ICF Tel Aviv's video: REALationship with people

🎯 Purpose of the relationship Love builds relationships Love the Lord Love your neighbor Love yourself Love has no fear Fear and insecurity prevent intimacy within relationships. You can’t get close to someone else if there’s fear in the relationship. The answer is love. The Bible says, “Love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love” (1 John 4:18 NLT).  The moment you begin to understand how much God loves you, you’ll realize you don’t have to prove yourself anymore. You don’t have to spend your life trying to impress other people, because you already know that God loves you.  And because of that, you can live a free and fulfilling life. ❓What insecurities or fears keep you from opening your life and heart to someone, whether it’s your spouse, a friend, or a family member? ❓How can you trust God’s love and release your fears? Creating Trust in Your Friendships Trust in a relationship is what makes the difference between an acquaintance and a friend. You talk to acquaintances, but you trust your friends.  You need a safe person that you can share everything—your fears, your doubts, and your insecurities.  The Bible says that you build trust in a friendship by keeping confidences: “No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy” (Proverbs 11:13 GNT). ❓Do you have a safe person in your life? ❓And how about you? Are you ready to be a safe person for someone else? ❓Would your friends describe you as a trustworthy person? Why or why not? ❓What is the right, appropriate response when someone initiates gossip with you? ❓What can you do to become a “safer” friend? Less of Me and More of You Selfishness ruins relationships. It is the number one cause of conflict, arguments, divorce, and even war. James 4:1 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (NIV). Every trouble starts because of our self-centeredness.  At the beginning of a relationship, you work really hard at being unselfish. But as time goes on, selfishness creeps in. We tend to put more energy into starting and building relationships than we do in maintaining them.  Selflessness brings out the best in others. It builds trust in relationships. In fact, if you start acting selfless in a relationship, it forces the other person to change. Galatians 6:7-8 You experience the deepest fulfillment when you give yourself away. Jesus said, “Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB).  ❓What is one of the hardest things for you to give to someone else? ❓How can you practice giving that thing away this week? “U Gotta Love Yourself” In some of His most famous words, Jesus said, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:37–39). Most of us spend so much time hating things about ourselves that we don’t realize we’re crippling our ability to love others. There’s no way you can figure out how to love somebody else well in a relationship if you have not first figured out how to love yourself.  In order to learn to love yourself the way God intended, you have to build a relationship with God, who is love. The way God created you was not a mistake. Remember, He made the human race and He “saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:31). He calls you His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). He wants you to see yourself the way He sees you—loved and valuable. ❓What are the obstacles you face to having healthy self-love? Help Each Other Grow Grow through example. Jesus did this in teaching his disciples. John 13:14-15 says, “Since I . . . have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (NLT). People don’t want to hear a sermon. They want to see an example of Jesus in your life. Grow through conversations. In order to grow in relationships, you should have critical conversations about real issues. Dedicate time to having conversations around the things that really matter in life.  ❓Think about the conversations you’ve had recently. How much time did you spend talking about things that really matter in life? ❓What are ways you can be an example of Jesus to others? ❓Instead of comparing or criticizing, how can you build up the people in your life? __________________ WEB - https://www.icf-telaviv.co.il FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/icftelaviv INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/icftelaviv/ EMAIL info@icf-telaviv.co.il TELEGRAM https://t.me/ICFTelAviv