The Big 3

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1591. Today's Devo is called The Big Three.

Hey there, we're the Alestes, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast.

Happy Monday, everyone. Stephanie Muina here, and I am so excited to dive into my series of devos for this week. We're starting off strong Monday with the big three. We're going to dive into relationships today. So stick along with me. Let's do it. We are reading from Ecclesiastes 4.12 and the NLT version. And it says, a person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken. Have you guys ever noticed that some of the biggest victories and mistakes, let's be honest, in our lives are directly connected to the people that we surround ourselves with? Have you ever thought about it? The writer of Ecclesiastes, this verse that I just read, he paints a beautiful picture. And he says, one person alone can be attacked and conquered and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. But then the writer goes even deeper and he says, three are even better. A triple braided cord isn't easily broken. So I have two brothers, two sisters, and a brother. Lauren, Gabby are my sisters, my older brother, Chris. We are best friends. They really are my world. They were always my world growing up. We did everything together. And you know, especially the sister dynamic is very, very strong. If you have sisters, you understand what that's like. And my entire life was done with my sisters and my brother around me. Every season we did together. Well, then, of course, we got older and I went into my 20s, and my my brother and I in our mid-20s got married. And he married Rochelle, I married Muina, and we moved out of the house and life changed. And my big three at the time was my sister Lauren and my sister Gabby. Well, they my big four and Chris. And it will always be like that. Don't get me wrong. Family is the best. Having sisters, you can't change that bond. However, if you are ever in a different season than your sister, you know that sometimes a gap still needs to be filled. Especially when one gets married and one is still single, dating, and trying to find the person they want to settle down with. And then not only did I get married, but I started having babies like immediately. So I found myself hitting walls. And I started to ask myself, are my struggles normal? Is this how a marriage is supposed to be? Is this how I should be developing as a young Christian married woman? And then it hit me that I missed something. I needed to reinforce my big three. I needed women around me that were in similar seasons to me. I had to ask myself this question, Stephanie, who am I tied to and where are they going? Because God never intended us to do life alone. But here's where I want to go a little deeper with you today. God also never intended for everyone to have equal access to your life. We often think, you know, that success means having many different friends, but the Bible suggests something different. Strength isn't found in having the biggest circle, it's found in having the right circle. Let me say that again. Strength isn't found in having the biggest circle of friends. It's found in having the right circle of friends. Do these people love God? Do they know me well? Do I know them well? Are they committed to helping me to become more like Christ? Am I committed to helping them? Do they celebrate my victories? But are they also willing to correct me when I'm out of line? Are they not just simply telling me what I want to hear, but what I need to hear? And do they pray with me? Do they challenge me? Do they encourage me? These are the kind of friendships that protect us. They protect us because they can see the danger before we do. They notice when our attitude changes and they can call us out. Sometimes the greatest protection God gives us isn't a miracle, it's a godly friend willing to speak the truth in love. Because friendships, guys, they bring guidance, not just company. They point to the right direction because life is full of decisions. From the moment we wake up, we're having to make decisions. And we need people around us to help us make those decisions. And yes, 100%, the Holy Spirit guides you, He guides me, He gives me the solution first. But the Bible also says that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, there I am in the midst of them. You know what that means? When you have your big three or your big four and you are all pursuing the Lord, that means that God is there in the midst of you guys. And that just helps us keep our eyes on Jesus when emotions are pulling us in a bunch of different directions. So let's go back to this three braided cord analogy. If it starts to fray, it's useless. The people closest to you are going to shape what you value, how you think, and ultimately they're going to shape the direction of your life. And that's why it's so important that your closest friends, that they share your faith, guys, they share your values. And it's not because we isolate ourselves from people who don't know God. We're called to love and serve everyone. I 100% get that. But the people influencing your heart, speaking into your life decisions, they should also be the ones pursuing Christ. So today I want you to ask yourself: who are my big three? Who are the people I can call on when life gets hard? Who has permission to challenge me when I don't want to be challenged? Who is helping me become more like Jesus? And if you don't have those people yet, I'm telling you, just pray for them. They could actually be in your life right now. All it takes is for you to be intentional with them, to go take them out to coffee, to invite them to go see a movie, whatever it is. Bring them into your life and allow God to surround you with the right godly people that can give you the direction that you need. Let's pray. Father, we just thank you for creating us to live in community. Help us surround ourselves with the people who love you, who want to be like you, and who have the discernment and the strength to speak into us when it's needed. Father, we don't want to be ruled by our emotions. We want to be led by the Spirit. So bring the right people into our lives that align with our morals, align with our values, align with our faith. If there's anybody that does not align with us, Father, I pray that you will reveal it to our hearts so that we can put the necessary boundaries in place to make sure that in love we are pursuing the right path for our lives. And in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

So there you have it, your five minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you've found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.