1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,720 That someone gives you attention does not mean they have good intentions. 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:12,000 There are many with itching ears yet immature hearts. 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,560 Grace and peace to you all, people of God. 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:22,720 You're all welcome to this Partners Service here at the God's Heart TV studio. 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:27,640 Before anything else, let us pray together. 6 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:36,560 Father, we thank You for each heart connected to this service today. 7 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:45,880 We pray that whatever spiritual barrier hindering 8 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:54,640 their understanding would be removed today, in Jesus’ mighty name! 9 00:00:54,640 --> 00:01:06,280 Lord Jesus Christ, help us to give undivided attention 10 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:11,640 to what You have to say to us today 11 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:19,320 through Your Holy Word and by Your precious Spirit, 12 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:25,200 in Jesus’ mighty name we pray. 13 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:34,760 And the people of God said, “Amen!” 14 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,920 Glory be to God! 15 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:42,120 A couple of weeks ago, there was a young lady who I spoke to. 16 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:46,880 And I'm not going to disclose the specifics of her situation, 17 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,520 but as I was speaking to her, 18 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:56,000 the only way I would put it, is that the Spirit of God prompted me 19 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,240 to give her a godly rebuke. 20 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:08,400 ‘Godly rebuke’ because she shared her situation and had been attending 21 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,920 Interactive Prayer Services and was not someone that had just joined 22 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:15,400 for the first time. She was going to church. 23 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:21,720 She was adopting so many godly things. But there was a clear area of her life 24 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:27,520 where she was unrepentantly living in sin. 25 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:34,400 And yet she was still questioning why certain aspects of God's promises 26 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:40,520 were not being fulfilled in her life, whereas there was a clear 27 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:47,040 area of her life where she was living in sin. 28 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,800 And I was speaking to this young lady and I said to her, 29 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:56,720 “Look, my sister, sometimes the truth is bitter, 30 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:01,800 but if I'm to help you, I have to speak forth the truth.” 31 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,040 And I rebuked her. 32 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:11,160 You cannot expect spiritual benefits to self-inflicted trials. 33 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,720 You can't expect God's grace and mercy to cover you 34 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:25,800 when you are consciously, knowingly, living in a way of life that is contrary to His Word. 35 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:30,400 I didn't say it maliciously. I didn't say it with judgment. 36 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,000 I said it with righteous anger 37 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:39,400 because how can we just come before God 38 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:50,880 to receive His mercy if we don't identify the areas of our own lives 39 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,560 which are not pleasing to Him? 40 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:58,720 And after I spoke to her, she said something that really touched me. 41 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:02,720 She said, “Brother Chris, I want to thank you 42 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:12,600 because this is the first time in my life that someone has spoken to me like this.” 43 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:21,560 Even that alone pains me that someone could be going to church, 44 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,280 engaging in godly activities, 45 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:31,720 yet they didn't have someone, or perhaps they were not open to someone, 46 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:38,840 or they were not accountable to someone, who could speak the truth. 47 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:46,920 And this young lady said, “I want to thank you for loving me enough to rebuke me.” 48 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:51,520 This is someone I have not met before. I don't know the person personally. 49 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,960 We just spoke on the phone. She reached out for prayer 50 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,120 and I realised, in her case, what she needed was not prayer; 51 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,280 she needed someone to tell the truth to her. 52 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:08,440 Now, how she acted on that message is between her and God. 53 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:13,200 One thing is to acknowledge the truth, another thing is to act on it. 54 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:17,560 But I reflected after this conversation. 55 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:30,840 I reflected deeply that one of the greatest challenges we face today is that, too often, 56 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:43,880 we share our problems with those who are spiritually ill-equipped to help us. 57 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,640 And this is what I want to talk about today: 58 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:53,200 Be careful of who you confide in. 59 00:05:53,200 --> 00:06:06,720 If you are with someone at home, tell that person, “Be careful of who you confide in.” 60 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:13,560 Be careful of who counsels you. 61 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:15,480 Be careful! 62 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:29,480 Life itself is full of challenges, but carnal counsel makes them far more challenging. 63 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:38,280 There are already challenges that we go through in this journey of life. 64 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:42,880 “In this world there will be trouble,” Jesus said. 65 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:48,120 Being a Christian doesn’t make us immune to challenges, 66 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:55,880 but carnal counsel makes them far more challenging. 67 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,360 What do I mean? 68 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:12,160 We often disclose our problems to those whose advice worsens them. 69 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:19,680 Irrespective of intentions, carnal counsel is dangerous. 70 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:23,600 Be careful of who you confide in. 71 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:30,880 There must be discernment before disclosure. 72 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:36,520 In the case of the young lady that I just referenced, 73 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,400 as we finished that conversation, I wrote something down 74 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:44,480 and I want to share it with you. It was very simply this, 75 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:55,920 carnal counsel directs us to blame; godly counsel directs us to change. 76 00:07:55,920 --> 00:08:03,120 The light of God's Word directs us to the areas of our lives 77 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,760 where we need to change, 78 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:13,840 but the darkness of this world directs us to the things that we need to blame. 79 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:19,200 We blame that person. We blame our family. We blame the government. 80 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:25,560 We blame circumstances. We blame witchcraft. 81 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:35,360 We are quick to blame because we so often receive advice 82 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:41,160 from the human point of view in the face of our problems. 83 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:43,000 This is what I want to talk to you about. 84 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:48,160 Be careful of who you confide in. 85 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:55,440 Be careful of who counsels you. 86 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:59,960 Ask yourself at this point, 87 00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:06,840 when confronted by challenges, who do you confide in? 88 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:17,120 Do you have accountability with those who possess spiritual maturity? 89 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:25,200 It is a question for self-examination because in the journey of life 90 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:31,840 we go through challenges, we face problems, 91 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:36,720 we encounter difficulties. 92 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:46,080 What kind of advice are you receiving in the face of your challenge? 93 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,520 I'm going to take you to a Biblical story 94 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:56,360 which emphasises the importance of this truth. 95 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,360 I hope you have your Bibles with you. 96 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:09,840 Turn with me to 2 Kings 4, and this is the account of the Shunammite woman. 97 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:16,000 Let’s read together the opening verses, 2 Kings 4:8, 98 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,840 “Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, 99 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:26,160 where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. 100 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:31,760 So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food.” 101 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,800 Verse 9, “And she said to her husband, 102 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:54,760 ‘Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 103 00:10:54,760 --> 00:11:00,520 Please let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, 104 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:06,320 and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, that whenever he comes to us 105 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:11,240 he can turn in there.’ And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in 106 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:15,960 to the upper room and laid down there.” Let's pause there. 107 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:22,600 I want you to recognise, first and foremost, that the Shunammite woman 108 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:27,480 had a revelation of who Elisha was. 109 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:33,400 “I know this is a holy man of God.” 110 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:38,520 The basis of their relationship was spiritual. 111 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:46,120 And because she had the revelation of who he was spiritually, 112 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:56,400 she had the confidence to confide in him when calamity later struck her family. 113 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:05,440 If a relationship is based on natural things, it can be interrupted by natural things, 114 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:11,280 it can be interfered with by natural things, natural circumstances. 115 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:20,600 But if the basis of a relationship is spiritual, nothing natural can separate it. 116 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:24,840 In the verses following, Elisha said to his servant, 117 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:29,760 ‘What can I do for this lady who has prepared this place for me?’ 118 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:37,760 And his servant mentions that she does not have a son, a child. 119 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,040 Elisha calls her and prophesies to her 120 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:48,880 that by this time next year you will have your own child - you will have a son. 121 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:55,920 What prompted the Shunammite woman to help Elisha 122 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:04,080 was spiritual revelation, not material expectation. 123 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,200 Her motive was not transactional. 124 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:14,360 “If I do this for this man of God, God will give me a child.” 125 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:20,840 No, that was not her intention; that was not her motive. 126 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:25,560 But because she gave with no conditions attached, 127 00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:29,280 God gave her the desires of her heart. 128 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:32,640 Oh, thank You, Jesus! 129 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:38,840 She did not provide the place for Elisha with a selfish motive. 130 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:45,040 “Oh, if I do this, this man of God can speak well for me before the king. 131 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:47,880 This man of God can pray for me for a child. 132 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,680 This man of God can do this for me. So let me do this for him.” 133 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:54,720 That was not her intention. 134 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:57,880 She had a revelation of who he was spiritually, 135 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:03,920 and God prompted her heart to prepare a place for him. 136 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:14,400 If you seek God only for what you can get, 137 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:24,120 it is a sign that you are unprepared to get what you seek. 138 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:29,760 Think about that, people of God. 139 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:35,200 If you are giving to God's work 140 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:41,840 only because of what you are seeking from God, 141 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:49,920 “If I do this for the ministry, perhaps God will do this for me,” 142 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,600 that should not be your motive. 143 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,040 God knows your needs. 144 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,920 He knew the need of the Shunammite woman. 145 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:04,520 And when she gave with all her heart, God gave her the desires of her heart. 146 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:09,360 God blessed her beyond her wildest imagination. 147 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:13,320 Even she said to Elisha, “Don't deceive me, my Lord. 148 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:16,480 Is this real? Is this true that I will have a son?” 149 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:20,760 That was not her intention. That was not her motive. 150 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:25,560 But when she gave on the basis of revelation, 151 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:31,920 she received more than her dreams. 152 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,040 It's a lesson because 153 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:40,320 it is very common today for people to fall into the trap 154 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:46,880 of attaching material expectations to spiritual service. 155 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,680 There are also some people 156 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:56,040 who give motivated by the guilt of their sin, 157 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:03,240 believing that their gift will somehow cover their wrong. 158 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:12,200 But if sin is before you, only repentance can restore you. 159 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:22,080 If your situation is caused by sin, no amount of money can restore you. 160 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:34,440 No amount of nice advice from the human point of view can rescue you. 161 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:42,920 If sin is before you, only the Blood of Jesus can restore you. 162 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:51,240 So stop looking for a scapegoat and start looking to the Lamb of God 163 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,920 who takes away the sins of the world. 164 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,120 The world may point us to the outward cause. 165 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,760 The Word of God points us to the inward cause. 166 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:09,840 That's why it's so important to receive godly counsel. 167 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:12,240 Let's continue in this story. 168 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:20,000 God blesses the Shunammite woman with a son, with the desires of her heart. 169 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,720 What a wonderful testimony! Glory be to God! 170 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:29,040 And from verse 18, let me read on to what happens. 171 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,200 “And the child grew. 172 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:35,160 Now, it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 173 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:39,280 And he said to his father, ‘My head, my head!’ 174 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,560 So he said to a servant, ‘Carry him to his mother.’ 175 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:44,160 And when he had taken him 176 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:54,400 and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.” 177 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,320 Calamity struck. 178 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:06,840 A glorious testimony suddenly turned into a calamity. 179 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,000 How could it be? 180 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:14,000 The son promised from God, given by God 181 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:19,040 at a young, tender age, taken away. 182 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:25,120 But I want you to observe the response of the Shunammite woman 183 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:32,880 to this clearly distressing, painful circumstance. 184 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:40,200 Verse 21, “And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, 185 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,560 shut the door upon him, and went out.” 186 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:50,400 Take note, her very first action was to consider the things of God. 187 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:52,560 “Then she called to her husband, and said, 188 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:55,480 ‘Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, 189 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,280 that I may run to the man of God and come back.’ 190 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:02,240 So he said, ‘Why are you going to him today? 191 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:04,480 It is neither the new moon nor the Sabbath.’ 192 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:08,560 And she said, ‘It is well.’” 193 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:16,080 Whereas, it was not well! 194 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:21,120 There was a terrible situation on the ground. 195 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:26,280 But at that point she said, ‘It is well.’ 196 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:30,480 “Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, ‘Drive, and go forward; 197 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:34,120 do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.’ 198 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,840 And so she departed and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. 199 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:43,480 So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant, Gehazi, 200 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,240 ‘Look, the Shunammite woman! 201 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:50,160 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? 202 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:51,800 Is it well with your husband? 203 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:57,160 Is it well with the child?’ And she answered, ‘It is well.’” 204 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:04,600 Verse 27, “Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, 205 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,080 she caught him by the feet, 206 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,320 but Gehazi came near to push her away. 207 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:17,520 But the man of God said, ‘Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, 208 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:22,280 and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.’” 209 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:27,840 I want us to learn a valuable lesson from this story. 210 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:37,480 Because the Shunammite woman had a revelation of who Elisha was, 211 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:48,680 she had the confidence to confide in him when this terrible tragedy struck her home. 212 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:57,360 She was in deep distress but she was not overwhelmed emotionally to 213 00:20:57,360 --> 00:21:03,360 the point where she disclosed her problems to people 214 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:07,600 that God had not sent to her. 215 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:15,320 You know, when we react emotionally, when we are overwhelmed by emotions, 216 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:22,440 it tends to leave us vulnerable to bad advice. 217 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:28,480 The Shunammite woman was not pretending when she said, “It is well,” 218 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,200 even though it was not well. 219 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:36,000 But she did not disclose her problems 220 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:41,280 to those who were not in a position to help at that moment. 221 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:45,480 She was in deep distress, yes, 222 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:54,760 but she took the decision of faith to go and receive counsel 223 00:21:54,760 --> 00:22:01,280 from someone she knew God had sent to her life. 224 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:05,240 I want to challenge you all, people of God. 225 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:09,600 Sometimes we need a word that challenges us, 226 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:17,360 stirs us, stirs our spirits to self-examination and perhaps to repentance. 227 00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:25,000 When problems strike in your life who do you confide in? 228 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,080 Or let me put it like this - 229 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:33,880 are you confiding in someone or complaining to someone? 230 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,480 Because there's a difference. 231 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,360 You confide in someone when you seek solution. 232 00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:44,920 You complain to someone when you seek sympathy. 233 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:52,560 Are you looking for attention or solution? 234 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:58,240 It's a question for us to reflect on because 235 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:07,480 that someone is ready to listen to you does not mean that person loves you. 236 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:14,640 There are many with itching ears yet immature hearts. 237 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:22,840 That someone gives you attention does not mean they have good intentions. 238 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:27,240 Are you complaining to someone for attention 239 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:32,760 or confiding in someone for solution? 240 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:39,960 Because if you are more interested in sympathy than solution, 241 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:47,240 you will likely sacrifice your principles on the altar of your problems. 242 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:49,560 What do I mean? 243 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:56,680 In the face of our problems, we receive advice, we receive counsel, 244 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:03,360 we receive guidance that makes our problems worse. 245 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:10,800 We may hear what we want to hear, but it doesn't solve the issue. 246 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,120 This is a problem when you surround yourself 247 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:17,520 only with people who say what you want to hear. 248 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,280 You don't address the issue. You delay it. 249 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:22,880 You postpone it. 250 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,560 It ends up being built up. 251 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:29,400 And as it builds up, it weighs you down. 252 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:34,880 This is the problem of receiving advice 253 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:41,680 from people who are not spiritually equipped to help that issue. 254 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,160 Why is it common for us to divulge our problems, 255 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:49,080 to disclose our problems, to those who are not equipped to help us? 256 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:55,360 Because it is common for complaints to reach the ears of the carnally minded. 257 00:24:55,360 --> 00:25:02,200 We are quick to complain to those who are not in a position to help us. 258 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:04,200 But learn from this woman. 259 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:08,360 Look, she didn't deny her problem, 260 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:13,120 but she knew at that moment her husband was not in the right place to help her, 261 00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:16,400 the servant of the man of God was not in the right place to help her. 262 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,440 To them, she said, “It is well,” whereas it was not well. 263 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:24,040 But when she reached Elisha she poured out her heart. 264 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:29,880 And if we read the story, you continue on in the verses, 265 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,840 a glorious miracle happened! 266 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:39,120 Elisha followed her, prayed for the lifeless son lying on that bed, 267 00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:43,840 and there was a resurrection. What a glorious testimony! 268 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:49,040 You can see this message is burning in my heart, because it's so sad 269 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:55,200 to see how many people worsen or prolong their problems 270 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,560 by receiving bad advice in the midst of them. 271 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:02,280 We share our problems, not only with those who cannot help us, 272 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:08,280 but with those who will use what we share with them against us. 273 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:16,080 Often, because we are emotionally overwhelmed, we lose self-control. 274 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,920 Let me be clear here. 275 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:25,520 This is not in any way an encouragement to isolation. 276 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,280 There are some people whose attitude is when they face a problem, 277 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:34,160 they pretend that there is no problem, they deny the existence of a problem. 278 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:40,600 No, denying your problem is often fuelled by pride, not faith. 279 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:45,560 A problem hidden is often pride-driven. 280 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:49,120 What you hide tends to reveal your pride. 281 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:53,720 I am not talking about denying a problem, pretending that there is no problem, 282 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,600 I am talking about taking the problem to the right place. 283 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:04,520 She wasn't in denial, but she was not desperate to the point 284 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:09,200 where she disclosed her problem to the wrong kind of people. 285 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:14,880 This is a message to each and every one of you today. 286 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:19,720 Be careful of who counsels you. 287 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,440 Be careful of who you confide in. 288 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:29,640 And be careful of how you counsel others. 289 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:32,920 Oh, this is another point, people of God. 290 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,080 I could ask the question to you also. 291 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:42,200 Not just, “Who do you confide in?” but, “Who confides in you?” 292 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:49,760 Never dilute the truth out of sympathy for someone's situation. 293 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:54,840 Never water down the truth 294 00:27:54,840 --> 00:28:06,520 because of selfish ambition, or material connection, or biological familiarity. 295 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:11,240 Don't reduce the standard of accountability due to familiarity. 296 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:17,640 The benchmark for accountability is spiritual - spiritual maturity. 297 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:21,320 It is the truth that sets us free. 298 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:26,800 Even if someone is unwilling to act on that truth, 299 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,880 don't be discouraged from telling them in love. 300 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,960 Don't just become a dustbin for someone to complain to 301 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,480 without telling them the truth. 302 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:41,080 It is the truth that sets us free. 303 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:50,800 Godly counsel in the light of God's Word paves the path for solution. 304 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:56,520 Carnal counsel, influenced by the darkness of this world, 305 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:06,160 simply leaves us going in circles. 306 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:10,440 This is my message to you today. 307 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:15,320 Be careful of who you confide in. 308 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:21,360 There are some situations we face in life that we are not meant to handle alone. 309 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:26,160 Look, some situations you personally can take to God and overcome. 310 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:32,080 There are some issues in life where you can't just go through it alone. 311 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:36,000 That's why we are one another’s strength. 312 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,600 That's why there's power in godly fellowship. 313 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:44,840 That’s why the community of the Body of Christ is so important, 314 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,920 so we can help each other, strengthen each other, 315 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:50,800 speak the truth to each other. 316 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:59,600 But have you identified those God has sent to you? 317 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:04,520 Have you identified those God has sent you to? 318 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:09,960 I pray that this message prompts us 319 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:17,760 to examine our reaction in the face of our challenges. 320 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:20,720 How do we respond? 321 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:22,640 How do we react? 322 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,240 Who do we turn to? 323 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,400 What kind of advice do we receive? 324 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:33,240 What kind of counsel do we receive? 325 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:39,440 Let us take this warning to watch and pray, 326 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:48,160 to discern before we disclose, and to be careful of who we confide in. 327 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:56,560 May God bless His living Word in our hearts, in Jesus’ mighty name.