Be Careful of Your Connections

Pastor Tyrone Barnette Judges 7:1-7 July 17, 2022



“Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. 4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” Judges 7:1-7

“Our lives are shaped by WHERE we are going and WHOSE going with us.”  Howard Thurman

As your relationships becomes more focused:

• You expose more of yourself to them
• You are more accountable to the person
• You are willing to work harder to reconcile when the relationship is strained

2 ways we enter relationships

1. Out of the blue
2. Ordained 

Question: Who are the people you sense are ordained to be connected to you?

Lessons from Gideon’s life in Judges 7

1. The more mature you become in the Lord the less dependent you will be on people you are not called to.
2. You will go through many painful seasons when God begins to push un-ordained people out of your life to make room for the ordained relationships that move you toward your purpose.
3. The closer you get to your purpose the narrower your relationships become.
4. God sets up break-ups in your life and separates you from the lethal people in your life.

“Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” Judges 7:4b

1. Have no desire to be connected to the wrong people in your life.
2. Ask God to open your eyes to see the true character of the people in your life.
3. Be prepared for what He will show you and how He will show you.
4. Be willing to accept what God shows you.  When you don’t listen and obey, you allow self-inflicted wounds in your own life that brings conflict. (Abraham and Lot Genesis 13)

Signs of a cancerous relationship

1. You feel unsafe because you experience physical or verbal abuse and manipulation.
2. You are constantly being disrespected and your thoughts and feelings are not appreciated.
3. Your self-esteem and self-respect is diminishing.
4. You give more than you get from the person, and you feel depleted emotionally and spiritually.
5. You feel depressed, angry, or worn out after spending time with the person for any length of time.
6. You feel that you have to walk on eggshells around them or expend a lot of energy and time to keep them calm, so they won’t direct their wrath towards you. 
7. You are crying often and sad always.
8. You traded meaningful relationships with others and are expected to have very few outside friendships or none at all.
9. You experience a constant pattern of jealously and control from them.
10. You bring out the worst in each other continually.