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 ”
