Many of us will at some point be the victim of a false friend. Someone who we thought was a nice person that we could trust suddenly turns against us, or shows their true, unpleasant colours. It's a painful experience. If you've been hurt by someone you thought was a friend, what should you do?

1) Pray for them. Jesus said, ‘Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you’ (Luke 6:27-28 NIV). Often, people who look to deliberately upset others are reacting out of their own unhealed wounds and issues. This doesn't excuse them for inflicting pain, but it does give us some insight into how we can pray for them. We can pray for God to heal their wounds and ask that they'd become the person He intended them to be. ‘They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honour him’ (Psalm 91:15 NCV).

2) End the friendship if you need to. It’s not our job to change the person. And we haven’t failed if they don’t change when they're confronted with God’s love.

3) Get help. Solomon said, ‘A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken’ (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT). (Whatever the situation, if you're being bullied, you should get support from a tutor, a work colleague, or someone else you trust. Don’t suffer in silence.)

God promises us: ‘“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”’ (Hebrews 13:5-6 NLT).

What Now?

Is there someone in your past who you thought was a friend, but they turned against you? If you can, try to pray for them today. Ask God to be at work in their heart and make them everything He intended them to be.