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Who is your friend?

James 4:4(AMP) You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.

Introduction: Welcome to another week of Speaking scriptures as we hear from the Holy Spirit.

🙏 The Lord will keep us unto His coming in Jesus name.

▶️ Christians seem to be ignorant of consequences for wrong association. In fact, nowadays Christians associate with unbelievers adjudged to be of good character. 

🤔 I heard a Christian lawyer on a radio program saying you can marry from any religion that good character is a key factor. This is error from the pit of hell to strengthen Satan in destroying marriage institution orchestrated by God. 

Scriptures warn Believers to test every spirit because Devil can present himself as angel of light. 

No one can know anyone through outward appearance ONLY through the Spirit of God. There’s no gentle devil.

2 Corinthians 11:14(NLT) But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light.

▶️ This week, we need to ask Who is our friend? 

🛑 A friend is someone you know well and like.  To know someone well enough to be your friend, you MUST be a friend of God who hears from God without relying on the Flesh. It is not possible to choose correctly without God even as a pastor or prophet. 

❓Do you remember prophet Samuel in the house of Jesse when he went to choose king for Israel as instructed by God? Samuel goofed because he was human but thank God he closely walked with God to hear correctly. That is why those who ardently follow fathers-in-the-Lord are in danger of erroneous life.

1 Samuel 16:6-7 (AMP) When they had come, he looked on Eliab [the eldest son] and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him. But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward  appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

🛑 In choosing a friend,  It is either you pick your friend from the World or from God. 

▶️ We need to know that anyone without Jesus Christ is regarded as enemy of God. To argue or disagree on this truth opens opportunity for Devil to steal, kill and destroy God’s plan for His children. 

Hear what Jesus Christ unequivocally said; 

Matthew 12:30(MSG) “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.

▶️ King Benhadad was enemy of God’s people and greatly tormented them. God helped Ahab king of Israel to conquer the Syrians led by Benhadad. Benhadad escaped death and cunningly came to Ahab as a friend. Ahab accepted him and even called him “my brother”.

1 Kings 20:32(NLT) So they put on sackcloth and ropes and went to the king of Israel and begged, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’ ” The king of Israel responded, “Is he still alive? He is my brother!”

▶️ Benhadad, God’s enemy who forcefully took treasures from God’s temple and precious things from Israel including their wives and children now had  covenant with Ahab against God’s command. 

1 Kings 20:34(AMP) Ben-hadad [tempting him] said, The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may maintain bazaars of your own in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria. Then, said Ahab, I will send you away on these terms. So he made a covenant with him and sent him away.

🛑 Consequently, for making covenant with  Benhadad who had no regard for God and His people, judgment was pronounced by God upon king Ahab through a prophet. 

1 Kings 20:42(AMP) And he said to the king, Thus says the Lord: Because you have let go out of your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.

▶️ There are times when Christians suffer consequences of associating with unbelievers marked for destruction without knowing source of calamities. 

❓Do you find out why you suffer as Christian despite God’s promises that cannot fail?

🛑 It is NOT enough to choose a friend or business partner who claims or you consider to be a Christian. There MUST be identification of fruit of the Spirit in manifestations before choosing a friend or partner otherwise, a Christian can miss out from God’s promises. 

▶️ Despite Jehoshaphat’s right standing with God, he chose to do business with Ahaziah king of Israel whom we can describe as disobedient child of God,  Jehoshaphat suffered loss for his decision to be associated with disobedient child of God. 

Remember that disobedience is equal to iniquity and ultimately a disobedient child of God is grouped among witches, unbelievers or the wicked. 

2 Chronicles 20:35-37(AMP) After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly. He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, building them in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have joined Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your works. So the ships were wrecked and unable to go to Tarshish.

❓Who is your friend? Who are you associating with? There is need for correct assessment of who we join ourselves with. 

🙏 May our works not be destroyed in Jesus name. 

🛑 Associating with  someone that is known to be a thief, adulterer, fornicator, drunkard and so on makes a Christian to be a partaker in the iniquity.

Psalms 50:18(AMP) When you see a thief, you associate with him, and you have taken part with adulterers.

⚠️ Scriptures speak that anyone that is far from God walks in the path of destruction. Closeness to God by His words is an antidote to choosing wrongly. 

Psalms 73:27(AMP) For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You will destroy all who are false to You and like [spiritual] harlots depart from You.

▶️ It is impossible to love the world and God simultaneously. One must give way for the other. 

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

▶️ Once a Christian compromises and go along with the world standard of living, there will be more followers on social media, such Christian will be loved by the world. 

John 15:19a If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. 

▶️ Check out for a Christian who declares undiluted words of God on social media, he/she will be detested and will have very few followers. 

John 15:19b But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you.

The Scriptures speak why the world will follow falsehood than the truth. The world hates light because their works are evil.

John 7:7(AMP) The world cannot [be expected to] hate you, but it does hate Me because I denounce it for its wicked works and reveal that its doings are evil.

▶️ We must know that living uncompromisingly by the word of God attracts hatred from the world. 

John 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

🛑 Spiritual life through the Holy Spirit brings peace while canal mind not only chooses wrongly, it creates enmity with God  and attracts death . 

Romans 8:6-7 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

▶️ Most Christians want popularity with men and therefore choose to befriend worldly people. 

Galatians 1:10 Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah).

✍ Finally brethren, if we have a worldly friend, or a compromising Christian as a friend,  the love of God will be ostracised from our hearts and Lustful life will be paramount in our Christian living. 

1 John 2:15-16 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Choose your friend wisely. 

✋ Maranatha