“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;” Matthew 17:1 (NKJV) ❖ NOT EVERYONE CAN GO WHERE YOU’RE GOING!! 1. NEXT LEVEL FRIENDS THINK NEXT LEVEL ! “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Mark 2:4-5 (NKJV) 2. THEY CARE MORE ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE THAN YOUR FEELINGS ! “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26 (NKJV) “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it…” Luke 14:28 (NKJV) 3. THEIR INFLUENCE WILL DIRECT YOU AND NOT DETOUR YOU! “A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and herds of livestock.” Exodus 12:38 (NLT) Rabble : (n) a disorderly crowd; a mob. Ordinary people “Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain.” Numbers 11:4 (NLT) VICTORY GROUP QUESTIONS: 1) Do you have “Next Level” friends? Are they helpful (how)? Would you consider yourself to be a “Next Level Friend”? Why or why not? 2) Has God ever called you to a new level where you needed to cut ties with some friends or maybe even family members? Share of that experience. 3) Has God called other people in your life to new levels that has left you feeling abandoned? How did you feel and what did you experience? 4) What is something that stood out to you from this message that wasn’t covered in the questions? Share.