Dharius Daniels - Shoot Your Shot

Genesis chapter 2, verse 24 says, «That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.» I want you to put the topic of this teaching in the chat now. Some of you have shared this—thank you for being more than a prayer warrior; thank you for being a share warrior. I want you to type this in the chat: the topic of this teaching. I want to talk to you today from this subject: shoot your shot! Shoot your shot, family! I want to ease into this introduction with this axiom for my note takers: type this or write this down: relationship choices aren’t just relationship choices; they are life choices. I’m going to say that one more time for clarity: relationship choices are not just relationship choices; they are life choices. In other words, relationships don’t just affect our relationships; they affect our lives. I would contend that besides making a decision to receive the person and follow the practices and principles of Jesus Christ, who you choose to say «I do» to is the most consequential choice you will make in your life. Did you hear what I just said? It’s not about what you have in the bank; it’s not just about what fraternity or sorority you or I pledged. I am telling you, besides making a decision to receive the person and follow the practices and principles of Jesus, who you choose to say «I do» to will be the most consequential decision of your life. No matter what degree you have or how many resources you possess, if you choose the wrong person, you lose all of it. Relationships matter. I wish somebody in the chat would say «truth.» Just put «truth» there for family. I would contend that it is extremely difficult to get life right and relationships wrong. I say this with conviction because I teach you that there are three primary ways you can live your life: sinking, surviving, and thriving. The key contributor to what level we live on is who we live with. Are y’all okay, family? Okay. I said there are three ways we can live our lives: sinking, surviving, and thriving. The key contributor to what level we live on is who we live with. A relationship can, watch this, be like a weight that drops you to the bottom of the sea, or a relationship can be like a float that brings us to the top of the ocean. I believe it’s incredibly important to wrap our heads around this truth: if we want to win in life, we have to learn to win in relationships. However, the data shows that culturally, we are struggling in this area. I wrote a book on relational intelligence because I believe that intelligence does not always transfer across different areas of our lives. It is possible to operate with a high degree of intelligence in one area and not in another. It’s possible to be financially intelligent but not relationally intelligent. It’s possible to manage a budget but be unable to manage your relationships. It’s possible to ascend up the corporate ladder but not elevate your relationships from level to level. Ladies and gentlemen, the struggle is real in this area. Many people report feeling unfulfilled, unhappy, unappreciated, undervalued, and emotionally empty. Almost half of the marriages that start out together don’t end up together, and many others are meandering through mazes of mediocre relationships where they are not experiencing fulfillment and fruitfulness. They feel trapped by the time they’ve invested or the damage that leaving would cause; therefore, the relationship ends up feeling like a life sentence instead of living with a life partner. However, I have good news; I’ve got some gospel truth. It does not have to be that way! There is the culture’s way of managing relationships, and then there is the King’s way. I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that this gospel truth—my relationship with God not only impacts my relationship with God, but it also impacts and improves my relationships with people. When you live the King’s way, you don’t just help water-walking lives; you have water-walking relationships. Your relationships become an exception to the statistic. It doesn’t mean you are better; it just means you are different. It means that you refuse to settle for a degree and dimension of relationships that is normal but not right. I say it isn’t right, and I ain’t taking it back! Just because it’s normal doesn’t mean it’s right. Just because it’s happening with others doesn’t mean it’s supposed to happen to you and me. We can, we should, and many of us will have water-walking relationships when we do it the King’s way. Listen to me! Are y’all ready for this? Are y’all ready for this? Okay, here it is: just because I’m a King’s child doesn’t mean I do relationships the King’s way. I told y’all this—this is meat! I’m going to say it one more time: just because I am the King’s child doesn’t mean I do relationships the King’s way. Listen to me, because there is a difference between receiving the person of Jesus and practicing the principles of Jesus. I’ll say it one more time: there is a difference between receiving the person of Jesus and practicing the principles of Jesus. Receiving the person of Jesus helps me die; that makes sense. When I die, I go to heaven.