June 22, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Creative Connection with Ed Young. We're glad
you've joined us today to hear ED connect faith to
everyday life. Before we get to today's message, we want
to invite you to head online and sign up for
Ed's daily email devotionals covering relevant topics like forgiveness, anxiety,
and purposeful living. These life giving emails will provide you
(00:22):
with a spark of encouragement write in your inbox every
single day. Each one contains a piece of scripture as
well as encouragement from Ed to help you think about
and apply biblical truths to your life. There's also a
guided prayer at the end of each email. Just visit
edyong dot com slash emails to sign up now, and
(00:42):
while you're there, you can also browse previous devotionals as
well as watch and listen to messages from Ed. So
sign up to start receiving your daily devotionals today. The
website again is Edyong dot com slash Devotionals. Book forward
to connecting with you there. Now, let's get into today's
message with Pastor Ed Young.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I have a question for you.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
What did they influence you to do that you would
not have done if they hadn't been around? What did
they that's right, influence you to do that you would
not have done if they hadn't been around. I'm talking
about the sway of the they in your life and
(01:36):
in mind, because all the time we say they said
they feel they have been coming to me and now
and then.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
We'll say who are they? The other day someone said,
ed your reason the word they? Who are they?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I said, they them, them, those, those, Well, they're just
a few. Who are the they in your life?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
How do you spell relational relief?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
It's fascinating that we have all of this study, we
have all of this training and all these areas of life,
yet when it comes to the most important area of life, relationships,
rarely do we have any training. Rarely do we have
any teaching. And that's why we're launching into this book.
We're launching into the series because you don't just drift
(02:33):
into relationships. You're not just sucked into the vortex of
some connection with another person. We should choose our friends,
We should choose the they in our lives.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Wisely, the Bible says in the.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Book of Proverbs, Proverbs specifically chapter twenty seven, verse nineteen,
it's one of my favorite verses about the in your life.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
A mirror reflects a man's face.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And as I look out here at this vast audience,
I think that most of you looked in a mirror
this morning. You look really good. And a mirror shows
us physically what we look like. Correct, But if you
really want to know what you're like, the Bible says,
but what he is really like, what she is really
like is shown by the kind of friends that we.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Let's stay together choose.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
I have an opportunity to choose friends. God obviously is sovereign.
Within his sovereignty, though he's given us a freedom of choice.
God has chosen you and me. He's picked us for
his team, so to speak. If we have this relationship
(03:52):
with God, the Bible says that we are friends with God.
Now we have sort of decaffeinated the word friend, And
I think social media has done that. You know, we
have certain amount of friends, or we have followers, you know,
and really are they really are friends? And we defriend
or unfriend someone, or or we don't follow someone anymore?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And in how many likes.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Did I get on that post or whatever it is,
So we've we've sort of decafeinated a friend. A friend, though,
what I'm talking about when I.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Deal with that is the is the they in your life.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
A friend is a foundational relationship in everyone's natural domain.
It's a foundational or you could say, a forcible relationship.
In everyone's natural domain. We have friends. Everyone has friends.
In fact, we are made to relate to others. There's
(04:56):
this God gap in your life in mind. God can
only fill. We yearn for him, and this gap is
shaped and across, and we allow Jesus to take control
of our lives. He comes in and we have this
vertical relationship with God. Also, we yearn to relate with
one another. So even as a little one, we want
(05:18):
to relate. We want to connect with others. We connect
with our parents, we connect with others, and it's sort
of just happens naturally. What I want to get you
to think about is I want you to think about
your friends. I want you to think about the day
in your life. Because if you think about a swimming pool,
there's a shallow end and a deep end. Most of
(05:39):
the people spend most of their time in the shallows.
We just kind of stand around the shallows and relationally.
That's so true as well. We think that, oh yeah,
I have all these real friends and this is the
way friendship and the days should be. But I'm going
to challenge you in this series to swim away that's right,
(06:01):
to swim away from the wrong day and swim to
the depths with the right day. We're gonna answer questions like,
who are they? That's a that's a great question. Think
about the people in your life. Who are they? Who
are the day in your life? Those them, just a few?
Who are the day? Also think about what are they doing?
(06:24):
I mean, what what do they really do? What are
they about?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
What?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
What what do they do? What? What makes them click?
And then where are they going? Where are they are
they taking life? Where are they leading you? Because if
you run with the crowd, the crowd will run you.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Show me your friends, Yeah you've heard it before. I'll
show you your future. But I would say, show me
your friends, and I'll show you your past, your present,
and your future. That means I could sit down, you
can sit and we could predict with amazing accuracy where
we're going to be for the.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Rest of our lives, just by.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Meeting our friends. Who are the they in your life?
Who are the they in your life. Who are those
foundational relationships who are.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
In your natural domain? The right they are always there?
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Isn't that great to know God always places the right
they in our lives. Yet the wrong they can keep
us from the right day. The wrong they, I'll make
it rhyme, can get in the way of us seeing
and choosing the right day. Parents, listen to me very carefully.
(07:49):
You have a monstrous mantle. I have a monstrous mantle
to bear when it comes to relationships, because not only
do I have relationships, not only am I.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Tasked with choosing the right day.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
The little ones, as they grow and to become bigger ones,
they are gonna choose the same kind of they that
I choose. So, hey, kids, you can look at your parents'
friends right now, and I'll bet you cash money your
friends look like their friends.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Here's here's a.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Relationship grid that I try to use. Affiliation affiliation. Who
do you hang out with, who's your squad?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You know?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Who is in your clique? Who do you associate with?
Who's your affiliation? Think about that for a second, okay,
because your affiliation will always tell you what you're participating in.
So you've got affiliation. You've got participation. What are you
participating in? What are you doing? You're gonna be doing
what the they are doing in your life.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
And then you're always He's going to a certain destination.
Where are you going? Are you gonna just stay in
the shallows? Or are you going deep? And so often
we think we're deep in the shallows, but in reality
we're shallow.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
God, though, wants us to go deep. I think about
various people in the Bible. It's so interesting to see
the right day and the wrong day in scripture.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
You remember this guy Solomon. Solomon arguably one of the
most intelligent people who ever walked on planet Earth.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I think we could make a case for him being
the wealthiest person to ever walk on planet Earth. He
lived for God, but God told him, hey, Solomon, listen
to me, man, don't go solo.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Do what I tell you to do.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I want you relationally to have the right they in
your life. Read his story in the Book of Ecclesiastes
and in other areas of the Old Testament.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
He said, you know, God, I'm smart. People are coming from.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
All over the world to hear me wax eloquently about
different subjects.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
And the Bible says that he loved foreign women and
people who were not following the Lord of lords. And
for forty years, for four decades, he wasted his life.
And at the end of his life, here's what he
said in the Book of Eclesiastices.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
He said this, he.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Said, it's all vanity. He said, I wasted my time.
And then he said, remember God, when you're young. That's why, Yes,
this this series is for you. If you're two, twenty two,
fifty two, or seventy two, it's for you. I really though,
wanted to make an indelible impression upon the young people
(10:48):
because we have an opportunity to do it God's way.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And the die you're.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Setting today, students, children, young people, the die you're casting
to the patterns you're cutting today relationally will carry you
for the rest of your life.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
You're listening to the creative connection with ED. Young stay
with us to hear more encouragement from Ed before we
get back to today's message. Most of us spend our
lives avoiding pain at every turn, so when we inevitably
experience pain, it sends us into a tailspin and we
can wonder if God even cares. We want to help
(11:29):
you discover how your faith can deepen even in the
most tragic circumstances by sending you Ed and Lisa's powerful
book A Path through Pain. This resource is our thanks
for your gift to help connect faith to everyday life
for more people around the world through the creative Connection.
So head over to Edyong dot com to give and
(11:50):
request your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash give.
Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Think about the emotional problems that we deal with, I
would say, and I can make this broad brush statement
with pretty good confidence, I would say that all of
our emotional problems come back to the day in our lives,
either the right day, the wrong day, or some day situation. Also,
I would say, the emotional health in our midst can
(12:27):
be traced back to the day in our lives. Again,
let me say, who are they think about Solomon? He
had the affiliation, the association of the wrong people. Look
at his participation, wasted his life, and look at his destination.
He said, Man, I was just tasting my tail. I
was just swimming around and around and around in circles.
(12:48):
Then you think on the other hand, a really good
guy in the Bible who understood the right day.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
His name was Daniel. Remember Daniel.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Daniel was in a very ungodly place, Babylon, a long
way away from home, in a.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Place full of temptations and snares. And what did he do?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
He found the right day were the right day? Shad
drag Mishak and abed Nego, you remember those guys, the
faithful Fireman. He hung out with them, and even though
it cost him some stuff, even though God allowed some
testing to go in his life, he hung out with
the right they because they always have something to say right.
(13:26):
This affiliation caused him to do the right participation, to
do the things God wanted him to do.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
His destination. What happened to Daniel?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
He was one of the major leaders in this whole nation.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Who are they?
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Some days are are fray days? You know, he fray days.
You have people in your life, so do either kind
of fray people. They're therefore seasoned and they're gone. They're
kind of on the edge. And you might call them
your friends, maybe they follow you in some sort of
social media application. But but but they're not really your friends.
They're just kind of there and they're gone, the Fray people.
(14:04):
And look at the life of Jesus. He had fray
people kind of hangers on. And the Bible said when
sometimes Jesus would give a hard saying that, many of
the people are like, oh man, that's.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Too hard, We're not going to do it. The fray people. Also,
we got some pray people in our lives. Anybody pray
in your life? Are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
How do you know if you're dealing with a pray friend,
they're not really a friend, they're just crazy.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Well you can see the you can see the whites
of their eyes when they talk to you.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
They invade your personal space, they blow up your phone.
That's the cray friends. All about drama and trauma. You know,
drama doesn't just walk into your life. Have you discovered
that you either create it, invite it, or associate with it.
Isn't that the truth? The pray people and Jesus even
(14:52):
dealt with them. We love the fray people, We love
the pray people. Yeah, they're not the right day. And
I believe the enemy puts the fray in the cray
in everybody's way to keep us from the right day.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I truly believe that. And we spend so much time
in the fray and with the cray that we miss
the beauty and the depth that God has for us.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
So you got the fray people, you got the cray people,
and then you got the way people. The way I mean,
Jesus said John fourteen six.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
I'm the way. There's truth and the life.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
They're on the way, they're not in the way, they're
showing you the way. Let me talk about self esteem,
because self esteem is inseparably linked.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
To what I'm just talking about.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
If you hang out with the wrong day, you begin
to compare yourself to them, and.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
You'll never become you.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
You just become one of them because you're not looking
to God, and they're not pointing you to God. You're
just looking to you right and to your left. I
love social media, but social media is ESPN living. It's
highlight real living. It's not real. I mean, it's not
a real person's real life. And there's so much comparison
(16:13):
and envy and jealousy and I'm not doing that and
they're doing this and I'm here and you're there. It
could jack you up if you o d on that.
So we've got to be very very careful what we
put into our lives.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
The right day though the right day they give us
our secondary props. Our primary props come from God.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
A healthy self esteem is okay, I see myself the
way God sees me. That's a healthy self esteem.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
But also we're made as relational creatures.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So the right day in your life and mind will
point me back to God. It's not gonna be jealousy
or envy or drama or trauma or fray or pray
no no, no, babe.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Are going to show me and show you the way
six questions.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
And once you go through these and answer these honestly sincerely,
you'll know, Okay, I'm hanging out with the right day
or I'm hanging out with the wrong day. And if
you got a wrong day problem, you got to turn
and swim away from the day to the right day.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
And it's not always easy.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
It's sometimes just tumultuous, and we're going to talk about
that during this series. Number One, do they motivate me
do the right day? Hopefully they're the right day to
love God more?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
More?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Do they motivate me and stimulate me to love God more?
The Bible says in Hebrews three, verse thirteen. Encourage one
another daily as long as it's called today. When you
think about something encouraging, don't just think about it, Say
(17:58):
it is this person like negative?
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Ned?
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Are they like always down Donna, drama and depressed and
you're always having to lift them up and pick them up.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
You're with the wrong day, baby, the wrong day.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Number two, Do they celebrate God's blessings in my life?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Proverbs eleven ten.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed the right day?
They're like, man, you don't work half as hard as
I do, and you made all that money.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Good for you, man, you.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Did such a great job at that. I mean I
could easily be envious over it. Why can they sing?
Why can they dance? I can't do it. I mean, hey,
good for you, man, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
That's amazing. Because God's favor is not fair.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
We're all uniquely gifted. In the right day. Is gonna
applaud you. They're gonna cheer you on and point you
to God. Number three, do they have my back? I
got you back?
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Do they have your back in my back? Proverbs seventeen seventeen.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is
born for a time of adversity. Your real friends are
people who are in your corner when everyone else is bolted.
All you have to do is go through a time
of betrayal, a time of difficulty, a time where things
(19:37):
aren't going that well, a time where it's a bear market,
and see who.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Is with you. Number four Another question, do they hold me?
That's right?
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Do they hold me accountable? Out of love and friendship?
This is a major, major, major, major, major question to
ask an answer. Accountability, though, emerges out of affinity. You
don't just walk up and say, man, you're messed up
and they're sinning your life, and man, that's not accountability.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
It emerges out of love. Jesus said, speak the truth
in love.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
You have to earn that right, and I encourage you
with your right.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
They to have a personal board of directors.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
I've had a personal board of directors in my life
for several decades now. That's why I feel you know
some authority to be able to talk about this, to
come alongside you and go, Okay, here's what God has
taught me. I want to give you the four to
one one on scripture. This stuff works I've not done
it perfectly, but I've done it God's way. I've pastored
here for twenty five years, and Lisa and I have
(20:55):
amazing friends, amazing days that God has deposited into our lives. Yes,
over the years we've had to swim away from some
I understand all that, and we're going to talk about that.
But God's way works when it comes to relationships. God's
(21:16):
way works, and people have to love you enough to
tell you the truth.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Wounds from a friend.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Proverbs twenty seven six says can be trusted, but an enemy.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Multiplies kisses. Again, let's go back to David. David totally
messed up.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
He was in the deep weeds and somebody on his
personal board of directors, Nathan, looked.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
At him as a David, you're messing up.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
David received it okay, okay, because he knew that Nathan
had his best interests in mind. Here's another one, number five.
Do they live what they believe? So on one nineteen
sixty three. I'm a friend to all who fear you,
(22:08):
to all who follow your precepts.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Do they live it out?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I mean, do they live it out? If you meet
someone and you're wondering Wow, are they a follower of Christ?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
I'm not sure that's the wrong day.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
If you meet someone and they're not actively involved in
a Bible teaching, Bible believing church, they're not going to
be the right day.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
I can tell you that right now.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Growing up, I was involved in athletics, and I was
involved in going to public schools.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
And I'll remember, even.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
As a young guy, third fourth, fifth grade, making relational
choices based on what I was learning at church, based
on the authority of my parents, and based on what God,
what the Holy Spirit was teaching me, even as a
little guy. Number six, Do they have the right day
(23:08):
in their lives? WHOA look at their track record? How
do they spell relational relief? Tewod Corinthians six fourteen. Do
not be yoked together with unbelievers? WHOA is that profiling?
Some liberals would call that profiling?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
What for?
Speaker 3 (23:26):
What do wicked What do righteousness and wickedness have in common?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
What do fellowship?
Speaker 3 (23:32):
What fellowship can light have with darkness?
Speaker 2 (23:34):
What's what's going on here? Our best friends? The right day?
We have to be equally yoked.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I'm not talking about an egg I'm not talking about
egg whites here.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
No, no, we were talking about a yoke.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
A yoke is a piece of farm equipment where you
would hook up animals of the same kind and of
the same strength.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
They would plow straight lines.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
God wants us to walk in unison, to have the
right affiliation, participation, and destination. He wants us to go
on a straight line, and it happens when we're equally Yo.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Thanks for joining us today on the Creative Connection with
Ed Young. We hope you've been encouraged as Ed's shown
you how you can connect your faith to everyday life.
We'd love to help you even more in your spiritual
journey by sending you at and Lisa Jung's book A
Path through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence,
(24:33):
love and care in the middle of your suffering. And
it's our thanks for your gift to help connect faith
to everyday life for more people around the world. Just
head over to Eddyong dot com slash give to request
your copy. Again, that's Edyoung dot com slash give. Thank
you for your support. We'll see you next time. On
(24:54):
the Creative Connection
Welcome to the Creative Connection with Ed Young. We're glad
you've joined us today to hear ED connect faith to
everyday life. Before we get to today's message, we want
to invite you to head online and sign up for
Ed's daily email devotionals covering relevant topics like forgiveness, anxiety,
and purposeful living. These life giving emails will provide you
(00:22):
with a spark of encouragement write in your inbox every
single day. Each one contains a piece of scripture as
well as encouragement from Ed to help you think about
and apply biblical truths to your life. There's also a
guided prayer at the end of each email. Just visit
edyong dot com slash emails to sign up now, and
(00:42):
while you're there, you can also browse previous devotionals as
well as watch and listen to messages from Ed. So
sign up to start receiving your daily devotionals today. The
website again is Edyong dot com slash Devotionals. Book forward
to connecting with you there. Now, let's get into today's
message with Pastor Ed Young.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I have a question for you.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
What did they influence you to do that you would
not have done if they hadn't been around? What did
they that's right, influence you to do that you would
not have done if they hadn't been around. I'm talking
about the sway of the they in your life and
(01:36):
in mind, because all the time we say they said
they feel they have been coming to me and now
and then.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
We'll say who are they? The other day someone said,
ed your reason the word they? Who are they?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I said, they them, them, those, those, Well, they're just
a few. Who are the they in your life?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
How do you spell relational relief?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
It's fascinating that we have all of this study, we
have all of this training and all these areas of life,
yet when it comes to the most important area of life, relationships,
rarely do we have any training. Rarely do we have
any teaching. And that's why we're launching into this book.
We're launching into the series because you don't just drift
(02:33):
into relationships. You're not just sucked into the vortex of
some connection with another person. We should choose our friends,
We should choose the they in our lives.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Wisely, the Bible says in the.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Book of Proverbs, Proverbs specifically chapter twenty seven, verse nineteen,
it's one of my favorite verses about the in your life.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
A mirror reflects a man's face.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And as I look out here at this vast audience,
I think that most of you looked in a mirror
this morning. You look really good. And a mirror shows
us physically what we look like. Correct, But if you
really want to know what you're like, the Bible says,
but what he is really like, what she is really
like is shown by the kind of friends that we.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Let's stay together choose.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
I have an opportunity to choose friends. God obviously is sovereign.
Within his sovereignty, though he's given us a freedom of choice.
God has chosen you and me. He's picked us for
his team, so to speak. If we have this relationship
(03:52):
with God, the Bible says that we are friends with God.
Now we have sort of decaffeinated the word friend, And
I think social media has done that. You know, we
have certain amount of friends, or we have followers, you know,
and really are they really are friends? And we defriend
or unfriend someone, or or we don't follow someone anymore?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And in how many likes.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Did I get on that post or whatever it is,
So we've we've sort of decafeinated a friend. A friend, though,
what I'm talking about when I.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Deal with that is the is the they in your life.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
A friend is a foundational relationship in everyone's natural domain.
It's a foundational or you could say, a forcible relationship.
In everyone's natural domain. We have friends. Everyone has friends.
In fact, we are made to relate to others. There's
(04:56):
this God gap in your life in mind. God can
only fill. We yearn for him, and this gap is
shaped and across, and we allow Jesus to take control
of our lives. He comes in and we have this
vertical relationship with God. Also, we yearn to relate with
one another. So even as a little one, we want
(05:18):
to relate. We want to connect with others. We connect
with our parents, we connect with others, and it's sort
of just happens naturally. What I want to get you
to think about is I want you to think about
your friends. I want you to think about the day
in your life. Because if you think about a swimming pool,
there's a shallow end and a deep end. Most of
(05:39):
the people spend most of their time in the shallows.
We just kind of stand around the shallows and relationally.
That's so true as well. We think that, oh yeah,
I have all these real friends and this is the
way friendship and the days should be. But I'm going
to challenge you in this series to swim away that's right,
(06:01):
to swim away from the wrong day and swim to
the depths with the right day. We're gonna answer questions like,
who are they? That's a that's a great question. Think
about the people in your life. Who are they? Who
are the day in your life? Those them, just a few?
Who are the day? Also think about what are they doing?
(06:24):
I mean, what what do they really do? What are
they about?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
What?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
What what do they do? What? What makes them click?
And then where are they going? Where are they are
they taking life? Where are they leading you? Because if
you run with the crowd, the crowd will run you.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Show me your friends, Yeah you've heard it before. I'll
show you your future. But I would say, show me
your friends, and I'll show you your past, your present,
and your future. That means I could sit down, you
can sit and we could predict with amazing accuracy where
we're going to be for the.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Rest of our lives, just by.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Meeting our friends. Who are the they in your life?
Who are the they in your life. Who are those
foundational relationships who are.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
In your natural domain? The right they are always there?
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Isn't that great to know God always places the right
they in our lives. Yet the wrong they can keep
us from the right day. The wrong they, I'll make
it rhyme, can get in the way of us seeing
and choosing the right day. Parents, listen to me very carefully.
(07:49):
You have a monstrous mantle. I have a monstrous mantle
to bear when it comes to relationships, because not only
do I have relationships, not only am I.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Tasked with choosing the right day.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
The little ones, as they grow and to become bigger ones,
they are gonna choose the same kind of they that
I choose. So, hey, kids, you can look at your parents'
friends right now, and I'll bet you cash money your
friends look like their friends.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Here's here's a.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Relationship grid that I try to use. Affiliation affiliation. Who
do you hang out with, who's your squad?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
You know?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Who is in your clique? Who do you associate with?
Who's your affiliation? Think about that for a second, okay,
because your affiliation will always tell you what you're participating in.
So you've got affiliation. You've got participation. What are you
participating in? What are you doing? You're gonna be doing
what the they are doing in your life.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
And then you're always He's going to a certain destination.
Where are you going? Are you gonna just stay in
the shallows? Or are you going deep? And so often
we think we're deep in the shallows, but in reality
we're shallow.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
God, though, wants us to go deep. I think about
various people in the Bible. It's so interesting to see
the right day and the wrong day in scripture.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
You remember this guy Solomon. Solomon arguably one of the
most intelligent people who ever walked on planet Earth.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I think we could make a case for him being
the wealthiest person to ever walk on planet Earth. He
lived for God, but God told him, hey, Solomon, listen
to me, man, don't go solo.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Do what I tell you to do.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I want you relationally to have the right they in
your life. Read his story in the Book of Ecclesiastes
and in other areas of the Old Testament.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
He said, you know, God, I'm smart. People are coming from.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
All over the world to hear me wax eloquently about
different subjects.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
And the Bible says that he loved foreign women and
people who were not following the Lord of lords. And
for forty years, for four decades, he wasted his life.
And at the end of his life, here's what he
said in the Book of Eclesiastices.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
He said this, he.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Said, it's all vanity. He said, I wasted my time.
And then he said, remember God, when you're young. That's why, Yes,
this this series is for you. If you're two, twenty two,
fifty two, or seventy two, it's for you. I really though,
wanted to make an indelible impression upon the young people
(10:48):
because we have an opportunity to do it God's way.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And the die you're.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Setting today, students, children, young people, the die you're casting
to the patterns you're cutting today relationally will carry you
for the rest of your life.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
You're listening to the creative connection with ED. Young stay
with us to hear more encouragement from Ed before we
get back to today's message. Most of us spend our
lives avoiding pain at every turn, so when we inevitably
experience pain, it sends us into a tailspin and we
can wonder if God even cares. We want to help
(11:29):
you discover how your faith can deepen even in the
most tragic circumstances by sending you Ed and Lisa's powerful
book A Path through Pain. This resource is our thanks
for your gift to help connect faith to everyday life
for more people around the world through the creative Connection.
So head over to Edyong dot com to give and
(11:50):
request your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash give.
Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Think about the emotional problems that we deal with, I
would say, and I can make this broad brush statement
with pretty good confidence, I would say that all of
our emotional problems come back to the day in our lives,
either the right day, the wrong day, or some day situation. Also,
I would say, the emotional health in our midst can
(12:27):
be traced back to the day in our lives. Again,
let me say, who are they think about Solomon? He
had the affiliation, the association of the wrong people. Look
at his participation, wasted his life, and look at his destination.
He said, Man, I was just tasting my tail. I
was just swimming around and around and around in circles.
(12:48):
Then you think on the other hand, a really good
guy in the Bible who understood the right day.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
His name was Daniel. Remember Daniel.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Daniel was in a very ungodly place, Babylon, a long
way away from home, in a.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Place full of temptations and snares. And what did he do?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
He found the right day were the right day? Shad
drag Mishak and abed Nego, you remember those guys, the
faithful Fireman. He hung out with them, and even though
it cost him some stuff, even though God allowed some
testing to go in his life, he hung out with
the right they because they always have something to say right.
(13:26):
This affiliation caused him to do the right participation, to
do the things God wanted him to do.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
His destination. What happened to Daniel?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
He was one of the major leaders in this whole nation.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Who are they?
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Some days are are fray days? You know, he fray days.
You have people in your life, so do either kind
of fray people. They're therefore seasoned and they're gone. They're
kind of on the edge. And you might call them
your friends, maybe they follow you in some sort of
social media application. But but but they're not really your friends.
They're just kind of there and they're gone, the Fray people.
(14:04):
And look at the life of Jesus. He had fray
people kind of hangers on. And the Bible said when
sometimes Jesus would give a hard saying that, many of
the people are like, oh man, that's.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Too hard, We're not going to do it. The fray people. Also,
we got some pray people in our lives. Anybody pray
in your life? Are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
How do you know if you're dealing with a pray friend,
they're not really a friend, they're just crazy.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Well you can see the you can see the whites
of their eyes when they talk to you.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
They invade your personal space, they blow up your phone.
That's the cray friends. All about drama and trauma. You know,
drama doesn't just walk into your life. Have you discovered
that you either create it, invite it, or associate with it.
Isn't that the truth? The pray people and Jesus even
(14:52):
dealt with them. We love the fray people, We love
the pray people. Yeah, they're not the right day. And
I believe the enemy puts the fray in the cray
in everybody's way to keep us from the right day.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I truly believe that. And we spend so much time
in the fray and with the cray that we miss
the beauty and the depth that God has for us.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
So you got the fray people, you got the cray people,
and then you got the way people. The way I mean,
Jesus said John fourteen six.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
I'm the way. There's truth and the life.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
They're on the way, they're not in the way, they're
showing you the way. Let me talk about self esteem,
because self esteem is inseparably linked.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
To what I'm just talking about.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
If you hang out with the wrong day, you begin
to compare yourself to them, and.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
You'll never become you.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
You just become one of them because you're not looking
to God, and they're not pointing you to God. You're
just looking to you right and to your left. I
love social media, but social media is ESPN living. It's
highlight real living. It's not real. I mean, it's not
a real person's real life. And there's so much comparison
(16:13):
and envy and jealousy and I'm not doing that and
they're doing this and I'm here and you're there. It
could jack you up if you o d on that.
So we've got to be very very careful what we
put into our lives.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
The right day though the right day they give us
our secondary props. Our primary props come from God.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
A healthy self esteem is okay, I see myself the
way God sees me. That's a healthy self esteem.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
But also we're made as relational creatures.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So the right day in your life and mind will
point me back to God. It's not gonna be jealousy
or envy or drama or trauma or fray or pray
no no, no, babe.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Are going to show me and show you the way
six questions.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
And once you go through these and answer these honestly sincerely,
you'll know, Okay, I'm hanging out with the right day
or I'm hanging out with the wrong day. And if
you got a wrong day problem, you got to turn
and swim away from the day to the right day.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
And it's not always easy.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
It's sometimes just tumultuous, and we're going to talk about
that during this series. Number One, do they motivate me
do the right day? Hopefully they're the right day to
love God more?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
More?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Do they motivate me and stimulate me to love God more?
The Bible says in Hebrews three, verse thirteen. Encourage one
another daily as long as it's called today. When you
think about something encouraging, don't just think about it, Say
(17:58):
it is this person like negative?
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Ned?
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Are they like always down Donna, drama and depressed and
you're always having to lift them up and pick them up.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
You're with the wrong day, baby, the wrong day.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Number two, Do they celebrate God's blessings in my life?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Proverbs eleven ten.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed the right day?
They're like, man, you don't work half as hard as
I do, and you made all that money.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Good for you, man, you.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Did such a great job at that. I mean I
could easily be envious over it. Why can they sing?
Why can they dance? I can't do it. I mean, hey,
good for you, man, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
That's amazing. Because God's favor is not fair.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
We're all uniquely gifted. In the right day. Is gonna
applaud you. They're gonna cheer you on and point you
to God. Number three, do they have my back? I
got you back?
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Do they have your back in my back? Proverbs seventeen seventeen.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is
born for a time of adversity. Your real friends are
people who are in your corner when everyone else is bolted.
All you have to do is go through a time
of betrayal, a time of difficulty, a time where things
(19:37):
aren't going that well, a time where it's a bear market,
and see who.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Is with you. Number four Another question, do they hold me?
That's right?
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Do they hold me accountable? Out of love and friendship?
This is a major, major, major, major, major question to
ask an answer. Accountability, though, emerges out of affinity. You
don't just walk up and say, man, you're messed up
and they're sinning your life, and man, that's not accountability.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
It emerges out of love. Jesus said, speak the truth
in love.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
You have to earn that right, and I encourage you
with your right.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
They to have a personal board of directors.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
I've had a personal board of directors in my life
for several decades now. That's why I feel you know
some authority to be able to talk about this, to
come alongside you and go, Okay, here's what God has
taught me. I want to give you the four to
one one on scripture. This stuff works I've not done
it perfectly, but I've done it God's way. I've pastored
here for twenty five years, and Lisa and I have
(20:55):
amazing friends, amazing days that God has deposited into our lives. Yes,
over the years we've had to swim away from some
I understand all that, and we're going to talk about that.
But God's way works when it comes to relationships. God's
(21:16):
way works, and people have to love you enough to
tell you the truth.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Wounds from a friend.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Proverbs twenty seven six says can be trusted, but an enemy.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Multiplies kisses. Again, let's go back to David. David totally
messed up.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
He was in the deep weeds and somebody on his
personal board of directors, Nathan, looked.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
At him as a David, you're messing up.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
David received it okay, okay, because he knew that Nathan
had his best interests in mind. Here's another one, number five.
Do they live what they believe? So on one nineteen
sixty three. I'm a friend to all who fear you,
(22:08):
to all who follow your precepts.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Do they live it out?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I mean, do they live it out? If you meet
someone and you're wondering Wow, are they a follower of Christ?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
I'm not sure that's the wrong day.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
If you meet someone and they're not actively involved in
a Bible teaching, Bible believing church, they're not going to
be the right day.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
I can tell you that right now.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Growing up, I was involved in athletics, and I was
involved in going to public schools.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
And I'll remember, even.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
As a young guy, third fourth, fifth grade, making relational
choices based on what I was learning at church, based
on the authority of my parents, and based on what God,
what the Holy Spirit was teaching me, even as a
little guy. Number six, Do they have the right day
(23:08):
in their lives? WHOA look at their track record? How
do they spell relational relief? Tewod Corinthians six fourteen. Do
not be yoked together with unbelievers? WHOA is that profiling?
Some liberals would call that profiling?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
What for?
Speaker 3 (23:26):
What do wicked What do righteousness and wickedness have in common?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
What do fellowship?
Speaker 3 (23:32):
What fellowship can light have with darkness?
Speaker 2 (23:34):
What's what's going on here? Our best friends? The right day?
We have to be equally yoked.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I'm not talking about an egg I'm not talking about
egg whites here.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
No, no, we were talking about a yoke.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
A yoke is a piece of farm equipment where you
would hook up animals of the same kind and of
the same strength.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
They would plow straight lines.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
God wants us to walk in unison, to have the
right affiliation, participation, and destination. He wants us to go
on a straight line, and it happens when we're equally Yo.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Thanks for joining us today on the Creative Connection with
Ed Young. We hope you've been encouraged as Ed's shown
you how you can connect your faith to everyday life.
We'd love to help you even more in your spiritual
journey by sending you at and Lisa Jung's book A
Path through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence,
(24:33):
love and care in the middle of your suffering. And
it's our thanks for your gift to help connect faith
to everyday life for more people around the world. Just
head over to Eddyong dot com slash give to request
your copy. Again, that's Edyoung dot com slash give. Thank
you for your support. We'll see you next time. On
(24:54):
the Creative Connection
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