#2Finding purpose in Life/Relationships

When we come into that place where we become aware of the purpose for which we are called. There are decisions we have to make, some more painful than others. Without those decisions we will not be able to grow and receive what the LORD wants to do by His Spirit. Putting people first before Jesus will keep us from reaching the goal and bearing fruit.

#Prioritising Relationships

Jesus said in Luke 14:26 that we cannot be His disciple until we are ready to forsake all and follow Him. It is a difficult passage for most to accept, but with help from the Holy Spirit, we realise that Jesus is not asking that we hate our family and our life, but that we can only truly have life and our family by making our love for Him first and every other last --Matthew 10:35-37.

Failure to heed this warning will lead to traps which are set to catch us out. As Jesus warned our dearest and closest are the enemy's target to shut the purpose away from our reach. But by lovingly handing family and our lives to Jesus, we are able to emerge from our natural family relationships into the new life which is the supernatural family we have in Jesus as heirs of God.

Looking at the Scripture we see relationships both good and bad. David and Jonathan, Saul's son had a good relation. Jonathan was ready to sacrifice his own future for the sake of what he saw God doing in David. On the other hand, David's son, Absalom [2 Samuel 13-19] is a sad reflection of what could happen when the enemy plays havoc with a person's mind and turn them against their family so that instead of loving they betray. The unfortunate situation being the incident involving his sister which the father failed to address wisely. Bitterness was sown in his heart.

#Apply Wise Counsel

In another story involving Samson in the Book of Judges chapters 13-16, we read of a man full of the Holy Spirit who was allowed by God in wrong relationships for the purpose of fulfilling God's plan by marring a Philistine woman and later in a relationship with Delilah.

We are sometimes exposed to experiences for which if not handled properly can derail or make our witness ineffective.

There are measures that the Holy Spirit put in place to safeguard against relationships that the enemy might seek to use as weapons against the fulfilment of God's purpose in our lives. Unless we have the ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit's leading are likely to fall into wrong relationships. Sometimes, our hearts deceive us to think we can make things right by praying, forgetting that once God says 'No', there is a deeper reason hidden from us.

God will respect our decision by giving time for us to see things His way.

Most stress relationships without looking at both sides of the coin that even within the church, there are those who are there with a selfish agenda and care must be taken. There are hidden cults within some churches to steal hearts through relationships from Jesus.

#Personal Examples

When I was young almost married a man Jesus warned against. It was a matter of time when I realised it was going to cost my life, so I had to break the engagement.

Also while a member of church had a group encouraged by the leadership to lure me into a situation that could have resulted in being trapped into a cult.

Putting our relationship with Jesus first allows the guidance of His Spirit to inform and guide us so as to avoid traps.

With time as the enemy uses friends against us, God exposes those behaviours and pulls us away to enable a clearer commitment and focus in building a close intimate relationship with Him. He will at the same time cause us to be tender hearted without bitterness, and be loving towards those the enemy uses by interceding for their salvation.

Relationships can be quite complicated. Sometimes we need to loosen the ties to cling to Jesus and receive our purpose. However, the nature of what is required will be made known to us by the LORD as it was with Abraham when he was called away from his family to receive God's blessing in Genesis 12:1,

When I was called out from my family for the purpose for which the LORD made me, I came to the point where I recognised that due to the battle the enemy was waging within my family, the only way to let God do the fighting was in handing over everything to Him and walking away into the New Family, which then gave me the power and authority needed to deal with the issues which could not be dealt naturally. With wisdom, the Holy Spirit built the structures that I needed to cope as I lovingly handed everything to Him knowing that on my own I could never help any attain eternal life.

With time, the LORD routed out friendships which the enemy sought to use to betray and derail my faith, people I could have sworn were believers. Like David said in one of the Psalms, those who turned against him where people he went in company together to the house of God.

Everyone will laugh, drink and eat with you until the door opens for you to walk into your purpose, then faces and loyalty changes. Yes, relationships are about the hardest but require allowing the Holy Spirt to painfully cut back and peel off layers to reveal what had been concealed.

Imagine how hard it was for Jesus seeing Judas everyday and yet, in His heart, He knew he was his betrayer. Still He loved him. The purpose for which He came was greater than the show of sentiments.

Jesus is our example as by loosing the world, we gain eternity.