why I was so surprised to hear that her anticipated, refreshing time spent with a friend, turned into a time of hurt and heartbreak caused by the very same friend. Instead of being encouraged by her friend, she was discouraged. It broke my heart. She wrote, "Yesterday I believed that I was prayed up and prepared in many ways for the day, but I wasn't prepared for the one fiery dart that pierced an unprotected place in my armor." I immediately wrote her back and told her how sorry I was that she had been hurt by someone she trusted. The words spoken to her were not "friendly fire" meant to sharpen iron. No. These words were aimed at her heart to wound and to hurt.
Friend, we shouldn't have to don our armor to protect us from our friends. Our Christian armor is to protect us from our enemy.
"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Ephesians 6:16
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