The Story of Us: Why We Need Strong Relationships (cont'd)

As iron sharpens iron, so man or person that's not gender specific sharpens the countenance of his or her foreign just like iron sharpens iron and it makes elements are better as a result of a notice that musings on his own reflection. That way we can help each other faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. As Proverbs 27, six, and this is destined for victory coming your way next Pastor Paul Sheppard moves ahead in his teaching series. Cliff notes for successful living with a word about the importance of building strong relationships with other like-minded believers in Christ.

No one can walk successfully through this life alone, not even our Lord Jesus Christ attempted to follow along today. Keep this in mind. Sometimes the admonishment of a good friend is necessary to take us from wounded today's message straight ahead so stay right here or visit Pastor Paul.net to listen anytime on to me, that's Pastor Paul or subscribe to the podcast modify or whatever you enjoy your Sebastopol. Today's destined for victory message. The story of us. We need strong relationships. I spent some time and talk about the fact that you can't afford to tie your happiness or personal moment to this idea of getting married, you need to be responsible for your own happiness in Christ and I talked about that. I hope you will bless. As I said, you gotta be your own CEO. And I mean that by saying she enjoyment officer. Whether you enjoy your life can be up to somebody else. You gotta decide I will enjoy my life no matter whether I'm married, no matter whether I'm single.

I am my own CEO. I talked about finding the pillars that you need so that you can handle your drainers all of us have drainers what God wants to make sure you have pillars to to supply you so that when you're driving. What sin you you still have resources available. Those are in the previous messages check them out if you happen to not be with us now. Let's consider a couple of additional pitfalls in this message number three believing that you don't really need strong relationships and accountability keep that on the screen for moment somebody might need to write that down believing that you don't really need strong relationships and accountability. There are some people and perhaps you're one of them who say well you know I'm really not into people I'm pretty much alone I cannot do my own thing and I'm very happy with me myself and I we hang out together and we three of us are very happy. Listen let me tell you you're gonna live your best life. According to the one who designs you, then you are going to need to open your heart and mind and spirit and develop strong relationships with people who can help you get where God is taking you all I know I've heard the songs all I need is Jesus long as I got King Jesus, I don't need anybody else I've heard all that all my life. Yeah that that can sound fun singing but that's not the way to live your life, you need more than Jesus I know somebody just want you to believe that is so sacrilegious you don't need anybody, but Jesus and I'm saying Jesus said you need more people than him.

The word of God is clear that God has made us interpersonal for interpersonal relationship. It is God's idea you see it way back in Genesis.

It is not good for man to be alone now that spoke of God giving him a partner in even all of that but you'll continue to see that Fremont all the way through to the relation God has made us people who are to live, to gather with others, not just share space to intersect our lives on with another. We all need other people now to you.

You people who are introverts and you love your alone time and you love your life and all that God is not coming for your alone time in your quiet. He's just saying you can't live a life in effective life.

When nobody inputs to your life except you and God doesn't want you to be your own company because when you are left to your own devices and some of you just need to be honest and realize that things don't go well you say when I get CI been hurt by people I get it. Some folk MSW I get it. The answer is not to say so I'm done with people.

The answer is the say Lord help me to learn from the mistakes of relationships in the past and help me to not close out everybody see when you close your self in. Because you're shutting out the abusers of your past the missed treaters of your past, the people who did your role in your past and get them out of the house of your life but don't shut them so that there is no handle on the outside that the right people can't turn and come in you God to allow others to come in to your life. There are seven benefits I talked about over the years, but in this context I want to revisit them seven benefits. There are a lot of benefits but seven of them. I want to just remind you that I talked about from time to time for strong relationships. The first one is, they increase your fruitfulness may increase your fruitfulness do certain things you don't get done well on till you partner with other people to do them. Some things you just can't do by yourself.

I often illustrated Sam his podium that I'm standing behind you say past.

We need to clear the state can pick this up on the stage.

I can walk away and I helped with the clearing, but there's an organ over there you can see it as a Hammond B3 I know because I bought it. I'm a musician to form ale preacher and when I knew what God's will give us his worship center. I went online and found myself a good B3 and had it shipped to Northern California.

Every now and then I jump on it and play a tune because I wanted an organ on my platform and if you say we need to clear that Hammond B3 off this platform I can do that by myself facing the five filled the holy does all of that, I'm not moving organ by myself and there are things in your life. You just can't do alone and you can't do well alone.

So God's going to partner you up if you open your heart, not only in marriage, yes you you want to be a partner with your spouse. Don't just be married. Y'all should be partners and actually do some things in life together, but besides that, in terms of friendships in terms of covenant relationships wants to make sure there are other people. Ecclesiastes 4962 are better than one, because they have a good return for their work or their labor. Some translations: so I'm calling that point strong relationships increase your fruitfulness. What's the second reason I've often talked about strong relationships help restore you the benefit number two. A strong relationships. They help restore you look at what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4 and 10 everyone falls down his friend.

Watch this can help them up or companion can help him up. If you fall down they will lift you up, but woe to him was alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up now course, Solomon was talking about.

Physically, you can have falls physically that would prevent you from getting up is not like you just tripped on something. Sometimes you injure yourself and fall. Sometimes you have an accident and you're down and you can't get your self up. You need someone to help lift you up. And so, in the same way that you can follow physically you can fall emotionally. You can fall psychologically, you can have all kinds of falls into depression into despondency and discouragement. You can fall down and you need someone to help you up so the second benefit of strong relationships is they'll help restore you.

Number three strong relationships provide comfort provide comfort. That's the next verse in the Ecclesiastes for passage verse 11 says now if tomorrow lying down together.

Solomon's painting a picture of a cold environment and to people if they're lying together they can help keep each other warm. Get the picture. That's what Solomon saying you can keep yourself warm. Nearly as well or effectively, as if you have somebody you can cuddle up if you called them up and had to be romantic at all, just to simmer and fall meeting so they can help each other you know HOW much are you brother if you get cold enough and another brother, this is Joe Melis hold each other will tell anybody believe you that we will hug up or anything like that.

But back to I need you right now and I need to do this and we could be marginal when we get back somewhere I realized that it provides comfort your listing to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. The second half of today's message comes your way. Next, so stay tuned, listen to Destin for victory wherever you go. By downloading a free mobile app. The app allows you to select from any of pastor Paul's recent messages you can order resources from our online store you can even take notes for the daily messages right on your mobile device and the be waiting for you the next time you stop by search Destin for victory. The App Store and download our free mobile app today.

Jesus said that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. That should be our guiding principle in human relationships, including our dating relationships is pastor Paul.

The rest of today's Destin for victory message.

The story of us. We need strong relationships times when we get lonely we need somebody to comfort us. There are times we get discouraged and we need somebody to comfort us. There times when we believe and we need someone to comfort us. I can comfort myself as nearly as well. When I read when somebody comes and throw their arms around me and hugs me or whatever gives me words of encouragement and they give me some actual comfort and so that's the third benefit of strong relationships in single or married, you gotta build some strong relationships number four strong relationships provide protection against enemies look at what Solomon says in verse 12 of Ecclesiastes 4. Look at how he talks about this business all protection. He says that one may be overpowered by another to can withstand him on a threefold cord is not quickly or easily broken and I need you to understand that God wants to have other people in your life so that you walk with them through life. My brothers and sisters I need you to think about something you have enemies you have spiritual enemies. We all have spiritual enemies.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood. We wrestle against principalities and powers of darkness spiritual wickedness in high places and we all have enemies. And Solomon is yeah one can do a lot but to can do much more and so you got understand in order to deal with your enemies, and I would be a spiritual enemies psychological enemies. You have sometimes cultural enemies you have natural enemies and you need to walk with someone. Jesus then sent his disciples out one by one he always sent them with at least another companion when he was training them for ministry. Let him go out on their own.

He sent them with companionship because that's the principle you need protection you need while you're doing something you need somebody who can watch your back and so you need strong relationships for protection, then the principal on the print benefit comes from the book of Proverbs chapter 17 verse 17, four and loves at all times.

Friend loves at all times and all brother is born for adversity friend loves at all times and all brother is born for adversity.

Now it doesn't matter. I'm not saying that the people in your life have to be folk you call friend, per se. I'm just saying they have to be meaningful relationships whether you refer to it as a friend or covenant partnership.

However, that's not the issue I'm not I'm not going for nomenclature. I'm going for the reality. I have in my life I have commented brothers I have several men and we walked together as brothers we are intentionally in each other's lives for the purpose of providing unconditional love and support one to another.

They pastor churches are all successful in their own right. Doing what they're doing. None of us will compete with one another. None of us are jealous of one another.

I'm excited the great successes they enjoy. I'm truly excited about it and that when God blesses me very excited about it because we walk in covenant sign flanked.

I have multiple brothers who have my back and I have their back in the lowest season of my life when I was at my lowest had hit what felt like rock-bottom. They were there to make sure I didn't stay on the bottom and they lifted me up and helped me get through a very tough and difficult season and I hear I am today by the grace of God and because of the unconditional love of some covenant brothers and so on, flanked by people who provide unconditional love your life operates like this friend that Proverbs talks about who loves you at all times. See if you have people only love you when you're on top. Don't you dare call those people friends and I don't: covenant brothers or sisters because covenant means I'm with you because that is my pledge to you.

I'm not with you because of your circumstances. I'm not with you because I love everything about you. You will have to like everything about your company brothers and sisters or your friend. You don't have to be excited about everything.

You just have to make the covenant you just have to say we are in it together. Our job is to help each other get from here to glory. That's the job of these people. Their job is to make sure when they get to heaven, you're there to and your job is to make sure when you get to have a minute to and so you need people who provide unconditional love fair weather friend you ever heard the term fair weather friends is a contradiction in terms. Fair weather and friendship should have nothing doing job) weather happens every now and then next month but I do. Fair weather all by myself but with this crazy out there when it's stormy when it's dangerous. I don't need you who were with me in the sunshine runaway when my life gets stormy. That's when I meet somebody to say how can I help you get through this and they're going to provide unconditional love, conditional love doesn't help human beings because none of us can always have the conditions that would be preferable for us. So you need to know that strong relationships will provide you unconditional love. Number six strong relationships provide redemptive correction read temp to correction. Proverbs 27 and six. I want you to learn this verse and let it be a theme verse in your life are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are DC full, faithful are the wounds of a friend, we're not used to thinking wounds friend wounds covenant brother or sister why he will hurt me.

If you're my friend because there are some ways you don't heal until you hurt first, there are some ways you don't get better you feel lousy first. There are some ways that in order to heal you. I've got a cut to you think cut enemy was a thing of the instead. And yes, enemies will try to cut you, and they're certainly not trying to heal you, but not all cuts come from enemies. That's what Solomon said in this proverb. Not all cuts come from enemies. Some of them come from friend. I would suggest my brother, my sister, you make sure you identify the people that you will allowed to love you.

I'm not too redemptive link correct you. You see, you're not always right not always right, and what you say you're not always right.

What you think you're not always right and how you are living a certain area of your life is not always right in your decision-making. Somebody needs a say man right in your home because you know I'm telling the truth sometimes you are tripping for real and you need some body who loves you would know to and explore look at you explore that in your life. So let's talk about this is not about what you been doing of late about what you just said let's just talk about how your thinking right now you are into stinking thinking and it is smelling up the whole place. Let's talk about you need to understand that correction is part of covenant living.

You don't get where you're going till sometime somebody tells you something that hurt your feelings verbally said many times before somebody all chatting takes about a hand in your meant you get all offended. What you say.

I'm not trying to say anything to because we have a conversation if you want to continue the conversation.

I need you to have this child and all you try to tear me down know I'm just trying to help you out. And so we need to understand sometimes that can only be affirmed. Sometimes you have to be corrected with the correction from a friend, is meant to help you get to a better place. I'm not correcting you to tell you that I'm corrected you to build you up wounds from a can be trusted. They are faithful but it is an enemy. Sometimes, who does the kissing seals and kissing is all romance novels. Sometimes the person kissing you was flattering. You setting you up so they can stab you in your back so I can send you in the wrong direction. Don't get impress with our bodies kisses back some focus in common with their mouth puckered you said notice are good, good. See no need an enemy trying to fire me. I'd rather have a friend correctly rebuilt me then an enemy flatter me because the friend has my best interest at heart. The enemy is trying to set me up. You do remember Jesus got set up with a kiss right and if it happened to Jesus. It can happen to you. We need to learn to make sure that we don't put ourselves in that position so don't think everybody would something sharp is trying to kill you.

Dr. cut you to think everybody who kisses you has your best interest. Marriage is a beautiful relationship.

Only one of its kind on earth. Make sure you and your potential spouse have the right vision the right values in the right view of marriage. Before you say I do is pastor Paul said today romantic love might be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener but have your eyes wide open.

Before you walk down the aisle. Thanks for being here for this Monday edition of Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepard's message the story of us. We need strong relationships listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent messages on demand@pastorpaul.net that's pastor Paul.net were almost out of time. But before we go I want to thank you for all you're doing to help pastor Paul share the love of Jesus to the Destin for victory broadcast your prayers and gifts that help turn this into worldwide ministry with a growing audience in appreciation of your generous gift today.

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Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 got a deal with how you feel you feeling really really famished. Are you jealous are you feeling insecure matter what people think you are. Sometimes you can act confident and inwardly you're very insecure.

That's tomorrow and pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. How much can one meal cost. Until then, remember he who began a good working you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory