Transcription
I'll share this morning on how to recognize your God-sent friends and destiny helpers. We begin by taking a look at some 106 verse 46, Psalm 106 verse 46 from the Amplified Bible Classic Edition. It says, "He also caused Israel to find same party, same party among those who had carried them captive."
One of those things that the Lord would do from time to time is to influence the hearts of men and women towards you. [Music] And they become favorably disposed and begin to do to you and do for you certain things that you don't even deserve. This is going to play out in the entire course of your life here or not. These scriptures are showing to you something happening behind the scene. So behind the positive disposition of certain people towards you is the hidden influence of the Almighty God. He will deliberately cause certain people to be kind to you. In the process of your life here on earth, God would from time to time influence people to treat you with kindness, treat your children with kindness, and sometimes they will people will treat your loved ones, someone identified with you, with favor and kindness, having you in mind.
And then in Proverbs chapter 21 verse 1, Proverbs 21 verse 1, Good News Bible, he says, "The Lord controls the mind. The Lord controls the mind of a king as easily as he directs the course of his dream." The Lord controls the mind of a king. No matter how highly placed, no matter how powerful or influential anyone could be, they are subject to [Music] the influence of the Almighty. So please have it in mind that God has the ability to influence the heart or the mind of any person. God can influence their decision to become favorable to you. God can influence their choice. God can influence their affection, their disposition.
In Job chapter 42 verse 10, you see how God influenced the hearts of people to become well-disposed towards Job, and that was how his great restoration began. God can influence the behavior of certain people, particularly towards you. And that is why you see someone who may have a particular kind of behavior towards most people would act differently with a few people or just one person. And normally, when things like this begin to happen consistently, people would conclude that such a man or a woman has a soft spot for that person, that it treats differently, but positively. So God can influence the attitude of people towards you. The most difficult people can be influenced by God to agree with you, to make things easy for you.
So quickly, what are the attributes of these God-sent friends and destiny helpers?
One, genuine care and concern. Genuine care and concern. They will love you as themselves. And this is not something that is proven in a year. It's assessed and proven over a long period of time and through their continuous sincere actions in your interest and well-being. They will always carry your interest at heart. Whatever they do, they can do for themselves, they will willingly do the same for you. Your success gives them joy. Your success gives them joy.
Number two, unconditional friendship. Unconditional friendship. They are sincerely attracted to you. Sincerely. It's not based that you know, it's not based primarily on anything. They are sincerely attracted to you, and their love for you will overwhelm offense. Take note of this: the true depth of someone's friendship or goodwill towards you will be tested in the midst of an offense. Be careful to call anybody your close friend when you have never offended him. Be careful about calling anybody your very, very strong ally when you have never disappointed him. Everything he has desired from you, you always favored him and gave him. Be careful about running into such a conclusion.
And number three, availability. Availability. True friends will always readily make themselves available. This may not apply to all in the category of well-wishers, but it's something demanded from close friends. They would always be available and supportive in times of need, times of grief, times of trouble, times of affliction. When you are in a critical condition and they receive a distress call, not necessarily from you because if it's real emergency, you may not be the one to call, but if they receive a distress call concerning you, they will leave whatever they are doing and come as quickly as possible.
Watch out for these indicators.
Number four, friendship beyond boundaries. Friendship beyond boundaries. This is another major indicator. Their friendship with you has no geographical boundaries, not at all. Talk less of structural boundaries that maybe you were both working in the same organization for so many years and that was where the friendship came up, and now you are gone elsewhere and the friendship is over. No way. Now, even when it comes to distant geographical uh locations, that can never be a barrier to their friendship with you. So even after you have relocated to a very far location or a different country, they will still keep in touch with you regularly. The true depth of friendship is recognized when there is nothing officially binding the two of you together.
Number five, they are protective. They are protective. [Music] Of your life. They are protective of your health. They are protective of your interest. If they happen to hear anything that could affect your interest, they are the ones that they won't even mind. They won't mind, you know, breaking protocol and quickly informing you, quickly informing you. So they are very, very protective.
If you are fortunate to have someone very close to you that has all of these attributes we mentioned, then it implies that the journey of life will be smoother and better. And if it is otherwise, a lot of things that could have gone well will go in the wrong direction.
In closing, this implies that we should also be very, very sensitive to appreciate [Music] this kind of people that God brings our way. I told you earlier, some of them would not be friends. They will just have goodwill towards you. Some of these people will be far above you, and you may not ever relate closely, but you would observe that every time the opportunity arises, they are ready to use their influence, use something they have in your favor, and eventually, not just you, but in favor of your children. Praise hear the Lord. [Music]