                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                        Your Friends Matter to God!

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By David Wilkerson
September 14, 1998
__________

          Who do you name as your closest friends? Believe it or
          not, this question is a matter of great concern to the
          Lord. And thats because your friendships speak loudly
           both to God and to the world  about the condition of
          your heart.

          Have you ever thought to pray, Lord, what do you think
          of my friendships? Are they pleasing to you  or do
          they displease you? The fact is, a righteous friend
          can provide a link to the blessing and favor of God,
          because he encourages you toward a godly lifestyle. On
          the other hand, an unrighteous friend can be a binding
          chain to every kind of evil, leading you into terrible
          bondages.

          As I use the word friend throughout this message, Im
          not referring to immediate family members, such as a
          spouse, parent or child. My definition of a friend here
          is someone with whom you are closely associated  one
          in whom you naturally confide. In short, a friend is
          someone with whom you walk, talk and bare your soul.

          Of course, you probably have various circles of
          friends. You have a business circle, which includes
          your coworkers, partners or clients. And you have a
          social circle, including those people you associate
          with on a surface level. You may also have contact with
          ungodly acquaintances. The apostle Paul says its
          impossible for us to avoid these kinds of contacts 
          otherwise, wed have to leave the world altogether!

          Yet the circle of friends God cares about most is your
          intimate circle  your bosom pals. These are the people
          you love most, and who have an influence in your life.
          Youre naturally attracted to one another, and you
          agree on most things  so you feel safe opening your
          heart to each other. In short, you have an affinity
          with one another.

          Our hearts are constantly sending out signals 
          messages that attract in others what is deepest in us.
          Ive seen this truth powerfully illustrated in our
          congregation at Times Square Church. For instance  a
          lustful, sensual woman may walk into a service for the
          first time and look around the sanctuary. Within
          minutes, shell make a connection with every man in the
          congregation who has a roving eye. Her very character
          sends out signals that attract like hearts.

          During one service, I watched in amazement as a
          connection was made between two young drug addicts. One
          of them had dropped out of our rehab program, never
          having let go of his cocaine habit. As he sat in our
          congregation, he studied every face  and soon he made
          a connection with another struggling addict. After the
          service, I saw the two young men walking down the
          street together, talking secretively. There had been an
          unholy attraction  and their spirits connected!

          On the other hand, I once observed with interest a
          godly seminary student who was attending our services.
          I wondered whom this young man might find as a friend.
          Then one night after a service, I saw him talking with
          two other very devoted believers. Something about this
          young man had attracted those godly people  and the
          signal was caught!

          Now, the Bible tells us we are not to be ignorant
          concerning Satans seductions. And one of the devils
          most common attacks against us is to bring into our
          inner circle of friends someone whos under deception 
          an agent of hell whos on a mission to destroy us.
          Satan uses this ploy especially with lonely or
          compassionate Christians. He tries to turn an
          undiscerning persons kindness into an affinity with an
          evil spirit!

          I once had a minister friend whod been delivered from
          a drinking problem years earlier. Somehow he developed
          a close friendship with a pastor who lived hundreds of
          miles away  a man who had never been delivered from
          his own alcoholism. The two began conducting revival
          meetings together and sharing each others burdens. And
          soon this other preacher convinced my friend there was
          no evil in drinking moderately. He seduced my friend
          back to drinking  and within a short while, both men
          became alcoholics, lost their churches and ended up on
          the streets of New Orleans.

          I believe the devil sent this drinking man into my
          friends life. Satan knew he couldnt get to him any
          other way so he brought into his life a supposed
          friend, to destroy him!

                      -------------------------------

                          Let Me Show You From the
                Scriptures What Happens When a Godly Person
               Joins an Affinity With an Unrighteous Friend!

                      -------------------------------

          King Jehoshaphat was a righteous man who ruled over
          Judah when the kingdom of Israel was divided. This
          mans heart was fully set on God, and he was blessed
          and honored above all others in his generation: And
          the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the
          first ways of his father David... (2 Chronicles 17:3).

          Yet, scripture says, Jehoshaphat joined an affinity
          with evil King Ahab, who ruled the northern kingdom of
          Israel: Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in
          abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab (18:1). The
          Bible says of Ahab, ...(he) did more to provoke the
          Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of
          Israel that were before him (1 Kings 16:33).

          You may wonder  how could a righteous king like
          Jehoshaphat end up joined in affinity with such an
          ungodly man? I believe there is only one reason for
          this unholy alliance: It was part of a satanic plot to
          destroy the righteous Jehoshaphat!

          You see, Jehoshaphat had purged the land, driving out
          all the idols of Baal and slaying the idolatrous
          prophets. Yet Ahabs wicked wife, Jezebel, worshiped
          Baal  and she knew what Jehoshaphat had done to her
          idols. So she set her sights to bring down this godly
          man!

          Jezebel devised a plot with her wicked daughter,
          Athaliah, to infiltrate Jehoshaphats godly court. Soon
          young Athaliah met Jehoshaphats son, Jehoram  and she
          used all her feminine charms to win his heart. The plan
          worked: Jehoram decided to marry Athaliah  and he went
          to his father to ask for his blessing. Foolishly,
          Jehoshaphat granted it.

          When scripture says Jehoshaphat joined an affinity
          with Ahab, it means they were joined by marriage. The
          devil must have danced with glee at this union! Now
          Jehoshaphat would have constant contact with the wicked
          Ahab and be subjected to the charms of his wicked
          daughter. Simply put, evil had entered Jehoshaphats
          inner circle!

          Eventually, when Jehoshaphat died, Jehoram took the
          throne  and Jezebel began calling the shots. The
          nation quickly returned to idolatry. And Jehoram even
          ended up killing his six brothers. Yet, this was only
          the beginning of the bloodshed spilled throughout
          Judah.

          And it all happened because Jehoshaphat allowed himself
          to join an affinity with an ungodly man. The tragedy
          is, he didnt have to. You see, it would have been
          impossible for Jehoram to marry Athaliah without his
          approval. Why didnt Jehoshaphat tell his son, This
          woman you love is full of idolatry  shes in rebellion
          against the Lord! Shell only give you evil counsel and
          turn you away from God. Im telling you, Jehoram  drop
          this relationship right now, before it destroys you!
          Instead, Jehoshaphat never said anything.

          In addition, Jehoshaphat had the scriptures available
          to him, in which David stated very clearly: Blessed is
          the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
          nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the
          seat of the scornful (Psalm 1:1). I am a companion of
          all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy
          precepts (119:63). Jehoshaphat knew all this  yet
          still he wouldnt take a stand!

          Jehoram and Athaliahs marriage produced a son named
          Ahaziah, who took the throne at age forty-two. The
          Bible says of this man, He also walked in the ways of
          Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly
          (2 Chronicles 22:2-3). Suddenly, Athaliah was the court
          counselor in Judah. And scripture says this evil woman
          ...destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah
          (verse 10).

          Im convinced this had been Satans plan all along  to
          destroy the godly seed of Judah! You see, this was the
          lineage of David  and the scriptures prophesied that
          from this lineage the messiah would come.

          Beloved, you can be sure the devil would try everything
          he could to cut off the seed of Christ. Likewise, if
          youre a follower of Jesus  if youre now in the blood
          lineage of Christ  Satan will try to bring into your
          life someone to destroy everything godly in you!

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                          Let Me Tell You How You
                           Can Know Whether Satan
                           Has Planted One of His
                       Agents as a Friend to You!

                      -------------------------------

          Right now, you may be thinking, Wait a minute  I
          dont want to start doubting my friends. I dont want
          to suddenly become suspicious of them. My answer to
          you is, if theyre true friends  if theyre knit to
          your heart in the Spirit of Christ  you have nothing
          to fear in examining your relationships with them. And
          youd better look at all your friendships in the light
          of scripture  or you could lose your very soul!

          Its easy to determine whether your close friendships
          are of God, or if theyve been planted by the enemy to
          destroy you. Simply think of your best friend, and then
          answer these questions:

             * Does your friend gossip, backbite or speak evil of
               others?

             * Is he argumentative about scripture, a continual
               debater, never coming to truth?

             * Does he call godly people pharisees?

             * Do you detect in his words a spirit of
               disobedience, envy or suspicion?

             * Does he spew out poisonous words against his (or
               her) spouse?

             * Has he succeeded in planting unkind thoughts in
               your mind about others?

             * Have you begun to join him in spewing out
               bitterness?

          If your friend fits this description  and youre being
          drawn farther away from Jesus because of this
          friendship  you can know the devil has planted that
          person in your life. He has the spirit of Ahab  and
          hes been sent to destroy the work of Christ in you!

          On the other hand, a true, godly friend will always
          take the side of Gods word in any matter, and not just
          your side because youre friends. Such a friend wont
          counsel you in the bitterness of sin. Instead, hell
          love you enough to tell you the truth.

          Let me show you what happens to every child of God who
          joins an affinity with a bitter, unrighteous person.
          There are three awful consequences:

                      -------------------------------

                          1. Youll Be Drawn Into
                          Somebody Elses War or
                             Problems  to Your
                                Own Regret!

                      -------------------------------

          The Bible tells us Jehoshaphats kingdom had been
          peaceful up to this point: The fear of the Lord fell
          upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round
          about Judah, so that they made no war against
          Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:10). Judah was blessed
          and prospered abundantly, and nobody dared come against
          them.

          But after Jehoshaphat joined an affinity with Ahab,
          scripture says, ...Ahab... persuaded (Jehoshaphat) to
          go up with him to Ramoth-gilead...and he answered him,
          I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we
          will be with thee in the war (18:2-3). Jehoshaphat
          willingly got sucked into a hopeless war  one that God
          had no part in!

          The Hebrew word for persuaded in this passage means
          a soothing seduction. Jehoshaphat allowed himself to
          be seduced into war by Ahab, answering, I am as you
          are. In other words: Im your friend, so Im with you
          all the way. I wont let you down. You can count on
          me!

          Is your close friend full of bitterness, hatred, anger
           and pursuing a war of some kind? Is he involved in a
          marriage war, a family war, a personal war? And are you
          like a Jehoshaphat to him, offering help and
          encouragement? If so, look out  youre about to be
          seduced into it all!

          Thats right  very soon youll find yourself smack in
          the middle of your friends mess  and youll be asked
          to take a stand. If your friend is in a troubled
          marriage, for example, youre going to be forced to
          take a side. And youll end up sympathizing with him 
          all the way through his divorce!

          Beware, Christian  whenever you extend comfort or
          encouragement to someone whos in rebellion, you take
          sides against the Holy Ghost. And that makes you a
          partaker in that persons sin. Tragically, when
          Jehoshaphat joined Ahabs war, he only hastened his
          friend along the path of destruction!

                      -------------------------------

                         2. Youll End Up Ignoring
                         All Prophetic Warnings and
                            Scriptural Counsel!

                      -------------------------------

          Recently, a woman came to me after leaving her husband.
          She looked me straight in the eye and said, God spoke
          clearly to me. He told me I had to leave my husband,
          because he had something better for me than this
          marriage. Tragically, this womans best friend
          received the same word from the Lord  and encouraged
          her to divorce!

          If you have an ungodly friend in your inner circle,
          hell give you all the reassurances you want, even if
          youre in error. In fact, Satan will fill your head
          with the voices of false prophets, all claiming to
          speak truth. Theyll say, Go ahead  everythings all
          right. God is behind you. But theyll lead you to very
          the brink of destruction!

          Im sure Jehoshaphat was convinced he was acting
          righteously when he pledged to join Ahab in war. In
          fact, scripture says, Jehoshaphat said unto the king
          of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the
          Lord today (2 Chronicles 18:4). He said, Lets ask
          the Lord for his word on the matter. We wont act until
          we hear from him!

          So Ahab called on his four hundred false prophets:
          ...And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into
          the kings hand (verse 5). All four hundred voices
          agreed: Its okay to go to war. God is with you!

          But Jehoshaphat wasnt convinced. He asked Ahab, Is
          there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we
          might enquire of him? (verse 6). Jehoshaphat wanted a
          man he knew was holy. So Ahab sent for the prophet
          Micaiah, who had been jailed for speaking truth.

          When Micaiah showed up on the scene, this fearless man
          mocked everything that had taken place. He even
          prophesied Ahabs death, saying, ...I did see all
          Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have
          no shepherd... (verse 16). He was saying, Youre
          going to die in battle, Ahab. And Gods people will be
          scattered over the hills!

          God made his word to Jehoshaphat and Ahab clear,
          leaving no doubt as to what he thought about the whole
          affair: Its doomed! Go at your own risk. Nothing but
          death and defeat await you on the battlefield!

          At this point, Jehoshaphat seemed willing to obey a
          true prophetic word. He appeared to want to do
          everything God told him. Yet, for centuries,
          theologians have marveled at what happened next: When
          the clear word came, Jehoshaphat ignored it!

          Micaiah seemed to sense Jehoshaphats reluctance to
          obey. And he ended his warning with these words:
          ...Hearken, all ye people (verse 27). I believe
          Micaiah was looking directly at King Jehoshaphat and
          saying, You, sir  heed my word! This is all a demonic
          deception. It can only end in destruction! Cant you
          see your friendship with Ahab is all wrong? Hes an
          idolater! Please, dont listen to all these lying
          voices.

          Yet, incredibly, the very next verse reads: So the
          king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went
          up to Ramoth-gilead (verse 28). Jehoshaphat marched
          off to war with Ahab  totally ignoring Gods warning!

          Beloved, you can boast all you want about loving Gods
          word and wanting to obey it. But if you dont break
          away from the deception of ungodly friends and seek
          Holy Ghost discernment, youll end up ignoring Gods
          word!

          You may accompany your friend in his war  but when the
          chips are down, hell hand you over to the enemy.
          Thats just what happened to Jehoshaphat, when he went
          to war with Ahab. The evil king set up Jehoshaphat to
          be killed: He told him to dress in his kingly robes,
          while Ahab himself dressed as a soldier. That way, Ahab
          reasoned, the Assyrians would go after Jehoshaphat
          instead of himself.

          Ironically, Ahab was killed by an arrow that pierced
          him through a tiny slot in his armor. And suddenly,
          Jehoshaphat was surrounded by enemy soldiers, who were
          ready to cut him to pieces. The king knew he was facing
          death  and he cried out to God for help. Scripture
          tells us, ...and the Lord helped him; and God moved
          them to depart from him (verse 31).

          The war was a disaster, just as Micaiah had prophesied.
          Israels army fled in disarray, like sheep without a
          shepherd. And Jehoshaphat retreated to Jerusalem, his
          friend Ahab dead and his armies defeated. It was only
          by Gods grace he escaped death!

          I can imagine the thoughts that must have raced through
          Jehoshaphats mind as he hurried back to Jerusalem:
          Oh, God  thank you for delivering me! Now I see the
          danger of walking with an ungodly companion. Never
          again, Lord! I wont be a part of that worldly system
          anymore. Its all over now!

          But it wasnt all over. God still had a controversy
          with this man!

                      -------------------------------

                        3. The Last and Most Tragic
                        Consequence of Affinity With
                          An Evil Friend Is Gods
                              Wrath Upon You!

                      -------------------------------

          As Jehoshaphat was on his way home, the Lord sent a
          prophet out to meet him, with these strong words: Jehu
          the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and
          said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the
          ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is
          wrath upon thee from before the Lord (2 Chronicles
          19:2).

          God was saying to Jehoshaphat, You dont know the
          danger and consequences of what youve done. You may
          think its a light thing to join an affinity with
          someone whos against me. Ahab was my enemy  an
          idolater  and you made friends with him. You listened
          to his wicked talk and indulged his filth. Yet you
          didnt take a stand against any of it, Jehoshaphat. I
          have a controversy with you about this!

          At this point, you may be thinking. I understand that
          Ahab was evil. But as I consider my own friends,
          theres no way I can think of them as Gods enemies.
          Yet, consider these passages from scripture:

             * He that is not with me is against me... (Luke
               11:23). Does your friend take the Lords side in
               all things?

             * "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft... (1
               Samuel 15:23). Is your friends counsel full of
               rebellion?

             * ...he that condemneth the just...(is an)
               abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 17:15). Does
               your friend speak evil of godly people?

          This is not a game! Your friends are a serious matter
          to God  because their actions have serious
          consequences: Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy
          tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest
          against thy brother; thou slanderest... Now consider
          this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces...
          (Psalm 50:19-22).

          Listen to the prophet Isaiah: For he said, Surely they
          are my people...in his love and in his pity he redeemed
          them... But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit:
          therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he
          fought against them (Isaiah 63:8-10). God actually
          turns against those who ignore his word!

          In Jehoshaphats case, God brought war and trouble to
          Judah: It came to pass after this also, that the
          children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with
          them other beside the Ammonites, came against
          Jehoshaphat to battle (2 Chronicles 20:1). Up to this
          time, Judah had enjoyed great peace. But now
          Jehoshaphat saw enemies coming at him from every side,
          threatening to destroy his kingdom!

          Paul writes, The wrath of God is revealed from heaven
          against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who
          hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). The
          apostle is speaking here of people who know the truth
          yet ignore it, pretending it doesnt exist. Simply put,
          Gods wrath is upon all who suppress the truth, doing
          nothing about it  like King Jehoshaphat!

          Thank God, scripture says, Jehoshaphat feared, and set
          himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast
          throughout all Judah (2 Chronicles 20:3). The king
          humbled himself and repented: Jehoshaphat bowed his
          head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the
          inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord,
          worshipping the Lord (verse 18).

          God responded to Jehoshaphats brokenness by giving
          Judah total victory against the Moabites. Finally, the
          Bible says, ...the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for
          his God gave him rest round about (verse 30).

                      -------------------------------

                           Let Me Close With This
                              Final Warning:

                      -------------------------------

          This matter of choosing friends wisely and cautiously
          is a lifelong concern. The fact is, you may escape from
          one unwise relationship  but you can jump right into
          another!

          Scripture tells us Jehoshaphats story ended
          tragically: After this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah
          join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very
          wickedly (verse 35). Jehoshaphat did the same thing
          again! He joined an affinity with evil Ahaziah, just as
          hed done with Ahab.

          This time God sent a prophet to Jehoshaphat saying,
          ...Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the
          Lord hath broken thy works... (verse 37). Gods Spirit
          left this once-righteous man  because he wouldnt
          obey!

          Beloved, the Bible is very clear on this matter of
          friendships: Make no friendship with an angry man; and
          with a furious man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn
          his ways, and get a snare to thy soul (Proverbs
          22:24-25). As for such as turn aside unto their
          crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the
          workers of iniquity... (Psalm 125:5).

          Take a stand today. If you have ungodly friends in your
          inner circle, break them off! God in his mercy will
          deliver you from the bonds of the enemy, as he did
          Jehoshaphat. But the fact is, you can never stop being
          alert to Satans attempts to put someone in your life
          to destroy Christs work in you.

          Pray, Lord, open my eyes to all my friendships! Help
          me to see them clearly, whether good or bad, pleasing
          or not pleasing to you. May all my friendships bring
          glory to you!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
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          link this site to reference these messages.

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