Greetings,
Human life is all about relationships. In the first chapters of Genesis we see a relationship between man, the creation, and his Creator. As God created the animals He brought them to Adam for him to name. They walked and talked together in a harmonious relationship. On the human level God created a woman from Adam in such a manner as to create marriage. As children were produced, the greater family relationship grew. The human family is a type of the ultimate God family relationship. It was all bound together in a beautiful connection. As we know, this did not last long. Satan moved in quickly to disconnect man from God.
A relationship is the state of being connected and can refer to the way in which people behave toward each other. It was God’s intention that man be connected to Him and to each other. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). God’s law and way of life is a way of connecting through relationships and then continually strengthening those connections.
On the other hand, Satan’s way is to disconnect and to cause as much damage as possible to humans by broken relationships. For example, a brief review of the top 10 causes of teenage suicide shows that broken relationships are a leading cause. Satan works to promote disconnectors in and amongst God’s people because he knows how important it is for God’s people to be firmly connected to Him. A good analogy would be an electrical circuit where a disconnector is a switch in the off position, which is used to ensure that an electrical circuit is completely de-energized. For a human to experience the living power of God – His Holy Spirit – the human mind must be connected to the mind of God. Satan’s goal is to have us completely de-energized and to that end he has created an environment that enhances this condition.
The current fragmentation of God’s Church is testimony to broken relationships. This has been Satan’s endeavor from its inception and it is sad to see how successful he has been. We need to note the apostle Paul’s words to the Church at Rome, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:5-6,13).
Relationship building is a personal responsibility for each of us. We must be working to establish a personal relationship with our Father and then make sure our other relationships are built upon that solid foundation. There are no shortcuts – prayer, Bible study and fasting are tools that must be employed in relationship building. These activities have no age restrictions and are also effective in the lives of young people, even though there is little encouragement in society for young people to engage in a personal relationship with God. It takes courage to swim against the current – to step out and follow God’s way of life. But young and old alike, it is vital that we take this seriously and work on our relationships; both with God and with others. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you … Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:7-10).
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
