Are Your Relationships Healthy?

Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. —Romans 8:5

Life is better together and God wants you to enjoy healthy, balanced relationships. Who you choose to spend time with is one of the most important decisions you can make. It’s also one of the most practical areas to begin discerning the voice of God and His will for your life. Your relationships impact your destiny and purpose—either for good or for bad. Too often, good people get entangled in bad relationships—with disastrous results.

The people you surround yourself with determine the person you will become. When you start bringing the right voices into your life, you’ll begin to make the right choices as well. And once you start making the right choices, you get the right connections. Every time God does something significant in our lives, He introduces us to new people—ones who are connected to our destiny and purpose. Learning to discern God’s voice and follow His leading will remove you from bad relationships and bring you into contact with the right people. 

Character discernment helps you avoid toxic entanglements. What is character discernment? It’s the ability to recognize and embrace relationships that are good for you and to recognize and avoid those that are not. If you have a history of toxic relationships, you may need to develop this skill.

When people come into your life, they don’t just bring their bodies—they also bring their spirits. One way to look at it is that there are two kinds of people: flesh people and faith people. Here are a few characteristics of each:

Flesh people:

· Tear you down and make you feel discouraged about yourself and your life

· Feed your fears and shake your confidence

· Waste your time and drain your energy

Faith people:

· Build you up and move you closer to being the person God created you to be

· Feed your faith and encourage you to pursue your God given dreams

· Are lovingly honest with you and will be strong when you are weak

God wants you to love everyone you come into contact with, but you have to make sure you are surrounding yourself with more people who fill your life than people who drain your life. Don’t just fall thoughtlessly into relationships. Make deliberate, discerning choices.

Think of the people you spend the most time with. Do these individuals encourage or discourage you? Are they the type of person you want to be? Ask God to help you hear His voice and discern His will so that you can distinguish between the “right people” and the “wrong people.”

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