According to the dictionary, fellowship means “community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience,” and “a company of equals or friends”. Basically, it just means that you are spending time with others.

God didn’t mean for fellowship to just be spending time with friends, but to become a family with other believers because we share God’s beliefs and convictions. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t spend time with others. What I am saying is that we need to grow with other believers as we spend time with them.

Fellowship is VERY important.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

I LOVE spending time with other believers! It is so uplifting and encouraging to know that I don't have to go through life alone, and that I have others that are here for me. It is great to have God as the foundation of these relationships!

God did not create us to go through life alone. He wants us to have relationships with others. Along with having relationships with others, you need someone who will hold you accountable and grow spiritually with you! One way to do this is to have an accountability partner. You will set goals with them so that you can grow, and you will have plans for how you can accomplish those things. They also need to be someone who cares about your relationship with God. They should be someone who asks you how your relationship with Him is going. Your partner needs to be someone who will not flake and only do it for a few weeks. You need to know that they are someone who will keep that commitment.

For me, one thing that I love is my d group (I know that I talk about it a lot, but it’s awesome). Even though there is more than one person (besides me) in it, it is very personal.

Since there is a small handful of people, it is a lot easier to open up and share what is going on in our lives. The other people in your group become family. No one is in the same place in their walk with Christ, and it is really cool to watch my friends and d group family grow.

Something that my d group did were spiritual growth plans. We shared our goals and plans with the group, and that way we can keep each other accountable from now on. It is a great tool for growing in your walk.

Something important to do is to look at your inner circle of friends and examine your relationships. Do our friends encourage us in our walk, or do they make us backslide? Are they Christian, or not? You see, we don’t always realize how much they affect us and can change us. Are they really our friend if they are having a negative effect on our lives? I don’t think so.

Something that has helped me a lot throughout the years is having a mentor. Her name is Jen, and she is one of my best friends. I look up to her, and I know that I can come to her with anything. I know that she has a heart after God, and I can see Him through her as I experience life with her. Jen always encourages me in my walk, and she holds me accountable… which isn’t always fun, because sometimes I don’t stick to my goals for a little while. Thankfully, for me, she is very straightforward and to the point, and she does it for my own good.

Throughout this next year (before I go to college), I am a middle school leader for our youth group. One of the responsibilities that I have is being there for my sixth grade girls, no matter what is going on in their life. I do my best to be someone that they can look up to and come to when they need advice or have questions. I’m not going to lie, I was so scared before I started as a leader. I did not want to mess up as a leader, or not be able to do something for my girls. And then I remembered this: no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and God is going to help me throughout all of this.

Speaking of Jen, as she is mentoring me, she is also helping me to lead my girls. She is a youth leader as well (with high school girls), so I have been able to come to her for help when I do not necessarily know what to do, or when I need prayer about something. She is awesome, and I love her so so so much.

I have a block that I got from Cracker Barrel (I do love the store in there), and on it, it says “Be a fountain, not a drain.” This applies to our relationships with others. Now, it is good to get help or advice when you need it, but it is also important to be there for others and to help them Spiritually, emotionally, etc. One way to look at it is this: what would you rather look at all day, a fountain or a drain? My guess is the fountain, because they look a lot nicer than a drain. We look at people the same way. No one wants to be around a negative or unnecessarily needy person all of the time. So, choose to be a fountain.

Here are some songs that I have been enjoying this past week:

1. “The Father’s Heart” by Bellarive

2. “My Lighthouse” by Rend Collective (Campfire II Edition)

3. “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Rend Collective (Campfire II Edition)

PSA: The Rend Collective version of “Oceans” is a little bit more upbeat than the one by Hillsong United.