The power of partnership

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP

 (First part)

Memory verse (1Cor 15:33) “ Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits ”

There is a proverb in my cultures that goes like: show me who you walk and I will show you who you are. People have influence on our lives and their influence is either good or bad, negative or positive, constructive or destructive. You are who you are because of the people who have had influence on you since you were born. You think the way you do because of the people who have come into your life. Wrong partnership brings wrong influence and wrong influence produce wrong results in your life. You can’t have wrong partners and expect good things in life. Our lives have doors, people keep coming in and out. It is up to you who you open your life to and who you close your life to. Scriptures teach that those who walk with the wise becomes wise (Prov13:20). The above scripture says: bad company corrupts good habits. All of us when we are just born babies, we are just little angels, innocent and pure, but as we grow the influences of our parents, brothers and sisters, then schoolmates, neighbors, etc begin to make us the kinds of people we are.

The Bible has examples of different kinds of partnerships that produced all kinds of results in people’s life. These partnerships can be in all levels of lives, Amnon the son of David had a wrong friend Jonadab that was wicked and brought the destruction of Amnon’s life. King Jehoshaphat made business partnership with king Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and God destroyed their business (2Chr20:37). In fact this was the weakness of King Jehoshaphat, he was a man of God, very good but had a weakness of partnering with wrong people, he almost died in battle when he had partnered with Ahab to go and fight with him. Scripture teaches us not partner with unbelievers (2Cor6:14).

Dear beloved, if you have a desire of following the Lord Jesus, if your eyes are set on a heavenly destiny and you desire to please the Lord Jesus, then beware what kinds of people you partner with in life. Many dear saints have suffered shipwreck in their faith, families, ministries, businesses and lives just because of wrong choices. When we become children of God, there are certain old relationships the Lord wants us to cut and build new ones that come from God and are God fearing. You need to partner with people that are walking in the same direction you are taking.

Tomorrow’s subject: “ Jesus chose right partners ”


 (Second part)

Memory verse (Mark 3:14) " Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast "

Jesus ministry went beyond the grave and until today it is still impacting the nations of the world because of the men he chose to partner with. By the time he started the ministry there were many Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the law, they were those who were praying and fasting, they knew the law, they tithed faithfully, but he did not focus on the externalities, he did not even trusted the actions of men or appearances, he went and spent the whole night in prayer before the God whom searches the hearts of men and chooses for him the men he was to share his life and ministry with (Luke 6:12-13).

There is a good man of God I know who was my friend when I was a minister in Rwanda, he started a ministry some years ago and asked another pastor to work with him and after some years when the church was seemingly stable the other pastor threw him out of his own ministry, he started another church and found another pastor to work with him and after good years of laying the foundation when everything seemed ok, he also kicked him out. Ministers of the gospel make mistakes, when God call someone to do certain things, the first thing they do is to begin collecting all kinds of people to partner with them instead of seeking God’s will and direction. God called Abraham and told him what to do, but when Abraham was going  he took with him Lot. Abraham ministry took another turn when he separated with Lot. If you think seeking God is wasting of time, try to do things without God’s guidance. If you think praying and waiting on God is hard, it is ok, try men and see. The prophet of God told king Amaziah, it's not God’s will for you to go to battle with the armies of Israel, but if you think it is ok, go with them but know that you’ll be defeated (2Chr 25:5-9). Jesus chose twelve men to be with him, they shared lives with him, they ate with him, they grew learnt ministry, until Jesus told them that they were no longer servants to him but friends, even in the toughest moments of going to the cross he could ask them to stand with him in prayers. He died and went to heaven, and these men he chose took up his ministry to greater heights. He chose right partners.

Tomorrow’s subject: “ David’s partnership with Jonathan ”


(Third part) 

Memory verse (1Sam18:1): " Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul ".

Only heaven can tell what would have happened to David if he had not met a man like Jonathan in his life. David and Jonathan were sensitive enough not to miss this divine connection. Of course you would say God knows. He knows but we also have a responsibility of being sensitive to see what kinds of right people he brings in our lives. So, many dear ones miss their moments of visitation for lack of spiritual sensitivity.                                                                                                                           

Jonathan sensed who David was and knew what was his place in the life and kingdom of David and he began to do what God brought him to do into the life of David. He loved David, he protected David, he gave the kingdom to David, and he served David with all his heart. In fact, David never got any other man like Jonathan all the days of his leadership. He was a true partner from God. One of the greatest treasures in my life are the men God sent into my life at certain bends and crosses of this life of ministry. I know all of them and they are so valuable to me and my ministry. Their impact on my life and ministry is so invaluable. They are more precious to me than gold and money.

God will bring men and women that are supposed to give your life and ministry value but it’s up to you how you handle them. Some have crucified their prophets, in fact others crucified their savior and when he died all of them said: “ Oh, surely this was the son of God ” but it was too late because they had killed him. Judas betrayed his own master. I have seen something strange with people: they seek sympathizers and not healers. We tend to like those who handle us the way we want, those who tell us what we want to hear and not what we need to hear. Sympathizers are good, but sympathy won’t heal your problem. It's amazing that the people who are very vital in our lives are not always the ones we are very comfortable with. God sends people into our lives for particular purposes. God does not send us fans but healers, motivators, teachers, challengers, transformers, door openers. Whenever God brings a person into your life, ask him in prayer: Lord what have you send this one to do in my life? Wrong ones ask God to take them out of their life and the right ones treasures them.

Tomorrow’s subject:  " It's profitable to let the wrong people go out of your life”


 (Fourth part) 

Memory verse (2Chro25:7): " But a man of God came to him, saying, O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim ".

When you let out the wrong people in your life, God will come in and be your partner. King Amaziah of the kingdom of Judah wanted to go for war and he hired soldiers from Israel. God sent his servant, a prophet and told the king that God does not want Judah and Israel to go for battle together because the Lord is not with Israel. Israel were brothers with Judah, it was reasonable to work together but Israel had turned away from the Lord. This teaches us a great lesson; If brother does not walk well with the Lord the Bible teaches us not to have fellowship with him. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. ( 1cor5:11 )

Now there are reasons why people partner with wrong people, they want to survive. You think, this person will get me a job, this person will connect me to great people, king Amaziah thought the army of Israel would help him defeat his enemies. If you trust men you will fall like men. God told Amaziah: if you go with them its alright but know that I won’t be with you and be sure you'll be defeated. He accepted the word of the Lord, but he asked God: but what about the money I paid to hire them ? God said: I will pay it back. Obedience brings compensation.

My brother , my sister, you don’t need to keep company with wrong people because of certain temporary gains, leave them and don’t mind what you’ll lose. God will pay it back. There is no loss in obedience, there is no loss to do the will of God. It pays to obey the Lord. When Abraham separated with Lot, God showed Abraham the plan he had for him (Gen13:14-17). If you want to see the great plan God has for you, just separate yourself from wrong people. God knows that as long as wrong people are still having a place in your life, they will destroy God’s plan for your life, so, God will keep his plan for you hidden until they go. Let them go and God will let the miracles, provisions, the visions, the right connections flow into your life.

Tomorrow’s subject: “ Who is your life partner ”


(Fifth part) 

Memory verse (Prov31:3): " Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings ".

Great leaders, great ministries, great visions,  have been destroyed by sexual immorality or wrong marriage partners. King Solomon was one of the finest leaders Israel ever had but his leadership was destroyed by his lust for women, the lustful connection between David and Bathsheba the wife of Uriah, brought such terrible consequences in the family and kingdom of David. One Leader who was totally devastated by a wrong wife was king Ahab, he married Jezebel. Jezebel came from an idolatrous family and she brought the worship of Baal in the kingdom of Israel. The consequences of this marriage were so terrible, 70 children of Ahab were all killed, Ahab and Jezebel died terribly, the social and economic strength of the nation declined greatly. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.(1kings16:31)                                                                                             To those who are looking for marriage partners, you have to be careful who you choose to live and walk with. Don’t focus on the flesh or appearances. So many women appear beautiful but their hearts are very ugly. Also women make mistake, they look for financial security. Money is vital in marriage but don’t focus on what money a person has but focus on God’s provision, focus on whether he is a right choice from God for you. In Africa, many parents want their daughters to be married to rich men, and this has forced many to be married to non believers and wrong partners. Many marriages have broken, while others are living in pain and tears because of wrong choices they made. Today there are some misleading teachings about getting a marriage partner, they teach young believers to think of a kind of man or woman they desire, write the features you desire, etc and ask God to give him/her to you (Gen6:2). Others have this school of thought, as long as someone is born again it's okay, go for him/her. This has made marriage to become very cheap and that’s why many marriages break for very cheap reasons. Marriage is God’s will and we need to understand God’s will about who God wants us to marry.

Tomorrow’s subject: " Nurturing the relationships God bring into your life ”


 (Sixth part) 

Memory verse (Prov13:20): " He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed ".

God will bring all kinds of people into your life to shape you, to refine your character, to build you up, to equip you, to guide you, to add value to your life, to correct and  direct you etc. Some of these come in packages that might be appealing to your tastes or to your eyes. Someone said that opportunities come into our lives silently but leave loudly. This calls for our sensitivity to know them. Now it's one thing to know the people God has brought into our lives but it's totally another thing how we treat them, how we respond to them and how we can tap into all that what God has put in their lives for us and we can maximize their presence with us.

Firstly we need to be sensitive in the spirit as we walk with them. We need to learn to listen. We must train our hearts to listen so we can receive from God through the people he ordained to speak into our lives. Secondly, we need to have a humble heart to receive any kind of person God can send into our lives. Naaman almost missed his miracle because of pride. He was expecting the prophet Elisha to come and pray for him but the prophet sent his servant. You don’t choose who God will send to impact your life, just be ready for whosoever God will choose. Be humble. Thirdly, follow the Holy Spirit. Our minds are so limited, so we can’t depend on them to know the kinds of people God will send into our lives. We need to depend on the Holy Spirit for guidance. Listen to him, trust him and obey his choices and leading. Your life and destiny depend on the men and women sent into our lives by the Lord.          

Respect the people God send into your life. We need to build a relationship with the people God send into our lives, we need to build it upon respectability and love not on fear or familiarity. Fear blocks spiritual respectability. Again, we should not familiarize the men God send into our lives. There’s an English proverbs that goes like this: “ familiarity breeds contempt ”. We are supposed to know people and not to familiarize them. Whatever you get familiar with, it becomes common and whatever becomes common becomes cheap. So many believers have made very important people sent into their lives so cheap and thus miss everything God intended for them through those dear vessels.

Nice weekend.