Unhealthy Alliances

 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.  2 Chronicles 19:1-2

We connect with people for many reasons. One reason we connect are the similarities we share in life. Another reason we connect with others could be because we desire what others have and being around them helps us attain those things. Whatever the reason for the alliance, it should be for healthy reasons and not for unhealthy reasons. On the flip side, some alliances we make can be unhealthy and are born out of hidden agendas, false motives and sheer ignorance.

In our text King Jehoshaphat clearly has aligned himself with someone who is evil. In 2 Chronicles 18 we find that Jehoshaphat, operating out of self, has connected with King Ahab who does evil in the sight of the Lord. We too, at times like King Jehoshaphat have been guilty of linking ourselves with people who practice doing evil. We call ourselves going to their aide, but in all actuality we are simply satisfying our own ego and giving in to the familiar spirits that keep us connected to these people. We allow the enemy to pull us into righteous indignation (when really that can be disguised as judgement) and we forget that they are workers of iniquity. I'm not talking about the person who "sin and come short of God's glory." I'm talking about the person who consistently practice sin, causes division and operates in witchcraft. These people have a form of godliness without power!

We have to be careful who we link ourselves with. The Seer Jehu asked King Jehoshaphat, "should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?" When we make a decision to purposely have unhealthy alliances, just know the wrath of the Lord will be upon US. Let us no longer be hood-winked by Satan by believing connecting with such people is a good thing. Unless you are hearing from the Lord (not from self and thinking it's the Lord) we ought to keep our distance and simply PRAY!

What fellowship does light have with darkness, 2 Corinthians 6:14. Remember, bad company corrupts good people!

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The Purpose of a Shake

 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe -Hebrews 12:28 AMP

When things have settled in the natural, often times to mix things back up, it will require a shake. Salad dressing for instance, before use, require a shake or two to allow the ingredients to be placed in it's most useful form so it can be tasteful to the palate. Other things such as a sheet or blanket, before being placed on a bed require a shake so that things that may be on it, i.e. lint, can come off and it can take it's rightful form.

The kingdom (mindset) that we as believers have received through Christ Jesus, has within it a dual purpose. It's first purpose is to shake off those practices and attitudes that do not line up with God's kingdom. The second purpose is to reinforce its power within us, so that the things of this world will not shake us! 

When we show forth gratitude to and for God, when we do the work God has placed in our hands to do and do it through reverential fear and love for God, He will be a consuming fire to everything that comes our way. This my brothers and sisters is the purpose of God's shaking!

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The Perfected Power of God

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The power of God is manifested in our weakness. I realize this may be a difficult truth to absorb, but once we have understanding, it will prove to be one of the greatest tools we can possess, to get through difficult seasons in our lives. God's power gives us the ability to stand in the midst of trials and troubles. His power gives us the strength to fight temptation. God's explosive power, when operating in a born again believer, annihilates all the workings of the enemy. The key to ignite this power is repentance, submission and belief in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! 

Here, Paul explains in a sense, even in our darkest hours, we win! The key is to not allow despair or condemnation to creep in, although the world (our flesh) says it's alright to be there. Know that when we are weak, it is in that moment of repentance and surrender, we gain the perfected power of Almighty God! God's healing power, saving power and regenerative power is perfected when we acknowledge are weak and He is strong!

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