Those were some of the most precious times of my life. I look back on those days with very fond memories. Even though most of us have moved away from Baton Rouge and live elsewhere, that little spot became holy ground to us. It was a place where we met with God and He met with us. It was a special time in our lives that actually set the pattern for our growth. When I return home to visit family and friends in Baton Rouge, I always like to go by that spot near the state capitol. It reminds me of the formative years of my Christian experience. But, most of all, it reminds me of my need for fellowship with others who have come to know Christ as I have come to know Him.

As I look back over the years, I've discovered that it's been a close knit fellowship with others that has been so helpful to me in my walk with God. When I was a pastor in Germany, God gave me an attorney friend who challenged me to be all that God wanted me to be. When I traveled into Romania, God gave me a Romanian medical doctor friend who challenged me to reach the nation for Christ. He challenged me about my speaking style and method of communication.

At God's Love In Action we have a Board of Directors to whom I am accountable with this ministry. They are a group of men who love God and love me. But they're not afraid to speak to me about the difficult things. A couple of months ago, I asked them to be honest with me and tell me what I needed to do to become more effective for Christ. They did!  It was devastating to me (in a good sense). I needed to be broken in some areas of my life and leadership. They loved me enough to be honest with me.

It's that kind of honest and transparent relationships that enable us to become all that God intended us to become. I'm convinced that we all need a small group of people around us who love Jesus and love us - who love us enough to speak to us about the difficult things. There are three characteristics to such relationships. First, we need fellowship with people who love God - those who inspire us to love God with all of our hearts.

Second, we need fellowship with people who love us. I could accept the correction of those men because I knew that they loved me. I knew that what they had to say to me wasn't because they were angry with me or that they "wanted to put me in my place." I knew that they pointed out my blind spots because they genuinely cared about me. Finally, we need people who will be honest with us no matter how much it hurts. Not everyone will feel that they can be that open and honest. But every Christian needs someone or some group of people who will love us enough to correct us.

Jesus said that where "two or three come together in my name, there I am with them" (Matt. 18:20). If you want to experience true victory, then find two or three people who love Jesus the same way that you love Him. Meet with them on a regular basis and seek God together. Be open, honest, and vulnerable. God will work in and through you. You will grow in His grace and reach even greater levels of victory in your walk with God.