31 Days of Prayer: Your Circle

I have read and heard many different people this year give the same advice to their listening audience: "Know Your Circle" says Trent Shelton to the world, "Know your row," Sophia A. Nelson advises her fans and then on the local level, there have been people I know who have talked about how sometimes you need to change your circle of friends.

So why is it so important to know who you call a friend and to change your circle when necessary? Because not everyone is your friend and it's important to know the difference between someone who is there for you when you are in need and someone who is only around when you can do something to enhance their lives. Sometimes it's hard to tell a true friend from a fake. But that is where the solution comes in...Prayer is the best way to discern a friend from an enemy. Wondering who your true friends are? Pray about it. Seriously! Ask God to give you the spirit of discernment to show you who you need to keep in your life and who you need to let go. Pray and believe then trust you WILL receive an answer from God! You may not hear an audible voice because God speaks to us in many ways-- He may put a poignant thought in your head, send someone your way to say something that gives you an "A-ha!" moment and all of a sudden you know what to do, or God may just speak to your heart.

A lot of times we know what we need to do in life but are scared to do it. So if you KNOW that there are people in your life who are toxic and negative influences and they're hurting you and your progress then maybe it's time to let them go. Sometimes haters can be in your own family, Sophia mentions this in her video blog (Vlog) above and when that's the case...Listen to what Sophia says and then pray about it and allow God's Holy Spirit to lead you to the best solution.

It's important to not only pray for God to remove people who are NOT good for you from your life, but it's also important to ask God to SEND people into your life who ARE good for you! Ask God for true friends. Or maybe just one true friend. The older you get the more you will realize that when it comes to friendships it's not quantity that's important (as in how many friends you have) but it's quality that's key which means it's better to keep company with or two true friends than to be surrounded by a host of fake friends. Trust me, it's one of the best and most refreshing life lessons you will ever learn!

God cares about every detail of your life, that includes who you choose to call "friend". So today, let's pray for friendships. Let's pray for God to strengthen our resolve to not continue talking to or hanging around with people who are not true friends but are enemies in disguise. Let's pray for God to give us the spirit of discernment to know who is a true friend and who is not. And once God has helped us to discern who should stay in our lives as a friend and who should go, let's pray for courage to walk away.

Side note: Remember, letting go of friends who are not good for you does not mean that you have to stop praying for their life and relationship with God. The Bible tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-45). But it does NOT tell us to allow ourselves to continually be used or lied to and stay in the company of people who are hurting us.

Now in conclusion I have to add, if you feel that you have NO friends, you're wrong because Jesus Christ is your truest Friend and He will be there for the rest of your life throughout eternity! 

So be encouraged! God is in control and He knows what's best for you. But it's up to us to stay in touch with God through prayer and study of His Word (The Holy Bible) so that we may discern His will for our lives and then follow His plan. And in case you didn't already know, God's plans are good! :) Read Jeremiah 29:11.