“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.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT
Have you ever thought about what your triple- braided cord looks like? We can use the practical example of a braided cord- the end result is one cord, made stronger by all the individual strands within it. But what does this look like in our lives? How can we apply this? We all need to know how to become the conqueror instead of the defeated!
Let’s back up a few verses:
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. (V.9)
1. We are stronger when we work together.
If you really are committed to success, whether in recovery or another part of life, braid yourself together with someone who will walk that road with you. Pay careful attention to the last part of that verse! Sometimes we fall- I do not want to be the one who has no one to help me up! Do you have someone holding you accountable?
Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?
2. We need each other for relationship.
Isolation will defeat us. I have said many times that it is one of the greatest tools of the enemy. Unfortunately, I see so many of us run to that dark hole when we are hurting or feel challenged. I have done it myself many times. Community is built on relationship. Connection. Unity of spirit.
And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
3. We need resistance.
I am going to use a personal example here. Many of us have fought the battle of depression. Trying to pull yourself out of that dark place is next to impossible. I have felt consumed and overpowered by it, with no strength to stand. But, when I am help up by a friend, we can resist and rise up out of the hole. We need connection- it is our strength, safety and power.
Even as I write that, I know none of this is possible without the Lord. Our connection to Him is the source of life. It is the source of each strand of the triple-braided cord. Do you have His life? Do you know that He is real- for you, not against you? Have question? I would love to hear them!
The three strand cord is how we can recover. It is how we can heal. It is vitally important.
Accountability
Relationship
Resistance
Which strand are you missing?
Families in Recovery Ministries 
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