16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much is as sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith and vomit it.
17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.
We all want to be affiliated with something or someone, most of us understand that we were not created to be alone.
We also must understand that we are never alone In Christ.
Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it,
THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Sometimes we get this out of order and we try and love people and we haven't put our mind, will and emotions into loving God.
We can't go on to love anyone else with real success if we have not understood the first command .
You can't love your self until you the revelation that is the love of God.
We get out of order and we put friends, family and other relationships ahead of God.
We can fall into putting their opinions and suggestions in front of what God has instructed us to do as well.
The Word is saying, you will get on folks nerves and they will get on yours if you are constantly in their face and this is true even when you have a life spent before God.
Even married folks need a couple of hours apart.
Amen
I don't want to be in anybodies face all of the time because it's easy to get off track and begin to meditate day and night on what they are going through, how they acted or how they treated you.
Some have tried to label me a type "A" personality because the theory is and I stress theory is that they have little need for friends, you can't put me in a box because you can't put my God in a box.
And you can sit everybody you know next to me and I'm still not going into a box.
I'm a type "J" personality, figure that out because I'm not gonna be in your face unless I have been in God's face first.
We are people learning to be like Jesus.
This is why our affiliation with God is imperative so that we can walk in His fruits of long suffering, meekness, gentleness, love, temperance to be an example and help to one another and the lost.
I am saying don't become overly dependant upon people.
The goal is to place all of our trust in the Lord first.
There are a lot of needy folks in the world and our job as Christians is to show them that God loves them and we love them and that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
JESUS
We want people to rely on Jesus and know that whatever we do for them it ain't us, it's Jesus and that the most important affiliation that they can have is the one with Him.
Jesus is the foundation to all success.
I want folks to know right off the bat to get into the habit of first consulting God.
John 1:1-3
People will disappoint you but God cannot fail you, it is impossible for God to fail those who follow Him.
Just as the eating of sweets should be done in moderation the scripture teaches that being in the home of your neighbor too much will cause a problem.
I used to hang out years ago in the houses of women constantly and it was one drama after another.
Choose your affiliations carefully and consult the Lord about every last one of them.
Oh! how I thank God for His wisdom and instruction.
LISTEN
Just as you can rot the teeth by overloading them with sugar you can rot your mind and attitude by an overload of immature acquaintances, their advice, self esteem issues and opinions.
The relationship that needs a continual uploading and continual times of intimacy is the one between you and the Father.
The Father ain't got no issues and His agenda is to see you and those you know in His kingdom.
God ain't selling jewelry, hair products, books or anything else.
He will not be biased in His opinion, He will judge righteously and He doesn't have favorites, he is no respecter of persons.
It is important that we fellowship with one another because the Bible instructs us to not forsake the assembling (the coming together) of our selves.
It is vitally important to the health of all of our relationships that we first have a strong relationship with God.
The thing that breaks a relationship is somebody in that relationship deciding not to do it Gods way.
It may be one or both of them.
We can only do life together if we both agree to do it God's way.
If I have decided to walk in love and you haven't well how can we walk together and we don't agree?
Too many times we come together to accomplish a goal when more than half of us have spent no time before God, this should not be.
This should be the attitude:
If God ain't in it, I ain't in it, because when I get in it, I'm in it to win it.
If God ain't in it, I can't win it.
How does God get in it?
We invite Him in by doing things His way and He comes to every party that honors and glorifies Him.
Any attitude that doesn't glorify Him will not have success.
You notice how when Jesus is your Lord if you are convicted in your heart about something, how you feel?
God stands smack dab in the middle of a heart and attitude that glorifies His purpose.
We have to turn some things off and turn some people off and turn God on, like Jesus did.
We too busy trying to turn folks on instead of tuning into God.
You can't continually take on the burden of people, their insecurities and fears without personal time spent with the Father.
He is where our strength and instruction comes from.
Church holds a very important place in the life of the believer but we all need more than church.
We need the fellowship of one another and serious time spent with the Father in His Word and prayer.
If you are a real prayer partner you ain't falling for nonsense or holding a grudge because you done took it to the throne, dropped it off and got right back on the love track.
The LORD went up into a quiet place early daily to fellowship with the Father outside of the Temple. Jesus didn't come back to the group of those who He was growing holding on to what ever He took up to God, He let it go and came back refreshed so that He could in turn refresh and guide them.
The Lord did this so that He could cast out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead and disciple 12 men with 12 different personalities to carry on and do what He did after He returned to the throne of grace.
Our own personal spiritual development is directly linked to the success of any and all relationships that we will ever have.
Let me repeat that:
Our own personal spiritual development is directly connected to the success of any and all relationships that we will ever have.
No matter where we are.
At work, school, home, church, family and public.
You can have many friends or associates.
Hundreds
But if you count on your fingers and toes how many of them truly lead and guide you into the truth and goodness of God the ones who bring peace to a situation and will not stand back and watch you self destruct, you could stop on one hand.
The ones that spur you on to good works are who you want to be affiliated with, not the ones who encourage you to keep on being upset and exclusive.
The ones who counsel you with the Word of God and not pop culture, they are loving you when they share the truth.
True affiliations will tell you this: If we hold on to some grudge from two weeks ago we are not walking in the anointing we are fulfilling the lust of the flesh.
If we are not walking in the anointing we will fall into condemnation.
I see this so much at work, in families including my own, and in church.
Because when we don't have a solid relationship with God and His Word we get offended easily and walk away.
People do say things and do things that are wrong and so have you.
Because first we think that it's all about us and folks have let them go on to believe that it is all about them.
Let me share that it ain't about us, it's about Jesus and what He did for us all.
It's easy to learn how and why we must be saved, that's the beginning and the basics.
It's easy to correct other people but Oh so hard to correct our selves.
It's easy to join a church if your momma told you that's something you should do or you are trying to network and get new clients or fellowship to market your plan, push your product or find a partner.
I see in the the distress in the folks when all of that doesn't pan out because they keep trying to do it their way.
When Jesus is not the priority and we don't have a solid personal relationship with His Word our motive floats to the top real quick and just as quickly sinks our plan.
Because it's not about our plan.
Can you imagine God placing Adam in the garden and giving Him an assignment and Adam deciding to go His own way? Sure you can.
And you see the result we all had to be rescued as a result of one man trying to do it His way.
Believer's have to be aware of our purpose at all times and know that the Church of the Living God is not just another association that we can put on our resume as a notch on the belt of life like a sorority, fraternity, college, charitable affiliation or political party.
We In Christ must make a point to first and foremost make our affiliation with God and His Word our top priority.
If we Keep God first we will succeed.
Joshua 1:8
Hebrews 10:27
Matthew 22:37 -40
Mark 12:30
Galatians 5:16
2Peter 2:10;
1John 2:16
Think
Love Y'all
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