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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: INTENTIONAL CHRISTIAN -PART 3

For two days I have shared with you about being intentional in our faith walk. If you missed them, go back and check out the other two videos. Today I want to talk about being intentional with your circle of friends and sphere of influence.

Everyone in our life is there for a purpose. Some are there to strengthen us. Some are there for us to help. Some are sent by the enemy to test us and draw us away from God. Others God allows, because they are sandpaper people. These are the people that rub us the wrong way and drive us to our knees. They are in our lives to remove our rough edges and teach us how to walk in love, even when we don’t necessarily feel it.

The word separate means two distinct units or things. It means to have a boundary between two things as a divider to make one thing become two.

2 Cor 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

I have often heard this verse used by people trying to keep a Christian from marrying a sinner or someone of a non-Christian faith.  This is true in that case, it is not good to marry a sinner or someone without your same belief systems. One will always end up caving in and going along with their spouse. Sometimes it is a good thing and they both end up being followers of Christ. But more often than not the Christian will backslide to get along with their spouse.

This is true for your friendship circle. I have a lot of people that I have worked with over the years, and some are outer circle friends, some are closer circle friends. I have friends that do not believe like I do that I love dearly and trust. We have open dialogue and have agreed to disagree. But we still have discussions about God and faith.  A little closer to me are those who believe in God and the power of prayer. But there are few that are my inner circle of friends, my prayer partners. I know they will run headfirst into a battle with satan himself for me.  All these circles are separate in my life.

The closer and smaller the circle the more influence. I only allow the inner circle to influence my life’s choices. The outer circles are there for me to influence. Those whom I have agreed to disagree. I still love them are want what is best for them, but I don’t go out drinking with them on Friday night.

I said all of that to say this, we cannot allow the outer circle of people to get in the way of our faith walk. We have to be intentional about who we allow to influence us. But we cannot be like some who legalistically says, The bible says we need to be separate, so I cannot have anything to do with anyone who doesn’t believe like me. I cannot have a discussion with someone from another denomination, they may confuse me and cause me to fall.

Being intentional means to be secure in our belief system. We need to know why we believe like we do. Then we would not be swayed by another denomination that doesn’t believe like we do. We will not be swayed by a sinner.

We will never win the lost or confused if we do not keep an open dialog with them. They will never find Christ if we are not walking in God’s love and being kind to them. It is all about balance.

2 Cor 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We need to be intentional about our belief in God. Many have sold out to a denomination or religious idea. They have specific ideas of what it means to be a Christian. We have allowed these denominations to become our god in many ways. We have taken the beliefs and made them our idea of Christ. We see HIM through the filter of our church doctrines.

It is time to see the real him. Christianity is not as complicated as we have made it. The modern church has become like the Pharisees adding rules and ideas that are supposed to help us in our walk with God. When all they do is add heavy burdens to young backs.

How do we fix it?

Question everything we have been taught except the basics of the plan of salvation. Do not get caught up in legalism. But we cannot compromise either. We cannot go places that are complete darkness under the guise of trying to build a relationship with someone.

The word says to not touch the unclean thing. Like my example of going out drinking on Friday night. I could go and sit at the table and sip soda. But the atmosphere would not be good for me. It would hurt my witness if others found out I was there, even if I didn’t do anything wrong.

The word says let not your good be evil spoken of, so we have to guard our actions.

Prov 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Iron sharpeneth iron, but if your friend is not the same as you, if they are not iron, then you don’t get any sharper and you could do damage to them. We have to walk carefully. We have to be intentional about our relationships with people. We have to understand our purpose in their lives and them in ours.

Before you allow someone to give you advice, consider the motivation of that advice. If we are not intentional about those around us, we will be influenced by the wrong people. Think today about your sphere of influence and your circle of friends. Share the good news of Jesus with someone outside of that circle today.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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