“41 The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. 42 But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. 43 This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.” Daniel 2:41-43″

Partnerships and alliances are important in life, in business, in friendship, in communities, in projects, in games – you name it! It’s very hard to have sustained success without them, and we are not meant to operate alone or in a vacuum. But we should examine them from time to time,because they just may not be working for you.

Think! Have some of your alliances that you thought were strengthening you actually weakened you? This scripture passage in Daniel is eye opening. The feet and toes mentioned are important because they provide the foundation/stability for standing, for mobility, for withstanding a physical challenge also. If there is weakness in the foundation, the entire project, building, enterprise, government or kingdom is unstable.

Check your foundation! Ask yourself, “Is there anything in my foundation that is actually weakening me?” Also, what you may think is mixing well is actually co-mingling, not really joining together or adhering to each other. While there is an appearance of strength, the lack of true cohesion provides a very weak foundation.

Look at your relationships, hobbies, habits, beliefs and you may find that some are weakening and destabilizing your future. Ask God to reveal them to you. Psalms 19:12 says “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

Like the end of this passage in Daniel 2:44 only the kingdom of God will stand forever. His strength covers our weaknesses. His grace is sufficient and His love never fails. You just can’t go wrong with Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone.