Toxic Relationships Series

2 Cor. 6:14-18A

Toxic Relationships

H Lee Clay

The term "toxic" is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as meaning, "Of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or other poison". The American Heritage Dictionary goes on to define the word

"relationship" as, "The condition or fact of being related; connection or association."So, if we were to connect the term "Toxic Relationship" and examine it’s meaning in a definitive kind of way as a joint term, the meaning might read like this."The condition of being poisoned by a particular connection or association."

If there is anything that can hurt or harm us physically, psychologically or emotionally it is toxins that can get inside of you or on you and destroy your health and ultimately your life. Why, because "toxins" or poison. And in like manner, toxic relationships can harm your life by destabilizing your peace of mind, undermining your vision and killing your joy because toxic relationships poison your life!

I’ve done a little studying on toxins and I’ve learned a few things.

And they are:

1. Toxins are Abrasive: Anything that is abrasive

gradually "wears something away". (Elaborate)

2. Toxins are "Corrosive". Anything corrosive

gradually "eats or melts something away" (acid)

If a relationship is healthy and everything but

toxic it should result in the fruit of:

1. Progress (Every round ought to go higher and

higher)

2. Productivity (Fruitful)

3. Prosperity (Growth)

If a relationship is unhealthy and toxic it will

generally reveal itself as such by the fruit of:

1. Stagnation (No progress or growth)

2. Degradation (to be reduced; going down)

3. Deflation (To come into a lower level of

value “self-esteem or self value“)

In the text, the Word of God instructs those who are connected to God and His Light to come out from among from among them and their darkness.He tells me to come out of relationships that are harmful to my relationship with Him and that are harmful to myself.

My enemies are not only “external” but they are also “internal”. There is always a constant that is occupying my life and that is the battle that rages inside of me. Paul declares in Romans 7, “I don’t understand myself at all, in my flesh, etc”.

A great source of much of the grief that comes to my life comes as a result of many of the dumb choices that I make. I have to come to a point as to where I am willing to admit that much of the toxic poison that gets into the system of my own existence comes out of my own spirit.

There is some stuff that is going on in my life that God is not pleased with. It’s because of my connection to people that I have no business being connected to. And at the same time there is grief that has visited my life that grieves God of which the source is not people on the outside of me, but demons that have attached themselves to my spirit.

Not only do I need to respond through faith and obedience to God’s Word to, “come out from amongst them” but I also need some stuff in my spirit “to come up out of me”! Because a lot of the hell that I’m catching in my life comes to me as a result of the things that are going on inside of my spirit.

In the text we find a Word from the Lord that show us three things that can bring deliverance and prosperity into the lives of those who would walk in faith and obedience .

1. Separate yourself. 2 Cor. 6:14-15 “Be ye not

unequally yoked ( Greek :“heterozugeo”, to have

fellowship with one who is not an equal) together

with unbelievers (those who reject truth) : for

what fellowship hath righteousness with

unrighteousness? and what communion hath light

with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with

Belial?.”

Dr. Eugene Peterson declares through the “Message Bible” this text from the Greek using today’s English, “ Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership, that’s war. Is light best friends with darkness? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil. Do trust and mistrust hold hands?”

2. See yourself the way that God sees you:

v.16, “And what agreement hath the temple of God

with idols? for ye are the temple of the living

God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and

walk in them; and I will be their God, and they

shall be my people.”

God is saying here in the Message Bible “leave the corruption and the compromise, leave it for good. Don’t link up with those who will pollute you, I want you all for myself.”