“Jehoshaphat made merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they never sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber” (1 Kings 22:48)

 Jehoshaphat, the righteous King of Judah, attempted a joint trade mission with the apostate Northern Kingdom of Israel, but God ordained the ships be broken in pieces before they left the harbor. God decides whether our endeavors succeed or fail, and because he loves us, we can be sure He gives us just as much grace when He prevents success as He does when He enables success. 

 In the case of King Jehoshaphat, God sent a prophet to tell him "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works" (2 Chronicles 20:37). We know from Scripture not to ally ourselves with sinners. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16). 

 Pastors usually limit this warning to Christians who are contemplating marriage to non-Christians, but it applies equally to all relationships between sinners and saints. Christians should be like Christ, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. But if we make alliances with sinners, because God loves us, we can expect to hear, "The Lord has destroyed your works".