Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right!

December 11, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right!

This Week’s Message: Know Your Circle!

If you sit back and really think about it, you are who you hang around. There is really no getting around it. List the five closest people in your life and it will reveal to you where you are right now and where you are heading in the future. If you are surrounding yourself with people that love to gossip, are filled with hatred, and are content going nowhere in life; you best believe some of that is rubbing off on you as we speak.

If you are surrounding yourself with people that love the Lord, will truly pray for you if you need them to, and will tell you with love when you are veering off course; those positive attributes will naturally reflect in your life in one way or another. Choosing your inner circle wisely is critical to every believer of Jesus Christ. It can literally be the difference between you growing in the Lord or moving away from Him.

That is why it is so important that you are cautious about who you allow to speak into your life because what they say will carry weight. The Holy Spirit is your guide and He is the One that will guide you into all truth, John 16:13. That includes giving you the truth about the people that you are surrounding yourself with. The fact of the matter is, not everyone that calls you a friend really is one.

Ever had a check in your spirit when you met someone for the first time? You really couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was but there was just something not right about them. The Spirit of God is our Helper and He will never lead you astray so if He is giving you a warning about a particular person, take heed to it. He is the One that will know whether he or she truly has your best intentions at heart.

It is then up to you whether or not you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you meet a person that you are interested in but you feel really uneasy about them but choose to pursue them anyway, it can lead to a road filled with heartache and pain. Only the Lord really knows who is right for you.

The same thing is true about friendships. If you befriend someone and God is giving you strict warnings about them but you do not choose to obey, then it is really on you if you get treated badly. We have to remember that the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) so He will be able to see whether they have ill intentions towards you or not.

People are shady! They will act like they are your biggest supporter, your best friend, and the one that will always have your back; but inwardly they are undercover serpents. They will smile in your face while talking behind your back, they are secretly jealous of you plotting your downfall, and they will turn on you the moment that they have a chance to.

You have to be very careful who you trust and who you spend your valuable time on. The enemy is out there roaring like a lion seeking someone that he can devour (1 Peter 5:8) and he will use anyone and anything to ensure that he will destroy your life.

This week really take some time out to analyze your circle. I am going to give you some things that you can look out for that can help you decipher if there are any snakes in your garden!

Watch what people say

You can really tell a whole lot about the things that come out of a person’s mouth! The Word of God tells us in Matthew 12:34, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” The Lord is basically letting us know that an evil heart will speak wickedness, it is inevitable. A darkened and corrupted heart will not speak good things, the two do not agree.

That is why you have to be very mindful of what people are saying. If you consider them to be close friends or even family members they are going to have an influence on you in one way or another. Are they speaking negatively or positively? Are they motivating you or bringing you down? One major indicator to look for is whether or not you find them talking about other people to you.

When a person speaks unpleasantly on a consistent basis it can begin to cause you to become negative. Especially if you are around them daily or weekly, it will affect you. One thing that we need to remember is that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, Ephesians 6:12. What that means is our daily battle is against a spiritual realm that we cannot see.

So, there is some influence that is coming from the enemy that is causing that person to be so negative. What ends up happening is the devil will try to use them in your life to have you come into agreement with their negative thinking. Once that happens, the enemy will begin to use that entry way to take those unfavorable emotions and multiply them. His hope is that he can make you become as negative as the person that you are befriending. You really have to be selective when it comes to your intimate circle.

Another thing to look out for pertaining to what a person is saying is whether or not they are lifting you up or bringing you down. Do they add insult to injury when you are already down and out? For instance, are they using words like “I told you so” and “you should have listened to me” when something bad happens in your life? Do they always provide you with criticism and never compliments?

These are some of the people that you have to watch out for. What I have found out is that nine times out of ten people that are consistently talking down to you and never have anything nice to say are not happy with themselves in one way or another. They will project their unhappiness onto you. Or, sometimes this can happen when a person is jealous of you.

They don’t want to see you succeed or prevail so they will do whatever they can to ensure that you don’t. You want to look for these kinds of signs in the people that you are associating yourself with. That negative talk will trickle its way right onto you and you won’t even realize it when it happens.

If someone that is close to you is constantly talking about others, you might want to consider distancing yourself from them. You can rest assured, if they are coming to you with gossip in their mouth about other people, then they are going to others with gossip about you. It isn’t a matter of if but when it will happen. You can tell a whole lot about a person that loves to have other people’s names in their mouth!

Watch How People Act

The way that a person acts is also very telling. Anyone can say one thing but then act completely contrary to what they are saying. It is very important that you pay close attention to the actions of the people that you are allowing into your life. Their behavior will have an effect on you in one way or another. Whether you see it initially or not, a person can affect you negatively or positively. It is up to you to have the ability to distinguish the difference.

Some of the questions that you can ask yourself pertaining to your inner circle are: How do they treat me when nobody is around? Are they verbally or physically abusive? Do they lie or cheat? Do they do what they say what they will do? Can you count on them to come through for you when they say they will? These are just some of the questions that you can ask yourself when analyzing the people that you are spending valuable time with.

One key indicator that someone may need to be cut out of your life is if they treat you one way when others are around versus how they treat you when it is just you and them. A genuine person that doesn’t have any ulterior motives by befriending you will treat you the same way all the time. An example of this is when a man or woman is dating someone but wants to keep them on the down low (hidden). So what they will do is make sure that their dates consist of their house and never out where others can see you and him or her together. Or, if they choose to go out it will be some place where very few people go.

An authentic person will not want to keep you unseen if they truly care about you. So, if you are involved with someone that is displaying these characteristics you need to pray about it and allow the Lord to give you discernment regarding them. He will let you know the truth if you ask.

Another sign to look out for regarding someone’s actions is if they are verbally or physically abusive. Often times what happens is we get caught up in such a strong obsession with the person that we overlook these obvious signs in our faces. They are so handsome or beautiful and they are exactly what you’ve been looking for outwardly that you dismiss the evil intentions of their heart.

These are some of the most challenging people to get away from because of how charismatic and charming they are. You fall so deeply for them that you become blinded. It is so vital that you ask God for direction in everything that you do. Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

When you trust the Lord’s opinion about every aspect of your life, you will ask Him about all things. He will in turn direct your paths making sure that you don’t get lead astray, that you don’t get mistreated, and that you don’t fall into the enemy’s traps. We have to make it a habit to go to our Heavenly Father about the decisions that will impact our lives.

Another major indicator that you are not around the right person is if they constantly lie and cheat. At first they will make sure that it is not completely obvious making it their mission to hide their deceptive behaviors. That will only work for so long because what you do in the dark will eventually come out in the light.

Conclusion

Don’t allow yourself to get sucked into relationships and friendships with people that are going to do more harm to your life than good. There are indicators that will give you insight on whether or not the person is for you or against you. You have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you and He is your Helper that is more than equipped to help you in every circumstance no matter the size.

This week take moments out of each day to truly evaluate your inner circle. The fact of the matter is you are who you are around. There is no way that you can spend quality time with a person and not have their influence rub off on you whether good or bad. The question is are the people in your life positive or negative? One thing that you do have control over is who you allow in your space. Choose to make your circle small and sweet!

If you’ve missed some of the previous Positive Weekly Messages, no worries I am linking them below:

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! December 4, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! November 20, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! November 13, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! November 6, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 30, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 23, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 17, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 10, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 2, 2022

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