IDENTIFYING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ADVERSARY Anyone who is not for you is against you. Be free from the idea that neutral relationships benefit any purpose. The opposite of LOVE is not hate, it is APATHY. Anyone who is apathetic about you or your life mission is no different that someone who despises you. We were not created for passive acquaintances, we were designed by our Creator and downloaded with His passion, purpose, and destiny. Look at the Lords attitude toward relationship with Him and His mission: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:15, 16 NKJV) Many times, we believe people to be our friends because they tolerate our flaws or mediocrity. Anyone who causes hinders the development of your character and growth process is your adversary. One of my core beliefs is this, Your friends love you the way you are, your true advocates love you too much to leave you the way you are. True friends will always want to see us fulfill our greatest potential and publicly support our cause. They will walk with us through our growth process and never openly embarrass or uncover us. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (Proverbs 27:6 NKJV) Purposeful people of vision will always seek out people who help them reach for great character, great purpose, great passion. Those who contribute to your weakness in the name of friendship do not love you as much as they love what you provide their weakness with, namely justification for less than excellence. There is an old saying, Birds of a feather flock together. You may be socializing and fellowshipping with people who feed your weaknesses more than calling forth your strength. Beware of relationships where you are not maturing and growing in your relationship with God and your obedience to His commands and principals. You may be in a season where God is birthing a ministry, dream, or an assignment in your life. You cannot afford to associate with anything or anyone who is negative about the dream of God for your life. There is nothing wrong with the support or counsel of others but a messenger from God will never attempt to abort the Kingdom principals, process, or purpose of God. You may be asking, So what do I do with the relationships I have fostered that do not nourish the will of God for my life? You can start by asking the question, what is the purpose of this relationship? Now I am not suggesting that you go cut off every friend or family member you have, but you may want to reassess your purpose in that relationship. If the person is hindering or sabotaging your growth, intentionally or not, you must make a stand for the call and purpose of God. It may be time to redefine your relational role and transition from crony to comrade in the purpose of Gods Kingdom. You cannot afford to associate with attitudes and actions that hinder your spiritual stability, growth, or testimony. We must learn to recognize the purpose of the relationships God has put in our lives. If you passionately commit to seeking Gods will, you will eventually have a Judas, Absolam, Peter, and even a Thomas, and all of them will serve a Divine purpose. Betrayal, rejection, denial, doubters, even antagonists and hecklers have the ability to spur you on in the Kingdom journey. When you encounter these experiences you need to have go to support that will not feed your carnal or emotional perceptions and reactions. Sons of God are trained to love the lost and weak but never submit their lives to negative influence. Like Jesus, if you are going to become a friend of sinners, it should be for the purpose of revealing Gods Kingdom. Our Lord was a friend of sinners but never participated in the that bound them but rather showed them the way to righteousness. We will go deeper tomorrow...
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 10:00:54 +0000
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