Just the other day I reached out to a friend for insight on a situation I’d been challenged with.  At the time they weren’t immediately available.  After a day had passed and they were still unreachable I examined what could be delaying our contact.  So many thoughts consumed my mind, yet the most prominent of these thoughts were the past challenges we experienced with communication in our friendship.

 A potential stumbling block was now directly in my path, this obstacle held great potential to draw me into failure.

In a flash, I decided to just put the friendship on ice.  I was the reigning champion in emotionally detaching myself from others or in more modern terms…my “cut off game was too strong.“

However, this is never beneficial to anyone involved.   Many of us are familiar with this type of separation, rejection, and abandonment in some magnitude.  Either on the giving end, having been like myself, or on the receiving end of the spectrum, left feeling rejected.

This offense acts as a stumbling block.

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SPIRITUAL ROADBLOCKS

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Last year, as I inched towards an obstacle on the highway at 20 mph, I grew anxious to get out of traffic, but also to see what caused such a massive delay.  I expected a huge accident, in fact, I expected any type of accident causing this four to five-mile backup. As I approached the flashing lights of a roadside assistance truck, I saw the culprit and it was a single car with a blown out tire.

At that moment I heard “that’s you.”  God revealed that I had caused these types of spiritual delays and blocks so drastically affecting others when I’d spontaneously quit, abandoning my relationship with others and my responsibilities.

I further reflected  the repercussions of my actions, how I’m left feeling empty and how those I reject are left feeling.  Personally, I get myself in the most trouble when I go on hiatus.

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 COMMUNICATION IS KEY

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I opted to prayerfully express my concerns with my friend versus just bailing on the relationship.  We finally spoke and immediately they apologized…

A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1, New King James Version (NKJV)

After we both shared the affairs of our week, my friend made the statement: “I know that when something is going on you’ll pray and I think we should pray.”  We prayed for one another and immediately we both felt better.  I felt a release…a liberation from heaviness, discouragement, and offense.  In exchange for these grievances, I received instantaneous peace.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).

2 Corinthians 3:17, Amplified Bible (AMP)

We are privileged to exchange information with God and honored to have Him download answers into us…but equally as beneficial is the consolation we receive from His earthly ambassadors.

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POWER IN UNITY

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This situation brought to remembrance a dream I had a few weeks ago.  As I sat on a bench outdoors a rainbow appeared directly ahead of me.  Immediately, my mind related the rainbow to God’s promises, as it is a sign of God’s promise to never destroy all the inhabitants of the earth again by flood (Genesis 9:11-17).  Rainbows always get my attention and center my mind on His many promises.

Momentarily, I looked away only to see another rainbow to my left.  I can only presume God wanted me to lose my “spiritual ADD” and keep my attention fixed on what He was revealing.  Again I fixated my focus ahead, this vertical rainbow that had appeared to be shooting from the ground had now transformed into another image.

In place of the rainbow was a rope, after inspecting it more closely I saw it wasn’t simply one rope, but three.  Each of the individual units connected to create one…a braid.  Continuing to look, I saw the braid was actually moving…each individual cord maneuvered upward, but still remained intertwined and connected with the entire unit.

This picture changed a third time, it was no longer a rainbow or a rope or a braid, but now it was living bodies.  I saw masses of people stacked in units…row by row…one on top of the other, all ascending upward.

That morning, as I wrote down the details of this dream I heard three things:

This is a perfect portrait of what people can accomplish when we remain connected and our actions are synchronized with one another.  When we esteem others higher than we do ourselves (Philippians 2:3) and respond in maturity, we will see our actions compliment each other on our individual journeys.  More fulfilling we achieve the greater purpose, God’s purpose, together.

Please view the teaching below by John Bevere from his book The Bait of Satan.

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Scripture References

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Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 The Message (MSG)

I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to nothingness: a solitary person, completely alone – no children, no family, no friends – yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, “Why am I working like a dog, never having any fun? And who cares?” More smoke. A bad business.  It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth.  And if one falls down, the other helps, But if there’s no one to help, tough!  Two in a bed warm each other. Alone, you shiver all night.  By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.

Luke 17:1-4 New King James Version (NKJV)

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

https://youtu.be/rsz-kPaMCCo

The Bait of Satan – John Bevere