This morning we continue our series entitled, “Power of Fellowship.” Yesterday I shifted focus from having fellowship with God to having fellowship with other people. We started in the beginning (Genesis). We will go back there today. Let’s look at three scriptures from the book of beginnings and I will discuss them within the context of relationships.
(Genesis 2:18)
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
(Genesis 2:25)
Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
(Genesis 3:12)
The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Relationships can be special.
a) Having relationships with other people on this planet was God’s idea. God said it was “not good” for Adam to be alone (or all-one). It was not good for Adam back then and it is not good for us today. We were created to have an enjoy thriving relationships with other people on this planet.
b) The last verse in Genesis 2 states that Adam and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. They were walking with God and walking with each other with a level of unity and harmony that they did not even realize they were naked. Their nakedness did not register until they broke fellowship. Once the fellowship was broken, they realized their nakedness and they tried to cover it up with leaves. My point here is that you can have relationships that are so special, and the bond can be so strong, that you can walk with God, together with another human, with a unity so divine that nothing can stop you. This is how you experience heaven on earth!
c) In this series we will see that there is a level of divine power that can only be accessed through relationships. It is true that any individual has access to God and His power. But when that person releases their faith with another person, the unity created in a relationship opens the door to something you will never experience on your own. Simply put, divine power is accessed through human agreement.
2. Relationships can be difficult.
a) Just like the agreement between two humans can special, disagreement between humans can be challenging. But your love for God is designed to be personified in your love for others. John said that if you claim to love God (a God you cannot see), but you cannot love others (people you see every day), you are a liar (1 John 4:20). So don’t run away from relationships just because they are challenging.
b) In one moment Adam was amazed by Eve. He looked at her and loved her. But it was not long before he was blaming her for his actions. After Adam sinned the eyes of both of them were opened, they realized they were naked, they felt shame, and they ran away from God. When God confronted them, Adam played the blame-game. He said, “It was the woman you gave me!” Not only did Adam blame Eve, but it sounds like he was blaming God for bringing Eve into his life. He was like, “You gave me Eve. She gave me the fruit.” And then, at the end, almost as if he did not want to admit it, he said, “And I ate it.” The point here is that developing and fostering relationships is not always going to be easy. People are messy at times. Sometimes blame gets thrown around and people feel like it would be easier to do life alone. But don’t believe the lie. God created you to have and enjoy amazing relationships. Open your heart to God’s best and celebrate the people He has placed in your life.
3. Difficult or not, God created us to have and enjoy relationships on this planet.
a) There are no lone rangers in the Body of Christ. You will never maximize your purpose and potential without the assistance of others.
b) I run into people all the time who say things like, “I don’t need anyone,” or “I am fine all by myself,” but if the truth be told these statements are birthed out of pain. People say things like this because they have been hurt. That’s understandable. People can be messy. Dealing with people can be painful. But no matter how bad you have been hurt by people, you need others and others need you. As a believer you must allow the love of God to wash your hurt away. If you do, you will be able to welcome the relationships He has ordained for you to have and your life will be the better for it!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You made it clear in Your Word that two are better than one. You have placed people in my life and I am thankful for it. I have divine relationships and I enjoy these relationships daily. I have people I can release my faith with and the power of agreement gives me access to divine power that is simply not made available to me as an individual. So I love and appreciate the people I have in my life. I work on my relationships every day. As I do, life is simply more enjoyable. Not only do I get to enjoy You Father, but I get to enjoy others as well. I will never allow past pain to keep me from the joy of present relationships. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
