Relationship Robber

Luke 10:27 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Our church is continuing in this series of messages focusing on how our sinful flesh desires, the God-rejecting world system, and the devil’s demonic tempting schemes and tactical lies can distract us from the love, joy and peace of “true” relationship and direct our walk on this journey down paths of unrighteousness, by playing and praying upon our mind, will and emotions, that rob us from the abundant life in Jesus Christ. There were approximately 500,000 Identity Thefts committed in the USA last year, costing about $4,000,000,000. But the theft of our relationship with our Father in Heaven has deeper ramifications spiritually and emotionally in our interpersonal relationships in our life.  

Pastor JJ explains that God goes out of His way to show us that we are relational people, yet it’s difficult to make relationships work. Relationships are one of those things that never seem to stay level; meaning, they are either improving or they are declining because our relationships must be worked on and maintained constantly and continuously.  That takes a dedicated resolve, a determined care and a loving desire for every relationship because we live in a hostile to relationship environment of a “materialistic” world of broken relationships and mis-trust.  

    

Though we are made for them, we don’t naturally know how to have relationships. For one thing, Satan, wanting to rob our relationships, tells us that we are different than God says … telling us to lean on our own understanding, based upon “self” love, meeting our desires and needs, getting what we want, and looking out for “number one”. But the godly way is when we love God and love others. We have a great example in Scripture, so that we can be a great example to others.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Our relationship with God mirrors our relationship with others around us. We are people of God, set apart in righteousness for relationship by who has rescued and saved us, but also towards His holy path and purposes. We cannot partner with the devil, even ignorantly, in the lures of false relationships with hidden agendas for self-gratification and temporal pleasure. It’s a trap door to an empty hole straight to hell on the wide road to destruction. We listen to and follow the “Author of Life”, not the “author of death.”

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belia? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Our relationships determine our direction in life. How are your relationships? We need to examine our hearts and our lay our relationships before God and at the feet of Jesus. He wants to teach us His loving way that frees us from the Relationship Robber. That’s how we stop Identity Theft.

John 8:31-32 Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

In Christ, Brian