people come and go the one sent by God are those who are meant to stay how long have you been in this world I'm assuming at least a few decades you have seen and experienced things that you never thought you would are you familiar with the common belief that the only constant thing in this world is change the changes that take place in our relationships with other people typically come as a surprise we are most vulnerable to harm from these have you ever cut off ties with a friend or let a person enter your life
only for them to sabotage you these encounters are shared experiences because everyone goes through them in one way or another when a farmer plants seeds he knows that not all of them will Sprout successfully there is only a percentage that will turn into healthy plans in the same way not every person in your life right now is capable of growing with you this is because some people are sent by the devil to distract you these are the ones that serve as decoys in your life do you notice that people are fond of artificial things as
decorations take a fake plant as an example it is nice to have and pleasing to the eye however this is all they contribute they are just there to look pretty like an actual plant that can teach you a meaningful thing or two would you feel fulfilled watching an artificial plant stay the same every day of course it is a different type of fulfillment when you see growth happen in front of you although the people the devil introduces into your life may be pleasant in the eyes of the world they do not have your best interests
in mind at least a plant does not harm you right think about how peer pressure is especially prevalent among teenagers today it's because kids imitate their popular and stylish friends and consent to immoral behaviors like underage drinking smoking and other vices just so they can stay connected with their peers Satan plants these people to get to you Even after spending a lot of time with someone it's truly impossible to know who is true and who is false especially now that we are discussing intentions to harm you no amount of preparedness will be able to protect
you from an attack launched by someone you purposefully sit next to The Book of Proverbs tells us be not envious of evil men nor desire to be with him for their hearts devise violence and their lips talk of trouble an interesting aspect of this is that while some people are completely influenced by the world before they come into your life some are poached by the devil after you have been introduced to each other God constantly directs us to the right path there are people whose hearts are not fully surrendered to him they're more susceptible to
the devil's sway because of this a person may have been a good friend to you for a long time may have even walked together in God's name however if they fail to resist Satan's Temptation then your friendship will gradually crumble our history with them is exactly why it is hard for us to recognize the problem and walk away from the situation in the Book of Psalms David cried out to the Lord because of a similar situation listen to the pain in this scripture if an enemy were insulting me I could endure it if a foe
were Rising against me I could hide but it is you a man like myself my companion my close friend with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God as we walked about among the worshipers David suffered greatly from being betrayed by a close friend he struggled to comprehend how such a devoted friend could abandon him as if their relationship had no value there is a quote that goes like this maybe sometimes people did not actually change maybe he just never knew who they really were God's beloved children we need to know how
these people behave so that we may Safeguard ourselves from being influenced by the devil God will expose these ill-meaning people through the following ways number one this person exhibits a spirit of unhappiness in your Victorious battles you are the greatest reflection of God's glory your current self and everything you own serve as evidence of God's immeasurable love for you we are naturally winners in Christ Deuteronomy chapter 20 verse 4 proclaims for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory so when you
tell your circle about the Wonders God has performed in your life those who walk in the devil's path will be noticeably unhappy these are the only ones capable of mistreating you for they have sown the seeds of jealousy in their hearts when someone is tricked by the devil into despising you for having what they want for themselves they will go through a ridiculous amount of plotting just to inflict pain on you humans tend to act on emotion we are not like machines that perform activities with neutrality one way or another we have weak spots that
allow other people to see through US jealousy is an emotion that is easy to spot but only when you are conscious of your surroundings Envy in a person's heart signifies that they are not at peace with who they are this is why they point fingers and meddle with other people's Affairs the devil wants to bring up the worst in Us in order for us to rebel against God this person does not exhibit a spirit of peace God is sending a wake-up call two this person embodies the spirit of Temptation one thing every Christian knows about
God is that he personally delivers us from Temptation we purposely include this in our routine prayers if you rely on God to protect you from Temptation you should exercise caution around situations that can entice you Jesus Took on human form and lived a Flawless model life according to Hebrews chapter 2 verse 18 because he himself suffered when he was tempted he is able to help those who are being tempted when God gave Jesus up for the Salvation of Sinners he went to a garden and prayed three times as he did not want to perish we
know that Christ was tempted to flee from the suffering because he was literally crying blood while praying to his father see he was human he could have run away and it would have been a logical thing to do since he had the chance to escape death however he possessed wisdom that no man had ever had temptation is our greatest enemy having said this when a person tempts you to participate in something that is not in line with God's teachings it is Temptation in human form sent by the Devil Himself keep away from people who try
to persuade you to do wrong you may reject this person's invitation constantly but the fact that you are surrounded by a wicked Spirit calls for a discernment tell me you want to be in the presence of someone who is not sent by God get this none of the things I said earlier actually matter if you do not walk away from these people yes he will reveal the person who is plotting against you he will make sure that you are protected from the attempts of the devil so in this process what exactly are you doing for
yourself I am sure you've heard the saying to keep your friends close and your enemies closer there is a tricky tactic the devil does he creates a facade that shows pleasantness godliness in all things admirable but underneath is wickedness a scripture in the Book of Proverbs tells us enemies disguise themselves with their lips but in their hearts they Harbor deceit though their speech is charming do not believe them for seven Abominations fill their hearts Satan sends people your way the same way countries deploy spies to live in an opposing country he wants to extract more
information about you and use this to hurt you and your relationship with God do not give him the opportunity to wreak havoc in the life God has meticulously curated for you God will send people to help you grow your connection with him as you and your partner develop as Christians so will your relationship the most important thing about turning your back on these people is that you must walk away so that you can pray for them I am not telling you to walk away for your sake only you need to take a few steps back
in order to reach God and pray about people with these kinds of spirits this is his blunt commandment in Matthew chapter 5 verse 44. it says there but I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you you have come so far in your journey to Godliness and from this you must know how powerful the prayer of a righteous person is in all circumstances good or bad God wants us to lift up prayers to him we must pray for these people to get away from Satan's influence remember you are called and cared
for by God you have to understand that the person planted by the devil is also a victim remember that Eve was created by God and yet she was controlled by evil to damage the relationship between Adam and God she was planted by God but she was also a victim of Satan God is always advocating that we should hate the sin and not the sinner Sinners need guidance ask God to help them redeem their lives in his presence be an instrument of peace and show them what life is like when living with faith Luke chapter 6
verse 28 further tells us to bless those who curse us pray for those who mistreat us don't you find this beautiful despite the devil's attempts of sabotage God is telling us to remain compassionate and prayerful after all we are called to serve brothers and sisters we are blessed to be a blessing to others if they do not exhibit some sort of improvement then at least you did your role dutifully now you can walk away for good you don't have to feel bad about breaking ties with someone who doesn't treasure you keep in mind how precious
you are as one of God's chosen children shift your focus to the connections that God wants you to have [Music] you ever come across the saying that show me your friends and I could tell you who you truly are my mom probably used this particular line on me too many times that I can count this is to Simply say the quality of the people you surround yourself with will determine the quality of the person you intend to be let's try and put some perspective on this saying as we build up to finding out the heart
of God concerning the relationships you are currently having life is not an island of existence for any human being there's no record of any human being who made it through life and Destiny alone successfully you will always come across people that you will need to form relationships with these relationships are going to determine the quality and quantity of information that will proceed into your life to help you or in some cases to destroy you the quality of information you get from the people around you will ultimately shape your destiny the life of a child of
God is determined by the quality of the people he surrounds himself with so if you surround yourself with mediocre people it is safe to expect that the quality of information you will get will range from mediocrity to jocular nonsense child of God the moment you realize the kind of person God wants you to become and the destiny he has planned for you you will need to forge relationships and alliances with the correct people that are relevant to your life not everybody in the world that you come across has to become your friend of course Humanity
still has awesome people who make friends with can be life-changing but there are a select group of people who will enter your life and release an overdose of toxicity that corrupts your life's journey let us consider what the Bible says in the Book of Proverbs 13 20. whoever walks with the wise becomes wise but the companion of fools will suffer harm a wise man is the product of years of learning training and impact from knowledgeable people who he surrounds himself with the Bible is very clear about the quality of information entering your life and the
repercussions thereof listen to me child of God do not be deceived a fool can never speak wisdom relevant enough to help your life there are particular people God has designed for your life now look at your creation Through The Eyes of a scientist whatever a scientist builds or designs are targeted at solving a particular challenge he will do everything to make sure that his inventions stay whole and competent long enough to outlast himself that is impact the scientist will study his inventions and introduce everything that is needed to make sure that his inventions last he
will take everything that is a danger away from it you know why if the invention is destroyed his legacy fails the same way it is with you as God's Perfect Design God makes it critically clear in the book of Jeremiah that he has a plan for you a plan for good and not for evil that plan is your destiny and on the journey toward your destiny there are particular people God will bring your way to help and make the journey easier and lighter on the other hand there are also people who will bring themselves into
your life and others will be sponsored by the enemies of your destiny to detract from distract from and derail your destiny this is why God told us in the Bible to pray for the spirit of discernment because the days will become very frequent when you will need to use it God only brings particular people into your life for very specific reasons your spiritual antenna has to be very apt and in tune with your spirit of discernment so that you can sieve through the different people who will come into your life that way by the guidance
of the Holy Spirit you can know who to keep in your life and who to let go for your Destiny's sake there are qualities that you look out for in the people God approves into our lives people who are loyal especially during the tough times loyalty is the Hallmark of every genuine relationship friendships and alliances are useless without loyalty on either side because without it no agreement is safe the people God brings into your life will be loyal to your course and your life it does not mean they will agree with you every time but
they will believe in you so much that even when you seem to be going through rough times and your decision making is being impaired by your adversities they'll Stand By Your Side to guide you down the right path Proverbs 17 17 says a friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity when you notice that the people who come into your life don't have this quality child of God avoid them everything in your life might depend on this times will come when you will need them to stand by you and they'll side
with your enemies those were the kind of people job surrounded himself with and when the devil came at him they all told him to curse his God and die including his wife but job knew the work of Destiny and he held on before the darker days come do not make the mistake job made remove disloyal people from your circle now people who don't cause Strife or gossip I'll tell you a little story about someone I used to call a friend he always came to my house after school to play games with me and chill out
with my family I had this other boy next door who I had this very huge ongoing fight with and every time my supposed friend would come to my house he would go straight to my enemy's house and tell him exactly where I would pass on my way to school the next day I was ambushed by this guy so many times and I just couldn't place my hands on why he always knew my plans a day came and my enemy fell out with my friend and my enemy came straight to me and told me how my
friend was always telling him my plans for the next day I was crushed in retrospect now it is funny when I think about how childish we were but the lesson remains Proverbs 16 28 says a perverse person stirs up conflict and a gossip separates close friends you do not need anyone who stirs up problems and quarrels for you to handle they will destroy your destiny with so many unnecessary fights and battles and you'll have less energy to face your destiny people who are honest honesty builds a nation honesty builds a society honesty builds relationships honesty
builds a man the worst thing that can happen to a man's Destiny or daily life as it were is to be surrounded by lying tongues and sycophants God doesn't want us to befriend duplicitous or hypocritical people God wants us to really understand that when you see someone burning others you'd be a fool to think you're Fireproof honest people around you are an underrated blessing when the whole world sings your praise and you are caught up in the euphoria at the Pinnacle of your success when people are all Gathering and celebrating your life that is when
you need honest people around you if the rich old Merchant in the parable of Lazarus the Pauper had honest people around him they would have told him that night that he was challenging God to his glory once again God doesn't want us to befriend duplicitous or hypocritical people Psalms 26 4 I have not sat with men of falsehood nor will I go in with decemblers honesty is at the core of a successful friendship honest friends are well intentioned toward each other allowing one another to speak openly about their thoughts and be their true selves around
each other a classic example of this scripture is the story of Judas who betrayed Jesus he signaled his arrest with a kiss you need to avoid such toxic people on your journey to Destiny once again the success of your journey will be determined largely by your ability to figure this group of toxic people out and avoid them hear me child of God the Bible says we must not sit in the seat of scoffers neither do we need to sit with wires and troubleshooters light and darkness have nothing to do with each other the presence of
light makes Darkness go away and the absence of light gives the room to Darkness but it is impossible to have light and darkness dwell in the same treat your destiny with the same urgency as light treats Darkness dissipate toxic energy around your circle on a constant basis the book of First Corinthians 5 11 says but now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy an idolater or slanderer a drunkard or swindler do not even eat with such people
remember this we are called to love everyone with the love of God but we are not called into friendship with everyone not everybody you know has to be your friend the scripture we just read gives us examples of the kind of toxic people we should avoid on our journey to Destiny Destinies have been aborted cut prematurely short and rendered permanently fractured because people made the mistake of letting toxic people into their space the Bible tells us to guard your heart with all diligence why because out of it flows the matters of life hear me child
of God do whatever it takes to keep your heart guarded a man who loses his heart before a fight has already lost the fight before the first punch is thrown your life might not be going exactly the way you pictured it check the people around you who has your ears who are you listening to who is speaking into your life where does your counsel come from where and with whom are you sitting remember this the quality of people you allow into your life will determine the quality and quantity of information that enters your life the
quality and quantity of information that will enter your life will determine the quality of knowledge you acquire and knowledge will translate into wisdom you need to execute your destiny in the right pattern God has called us to a perfect ending and this ending requires your guardianship from any known possible threat to it it is our duty that we owe to ourselves to protect our lives from anything that will destroy them and toxic people represent one of the greatest threats to our destinies this is what the Bible in Revelation 12 12 has been saying all along
the verse reads therefore Rejoice you heavens and you who dwell in them but woe to the earth and the Sea because the devil has gone down to you he is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short this verse is very explicit and it tells us why the world is the way it is today where this verse says woe to the Earth in the sea because the devil has gone down to you we can establish that the devil is now on Earth but that's not the only thing it says it also tells
us that since he's been thrown down to earth the devil's angry because his time is short so he knows he has a short time before the end of the world when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to rescue his people once and for all and take them to be in heaven with him you can also understand from these words that the time is not only short for the devil but also short for us here on Earth could this be the reason why the devil's more actively introducing different kinds of sin and evil into this world
than has ever been seen before I believe that it is the reason remember that this verse isn't talking about a future event yes the Book of Revelation is full of imagery symbolism and literal messages in this verse is one with both a historical meaning and a prophetic warning you see it speaks of the war in heaven when Lucifer also known as Satan the dragon or the devil along with all of his angels fought against the other Angels led by the Archangel Michael the angels of God defeated and cast out Satan and his own Angels who
would later become demons out of heaven and down to earth now having been cast out Satan knowing he can't defeat God is out to cause chaos on the jewel of God's creation humanity and wreak havoc on Earth I remember watching a wildlife documentary some years ago it was about a rhinoceros who was tranquilized captured and taken into a reserve to keep its species from poachers who were hunting them to Extinction by the calculations these Wildlife experts knew that they only had a short time before the Rhino would wake up and hurt anyone at saw and
they were right as soon as they settled it down and were scrambling to safety over fences the Rhino woke up and charged at the nearest expert who successfully evaded and shut the gate just as the Rhino slammed into it this is how the devil is operating now like an angry animal recently released he's on a rampage across the Earth furiously seeking to destroy everything in his path thus we see why Peter wrote in his letter to the Saints which includes Us in First Peter 5 8. be alert and sober of mine your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour Jesus also warned us in Matthew 26 41. Watch and Pray so that you will not fall into temptation the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak the devil's not a lion only Jesus is called The Lion of the tribe of Judah in the Bible however the enemy just like a lion or like the Rhino I talked about earlier prowls the Earth seeking revenge against God by Leading Souls astray from the truth apart from his time being short the devil is also angry because he
was once an angel of God who was cast out of heaven for rebellion and pride and since then he's been waging his own war against the Lord by deceiving the world and leading Souls into destruction the devil knows that God loves his creation man but he also knows that God will judge sin and anyone who turns away from God will end in damnation this is why he came and brought deception to Adam and Eve by tempting them to eat the forbidden fruit thus turning them against God and causing them to bring God's Wrath on themselves
this is how sin was brought into the world as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5 12 therefore just as Sin entered the world through one man and death through sin and in this way death came to all people because all sinned and this is why sin and evil are rampant all over the world today regardless of race background or social status the devil hopes to condemn everyone to Eternal damnation through the evils Temptations and weaknesses of the flesh however saints of God you need not worry why because Jesus has already won the victory for
our Salvation on the cross of cavalry you see even though Revelation 12 12 tells us where and why all the evils Abominations and Chaos in the world today are on the increase we can find comfort in these words in first John 5 4. for everyone born of God overcomes the world this is the victory that has overcome the world even our faith as well as first John 4 4. you dear children are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world the
only people who should worry about the threat of the devil on Earth are those who haven't come to Jesus and surrender yet as long as the Life of Christ is in you you have a Hope of Victory over the deceptions and evils the devil will throw your way why because through your faith in Jesus in his finished work on the cross you are now a partaker in his victory over the devil as a Believer we take comfort in the fact that Jesus has already won the victory over sin and Satan and through him we have
the power to resist the Temptations and evils of this world let us therefore stand firm in faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ why because he's promised that those who hold on to him to the end will be rewarded for all eternity Matthew 24 13. but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved in other words Jesus is our security in these last days this short time before God wraps everything up in history forever there will be great troubles these are not troubles caused by God but troubles caused by the devil
as a final Act to lead many Souls astray the world will be engulfed in a great darkness and Believers will face enormous spiritual opposition and temptations to compromise their faith but those who stand firm in their faith in Christ will be preserved and delivered don't lose your focus on Jesus my friend remember he's our security he's our hope there is no hope anywhere else but in him the Bible tells us that with Christ in us we have hope of glory this means that there's a whole eternity of Shame and regret awaiting anyone who turns away
from or lives their lives apart from Christ Jesus when Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins he called five of them wise and the other five foolish yes they were all virgins connoting Purity which is a symbol of the Christian faith however what made some wise and some foolish was that one group carried extra oil that would keep their fire burning and the other didn't and their lights went out before the arrival of the bridegroom when they went out to get fresh oil in return they were too late and the door was no longer
open for them in these last days we need to ask God for more wisdom the Bible tells us that wisdom helps us to redeem the time to make the most of it so that we're not taken unaware who are the people the Bible calls wise people the wise are not the ones who are just looking to see the signs of the Lord coming they are not the ones who only call themselves believers no the wise are those who see the signs but focus more on standing in the Lord than other things you see in these
last times many will fall asleep in the faith many more will be deceived and go after other things outside God yet you must decide to hold on to Jesus and stand on the word Jesus told us that in the last days many people will claim to be the Messiah some will come in the lord's name and will deceive many but as followers of the lord we must remember that our Lord already told us about this we must never be tricked by them remember that Jesus said that on that day not everyone who says Lord Lord
will enter his kingdom he said only those who do the will of the father will enter we ought to live our lives like people who are ready for the Lord's return at any moment waiting for him to fulfill his promise to us let us rejoice each time we think about this why because like a bride and groom longing to see each other on the day of their wedding the Saints will be United with the Lord forever when he comes for us so keep your eyes on Jesus dear friend keep seeking Jesus knowing him praying and
walking in his word for us to survive we must be filled with and led by his spirit if the Lord's Spirit lives in you he will guide you in Christ Jesus the way the truth and the light do everything in your power and with faith in God's power not to miss Heaven it's the only place to be there you won't have to deal with those things we deal with every day on the Earth In Heaven There are true peace true freedom and Limitless possibilities not for only a few years but for all eternity and then
there's hell many people who didn't believe in Heaven or Hell only ended up finding out later hell's not a place you want to go it's pain and sorrow and torment forever keep declaring your faith boldly and praying for the unsaved to turn back to the Lord Focus all your time and energy on making Jesus your center when you do this the signs will be clearer your focus will be Keener and you can draw more and more Grace from the Lord to remain standing until he comes and takes us to be with him in heaven forever
not every gift you receive will bring good into your life some gifts are trapped sent by the enemy to get you into trouble you need the spirit of discernment to recognize devilish and evil gifts so that you can avoid their traps the world we live in is a complicated place there are different kinds of people with different intentions towards you your favorite Associates today may be the ones who turn against you tomorrow your most trusted allies today may turn into your worst enemies tomorrow the downfall of many well-meaning individuals has often been because of their
inability to see that their closest relationships were digging a pit for them in Micah chapter 7 we see the prophet speaking about a narrative in his day that we can quite relate with today Micah chapter 7 verses 2 through 3 says the faithful have been swept from the land not one upright person remains everyone lies in wait to shed blood they hunt each other with Nets both hands are skilled and doing evil the ruler demands gifts the judge accepts bribes the powerful dictate what they desire they all conspire together then in verses five through seven
it concludes with these words do not trust a neighbor put no confidence in a friend even with the woman who lies in your Embrace guard the words of your lips for a son dishonors his father a daughter Rises up against her mother a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a Man's enemies are the members of his own household but as for me I watch and hope for the Lord I wait for God my savior my God will hear me the fact that you have good intentions for everyone may not mean that everyone who comes into your life
would have good intentions for you some people who come into your life may not be sent by God but by the devil to cause Havoc one way or another in your life Samson may have loved Delilah but he didn't know she was being used by the enemy to discover his secret to use it to destroy him as much as Samson had his shortcomings and wasn't so wise we can tell that he truly loved her the Bible itself records that it broke his heart that she wasn't happy without knowing his secret he couldn't deal with hurting
her and so he opened himself up to her in that single action destroyed his life it may seem like Samson didn't collect any gift from her and so that doesn't count but the truth is that it does count you see gifts are more than just presents wrapped with ribbons or in decorated packages a gift can come in any form a presence a person a gesture a word or an activity whichever form of gift comes in its purpose is to give you a sense of appreciation and to benefit you one way or another this is why
you can call your relationships with friends and family gifts that is why you can call a job a gift too their presence in your life brings a great benefit and helps you in a special way knowing this you need to understand that not every gift whether of things events or relationships should be accepted why is this because some of them are sent by the devil Satan has no good intention for you whatever he sends or brings into your life comes for one purpose to steal kill and destroy John chapter 10 verse 10 says the thief
comes only to steal and kill and destroy I have come that they may have life and have it to the full while growing up we were always told not to talk with strangers or to take things from them I did not understand but As I Grew Older I became grateful that I obeyed those instructions see well not all strangers are evil you are less likely to fall into the hands of dangerous people when you deal with everyone at arm's length many children my age were kidnapped and never seen again because they failed to heed this
warning the word of God tells us that it is possible for someone to give you a gift with a curse in his heart towards you Proverbs chapter 23 verses 6 through 8 says do not eat the food of a begrudging host do not crave his Delicacies for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost eat and drink he says to you but his heart is not with you you will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments even as adults today God is still issuing this
warning to us stop accepting every gift not everyone should get access into your life yes be approachable yes be friendly be kind to all people but do not open yourself up to everything lest you be a victim to Satan's wickedness listen Bible tells us to always give especially to the needy however it doesn't instruct us to always accept all things let me give you an example when David was going to fight Goliath did you know that the King Saul gave him his own armor and sword to use against the philistine that may have looked like
a harmless gesture you could say that Saul was only trying to help but do take note that at that time the spirit of God had left the king and he was mostly under the influence of an evil spirit David had accepted that armor and used it to fight Goliath it might have cost him his life David would have put his faith in the armor and sword instead of in God first Samuel chapter 17 verses 38-39 then Saul dressed David in his own tunic he put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on
his head David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around because he was not used to them I cannot go in these he said to Saul because I am not used to them so he took them off sometimes respectfully declining gifts will save you from many troubles if David had survived with this armor the glory wouldn't have gone to God he would probably not have reached the level of Faith he had in his life that he reached from trusting God to always preserve him there are many reasons some people will give you
gifts if you know these reasons it will help you organize some people in your life the right way as well as trust God to know whose gifts to accept and who's to reject one some gifts are given out of kindness and admiration they give you gifts because they genuinely love respect or appreciate you two some gifts are given to seek favor or access to you or what you can offer these people do not necessarily love or care about you what they truly care about is what you have to offer them or what they hope to
gain you may see such an organizations where people seek to cut Corners gifts may come in the form of bribery where Justice would be averted something the Bible condemns Exodus chapter 23 verse 8 says do not accept a bribe for a bribe blinds those who see and twist the words of the innocent also these kinds of gifts are used to lure unsuspecting individuals by Predators who abuse or use them for their own desires they also appear harmless but they are bait used to destroy innocent victims three some gifts are meant to implicate you there are
people who steal cheat or Swindle others then share part of it with others with the intention that if they were ever caught those people would take the fall for them these also appear harmless to the unsuspecting individual but the truth is that they can destroy whole careers families and destinies this is common in many organizations among staff and Executives many innocent workers have been implicated by colleagues simply because at one point they were shown to have collected a gift from them not knowing that it was stolen these also involve those gifts meant to ruin a
person's character and name an individual surrounded by jealous colleagues may experience this some gifts won't come because they respect or love you but to plant things on you that they can use against you dear child of God your heart may be filled with kindness and love as is supposed to be since you are in Christ however the Lord wants you to grow in wisdom so that you will know how you should conduct yourself everywhere you are this is why you need to develop a strong relationship with the Holy Spirit when you spend time praying in
tongues reading and meditating on the word of God and fasting your spiritual senses will be sharper you'll be able to tell when something is not right and you can ask God to tell you what to do at that time sometimes the Lord May permit you to accept the gift but never use it other times you may have to reject it this may be difficult especially if you want to try to make everyone happy but it is better that God is pleased and you are safe in his will and another person is unhappy than that they
are happy while your peace and safety are threatened take these words to heart as a warning from God to you a gift may be coming your way and God wants you to know that not every gift comes from him when God blesses you it doesn't come with restlessness or sorrow rather it is good and brings peace Proverbs chapter 10 verse 22 says the blessing of the Lord brings wealth without painful toil for it meaning when it doesn't come from him it won't add positive value to your life and you will suffer for having it if
you are trusting God for favor and provision don't be in a hurry to go through everything that looks like an Open Door someone once said even prisons have doors this means that what you are entering may seem like an open door but it is a door into captivity not Liberty I pray that God uses these words to stir your heart to seek him more and more for a spirit of discernment exercise your faith in your spiritual life daily let your senses be heightened in the spirit so that when God is speaking to you you will
hear follow him how do you know when you're in the presence of evil I mean it's not like a scary movie where a devil horn appears and the room suddenly feels icy and cold no it's more subtle than that you might feel an uneasiness within you a strong urge from the holy spirit that tells you that you're in the wrong place and that's a sign you should never ignore but what about when the evil is more subtle like it's within a person well you're in luck because we're going to tell you all about it first
up we have the people who Embrace and almost worship their sin now let's get one thing straight we all sin every one of us but there's a difference between someone who recognizes their sin and is actively working to change and someone who just flat out enjoys it these are the people who not only indulge in sinful activity but also encourage others to join in with them and let's be real they're not hard to spot they're the ones at the club every weekend the ones with the constant foul language and the ones who always seem to
be in the middle of some drama and here's the kicker the Bible tells us to avoid these people like the plague now before you start thinking that we're being judgmental let's take a look at what the Bible has to say about it first Corinthians chapter 5 verse 11. but actually I have written to you not to associate with any so-called Christian brother if he is sexually immoral or greedy or is an idolater devoted to anything that takes the place of God or is a reveler who insults and Slanders or otherwise verbally abuses others or is
a drunkard or a swindler you must not so much as eat with such and if that's not clear enough for you let me break it down the Bible is telling us to steer clear of those who indulge in sin those who have made it a lifestyle it's not about judging them or being better than them it's about protecting ourselves from the Temptation they might try to offer us look I get it we all want to be loved and accepted and sometimes we think that hanging out with these people will make us feel like we belong
but let me tell you something friend that's a trap these people don't care about you or your well-being they care about themselves and their own selfish desires so don't fall for their lies stay strong stay true to yourself and your faith and avoid these kinds of people like the plague because at the end of the day you're the only one responsible for your own happiness and your own salvation next up we all have those people in our Lives who make us feel like we're walking on eggshells they constantly blame us for everything that goes wrong
even if it's not our fault if you can relate to this listen up because these types of people are trying to harm you and you need to avoid them at all costs you might not realize it but these people are extremely manipulative they use tactics like fear anxiety guilt and shame to control you they don't care about what's best for you they're just looking out for themselves and if they're treating you like this now it's only going to get worse in the future if you find yourself shouldering responsibility for things that you know aren't your
fault it's a major red flag you're not in a healthy relationship and it's time to take a step back and evaluate what's going on don't let this person make you feel like you're always in the wrong because honestly that is almost a gateway to sin and here's the thing you should never have to change who you are for someone else if you can't relax and be yourself around this person that's a major problem you deserve to be with someone who accepts you for who you are flaws and all you shouldn't have to tiptoe around them
or walk on eggshells just to avoid conflict so if you're in a relationship with someone who's making you feel like you're always to blame it's time to cut ties it might be tough but in the long run it's the best thing for you don't let someone else's toxic Behavior bring you down you deserve to be with someone who treats you with respect love and kindness remember you are a child of God and you deserve to be with someone who recognizes your worth then we have the type the ones who bring you down instead of lifting
you up the ones who were always negative and always seem to have an agenda the ones with this Spirit are trying to harm you and it's important to avoid them at all costs now you might be wondering who are these toxic people well according to Proverbs chapter 24 verses 1 and 2 they are the evil ones yes I said evil but don't worry we're not here to start a Witch Hunt evil in this context refers to sin and if we're honest we all know what that looks like it's the person who is always talking about
other people always trying to bring them down to feel better about themselves it's the person who is always boasting about their material possessions and judging others who don't have as much it's the person who is always negative always bringing up drama and always trying to start trouble now I know what you're thinking it's not always easy to spot these people especially when they're wearing a mask of friendship that's why it's important to be attentive to listen to your intuition and to be careful around such people as a child of God we know that bad company
ruins good morals that's why it's important to take every measure to not expose yourself to people who can potentially disturb your walk with God but let's be real avoiding toxic people is easier said than done sometimes we find ourselves wanting to fit in or craving the company of certain people even if they're not good for us it's tempting to want to be a part of that but as the Bible says we should not desire to be with them so my dear friends let's make a pact to avoid toxic people and instead surround ourselves with those
who bring out the best in us let's surround ourselves with people who encourage us to be better who uplift us and who make us feel good about ourselves because at the end of the day life is too short to spend it with people who don't value US or respect us next up we have the ones with a religious spirit now I know what you're thinking but wait aren't we supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves yes you're right but some neighbors are Best Loved from a distance let me explain these religious spirit types are the
ones who are so focused on the rules and regulations of their faith that they forget about the most important thing having a genuine relationship with the Lord they replace their faith with their works and that's where the problem lies these types can be a danger to our faith because they are so preoccupied with the systems and how things ought to be done that they forget about the main thing you see a religious spirit hardens the hearts of people against God and that's not something we want to mess with the Bible even warns us about these
types of people in second Timothy chapter 3 verse 4 to 5. where it says that in the last days men will be treacherous Reckless swollen with conceit lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having the appearance of godliness but denying its power but before you go shunning them away and condemning them remember that we are called to love our neighbor we can still love them from a distance by praying for them interceding on their behalf and going before the Lord so that they may be set free from their religious spirit see a true Christian
won't condemn anyone because they understand that they themselves have been given Mercy and so we should extend that same Mercy to others their religious spirit types are a big No-No in your dating life keep your eyes open and stay alert because they can be tricky to spot but with a little bit of discernment and a whole lot of prayer you'll be able to avoid them like the plague
