God gives us friends both for fun and for encouragement. Sometimes friends are even placed in our lives to help us see where we may be making mistakes. The Bible says, "A friend loves at all times, and is born, as is a brother, for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17). God gives us friends to help us in life -- and for us to help them. If you have betrayed a friend, it is important for you to go to them and ask for forgiveness. True friends are hard to find, so if you have a good friendship, it is important to protect it and nurture it.

In the Old Testament, we see how the boy Samuel was awakened by a voice that he thought was his master, Eli. But after this happening three times, Eli realized that God was speaking to Samuel. The boy Samuel had to learn how to recognize the voice of God -- but when he did, he became one of the most powerful prophets in the Bible. The good news is that because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we can also hear God's voice. It takes practice to be able to recognize God's voice from our own thoughts, but eventually, we can know when He is speaking to us. When we hear Him, it is important that we obey what He is telling us to do. Your parents and pastor can help you to learn how to confirm God's guidance in your life. When you learn to hear God, your whole life becomes new -- and it is an exciting adventure with the Holy Spirit!

The Apostle Paul declared, "Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for 'bad company corrupts good character'" (1 Corinthians 15:33). We become like the people who are our friends. A wise pastor often said, "Show me your friends, and I will know your character." In order to avoid negative peer pressure, we need to seek friends who love God and honor His Word.

God forgives our sin when we ask Jesus to be our Savior. This is the beginning of our walk with God. Then as we grow in faith, it is important to confess our sins after that to avoid allowing anything to come between God and us.

The wonderful news is that God is full of mercy and kindness toward us – even when we make a mistake and fall into a sin. The Apostle John writes, "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:9). When we repent or say we are sorry for our sin, God forgives us immediately for that sin – and even for sins we may have forgotten about. That’s how loving our Heavenly Father is to us.

When we repent for our sin, it is like a child confessing to an earthly father. When a child makes a mistake, he or she is not kicked out of the family. A loving earthly father is saddened by the disobedience or rebellion of a child because he knows that those bad decisions will bring pain and trouble into their life. That loving parent provides rules and instruction to their child – and punishment for disobeying those rules – to help that child become wise and to protect them from danger.

It is the same with our Heavenly Father. He wants to bless us and give us a good life. When we sin and disobey Him, He is sad because He knows that sin can bring pain and difficulty into our life. He is also sad because sin distances us from Him – and He loves to have fellowship with us through prayer, praise, and worship.

But when we confess our sin and say we are sorry to God, He forgives us immediately. Our Heavenly Father promises that, "I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Hebrews 8:12).

We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10). When Jesus restored Peter, He clearly linked the relationship with Peter’s calling or task: “Simon son of John, do you love me? [...] Then take care of my sheep” (John 21:16). The question to Simon Peter concerned relationship – then the command to care for the sheep concerned task.

When we disobey and fall into sin, God wants to restore us both to heal the relationship and also to keep us on target to complete our calling. And the wonderful news is that He is quick to forgive and restore when we repent. Scripture tells us, "If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:9).

Our Heavenly Father promises, "I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Hebrews 8:12). He does this because He loves you – and through you, He can share His love with other people who don’t yet know Him.