I have a friend who lived with his girlfriend for several years, had a baby and then they broke up. They are not Christians, although He believes in God and has recently shown interest in the Lord.
His girlfriend, who he was engaged to for several months but did not marry, called the police and had him arrested with a restraining order saying he held her down and forced her to take drugs. She is now seeking to get custody of their baby and prove he is an unfit father. He is torn up as he loves his baby so much.
As a Christian, I am struggling to know how to encourage him since he is my friend and he knows I am a Christian. He spent 6 days in jail and did some soul searching at that time. He is wanting to find some answers from me but isn’t really asking me the questions directly. I am finding it difficult because I don’t know the truth in his situation and I don’t feel the need to know but I am also struggling because in a way it seems much of it is reaping from a certain lifestyle. Any suggestions for how I can best encourage him without being condemning? I can’t find scriptures to give him for peace because those are generally directed to believers. I want to present him with hope…scripture please?!
Don’t hesitate to show your friend peace-giving verses meant for believers, because you can use them to show him what’s available to those who’ve given their hearts to the Lord. While unbelievers are left to struggle through their personal crises alone, believers have the Lord to fall back on. By putting their problems in His hands, they can walk in peace even in the midst of turmoil, knowing that He’s working things together for their good. Use Philippians 4:4-7 and Romans 8:28 as examples.