Part 4: Keeping God in the Middle

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III
February 22, 2026

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 (NKJV)

9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

1. INTRODUCTION

• Relationships are one of the most talked‑about subjects in culture, yet they remain one of the least understood
  • Television, podcasts, and books flood the marketplace with advice, yet confusion persists
• We swipe, we match, we mingle, we marry, we separate, we reconnect—and then we repeat
• Often, we do all of this without ever asking the most important question:
  Where is God in all of this?
• We have mastered chemistry, but neglected covenant
• We know compatibility, but lack spiritual clarity
• We build relationships on:
  • Emotion
  • Attraction
  • Convenience
  • Preference
    instead of prayer and purpose
• Everything that looks good is not good for you
• Everything that sounds good is not sound
• When God is in the middle of a relationship—romantic, platonic, business, or spiritual:
  • That relationship will not collapse under pressure
  • Relationships are not perfect, but they are purposeful
  • They are not effortless, but they are empowered
  • They are not problem‑free, but they are pressure‑proof
• Many people are exhausted in relationships not because relationships don’t work, but because they are trying to work them without God
• We often expect people to complete us, but only God can do that
• When we lean on people for what only God can provide, disappointment is inevitable
• Relationships are mirrors
  • They reveal attitudes, habits, insecurities, and blind spots
  • God does not reveal what’s wrong to shame us
  • He reveals it to shape us, define us, develop us, and sanctify us
• Solomon writes Ecclesiastes as wisdom gained through lived experience
• He is not talking only about marriage, but:
  • Partnership
  • Community
  • Accountability
  • Connection
• None of us were designed to do life alone
• God is calling us to shift:
  • From surface‑level relationships to spiritual substance
  • From relational chaos to relational covenant
• When God is in the middle, relationships don’t just survive—they thrive
• God never connects you with someone without the intent of making you better

1. THE STRENGTH OF SYNERGY

1. You Can Accomplish More Together Than You Ever Could Alone
2. The power of partnership is that purpose becomes aligned
3. God brings people into your life who are going where you’re going
4. The evidence that someone is going where you’re going is that they are growing as you are growing
   1. If someone is not growing with you, they cannot go with you
5. Synergy means the combination produces more than either individual alone
6. When alignment is right:
   1. Strength is multiplied
   1. Progress is accelerated
   1. Focus is sharpened
7. Jesus affirmed this principle when He said that where two agree in His name, He would be in the midst
8. When purpose meets partnership, momentum is released
9. You don’t just add—you multiply
10. When God wants to elevate you, He sends a person
11. When the enemy wants to distract you, he sends a person
12. Discernment is required to know the difference
13. The right people do not compete with your calling
    1. They either build your destiny—or burden it
14. Ecclesiastes does not say two are better than one, because one is weak
15. It says two are better than one because there is a reward attached to partnership
16. Some rewards will never show up in isolation

B. The Enemy Attacks Agreement Because Agreement Attracts Anointing

• The enemy’s strategy is not always destruction—it is division
• Division disrupts agreement
• Broken agreement disrupts anointing
• Hell hates harmony
• The enemy plants:
  • Jealousy
  • Suspicion
  • Miscommunication
  • Offense
• The enemy cannot destroy what God has ordained
• But he can divide what God has connected

Examples of God‑Ordained Partnerships:

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Ralph Abernathy – different personalities, shared purpose
• Jesse Jackson – reinforcing a movement, not building a brand
• David & Jonathan – destiny and loyalty
• Ruth & Naomi – strength and strategy
• Esther & Mordecai – access and counsel
• Joshua & Caleb – faith in the face of fear
• The Wright Brothers – vision and refinement
• Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak – innovation and execution
• Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen – greatness and glue
• The Andy Griffith Show – wisdom and support
• Batman and Robin – even heroes need help

1. THE SECURITY OF SUPPORT

1. Isolation Invites Insecurity; Community Cultivates Consistency
2. Isolation is not neutral—it is dangerous
3. When isolated too long:
   1. Fear multiplies
   1. Distortion develops
   1. Perspective is exaggerated
4. In isolation, the mind becomes a courtroom
   1. You are the judge
   1. The jury
   1. And the accused
5. Scripture consistently shows separation preceding failure:
   1. Genesis – Eve isolated
   1. 1 Kings 19 – Elijah exaggerates his loneliness
   1. 2 Samuel 11 – David stays home from battle
   1. Matthew 26 – Judas separates before betrayal
6. God identified isolation as unhealthy before sin entered the world
   1. Genesis 2:18
7. The early church thrived through consistent community
   1. Acts 2:42

Effects of Isolation:

• Isolation drains
• Isolation distorts
• Isolation deceives

Benefits of Community:

• Community develops
• Community disciplines
• Community delivers strength
• Community stabilizes emotions
• Community corrects conclusions
• Community prevents exaggeration
• If No One Can Correct You, Your Covenant Has Become A Comfort Zone
• Correction is not control—it is covenant
• Covenant relationships are willing to cut in order to heal
• Comfort without correction leads to dysfunction
• People who benefit from you may avoid correcting you
• People who love you will risk offense to protect your future
• Real friends are not concerned with what benefits them
• They are concerned with who you become

1. THE STABILITY OF SURRENDER

A. Relationships Anchored In Prayer Can Withstand Pressure

• I Pressure is unavoidable
• Everyone deals with pressure:
  • Expectations
  • Work
  • Relationships
  • Loss
  • Disappointment
• Pressure forces a decision:
  • Fall apart
  • Or pray through
• Prayer keeps God in the middle
• When pressure comes, don’t run to the edges—run to the center
• Just like during a storm, the middle of the house is the safest place
• Don’t Make God A Guest In Your Relationship; Make Him The Glue
• God should not be an occasional visitor
• He must be the glue that holds everything together

Lessons from Glue:

• Glue works at a level you cannot see
  • God must penetrate hidden cracks
• Glue reaches full strength under pressure
  • Pressure activates the bond
• The strongest adhesives create bonds stronger than the material itself
• Contaminants that weaken the bond:
  • Pride
  • Unforgiveness
  • Hidden resentment
  • Secret sin
• God cannot bond what we refuse to clean
• God does not erase cracks—He fills them
• When God fills what was broken, the bond becomes stronger than before

Closing Call

• Jesus came to fill the cracks
• Don’t run from Him—run back to the middle
• A threefold cord with God at the center will not easily break

Have a blessed new week with the Lord! ❤️