“Tell me who your friends are and I can tell you who you are going to be”. That’s a saying that a guy I used to work with mentioned to a group of high school African American males in a classroom one day. I believe that him saying this was meant to create the idea that who we chose to surround ourselves with has a significant impact on who we will become. In the bible one of my favorite scriptures that I feel like supports this statement is, proverbs 13:20 NLT which says, “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”
This month as we kick off the start to the second quarter of the year, I believe that God wanted me to remind every reader to be careful about who and what they are surrounding themselves with. Sometimes we are so fortified by the Holy Spirit that Satan has no other way to get to us but through our surroundings. This is why we have to be careful about the friends/people we chose to surround ourselves with and the environments that we place ourselves in. I would like to provide everyone reading this blog with two essential tools that I believe you will need to protect your surroundings throughout the month of April.
This month as we kick off the start to the second quarter of the year, I believe that God wanted me to remind every reader to be careful about who and what they are surrounding themselves with. Sometimes we are so fortified by the Holy Spirit that Satan has no other way to get to us but through our surroundings. This is why we have to be careful about the friends/people we chose to surround ourselves with and the environments that we place ourselves in. I would like to provide everyone reading this blog with two essential tools that I believe you will need to protect your surroundings throughout the month of April.
Discernment
Umbrella
- Though this may come in many different forms, it is often times through what we think is our basic instincts. That gut feeling deep down inside of us telling us “don’t do it”, or making us think twice before we make a final decision. Discernment will allow you to know when to say no and know when to walk away from people or situations that may potentially hinder you from following the pathway that God has called you to. It will also help you feel when something around you has shifted and let you know that it may be time for you to go. I believe that God has blessed everyone with a certain level of discernment but it is up to us to nurture it so that it may grow.
Umbrella
- In the same way that an umbrella is used to protect us from storms or too much exposure to heat, this month, an umbrella, or a safe haven will be needed to protect you from hazardous people and environments. In order to stay in-tune with your gift of discernment and nurture it, you must find a secluded place where you can escape from everything in the world and simply seek God. It is under your umbrella where God will be able to pour into you, provide you with revelation and everything else you will need to protect your surroundings.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We give you total praise. Hallelujah for another day! Hallelujah for another month! Hallelujah for successfully bringing us through the first quarter of 2017! Hallelujah for freedom! Hallelujah for health! Hallelujah for protection! Hallelujah for purpose! Hallelujah for your will! Hallelujah for favor! Hallelujah for always making a way! We give you glory for all that you do and all that we know you will continue to do in our lives. You are amazing! Your are wonderful! We love you! Every impurity that has tried to position itself into a fixed position within our lives, we bind it in the mighty name of Jesus. Cleanse us completely Lord and begin to replenish our hearts, spirits, and minds. We long to make you happy. We long to follow your ways. We long to be obedient. We long to be who we were called to be. Bless us with the ability to block every worldly distraction from our lives. We pray for the spiritual gift of discernment. Bless us with a level of discernment that surpasses our understanding yet resonates with our spirits in a way that is irrefutable. We pray that you expose our safe haven where we can go to distance ourselves from the world and solely seek you. Cover our surroundings with your full armor of protection Lord. Let nothing that is toxic slip between the crevices of the people that we surround ourselves with and the environments that we place ourselves in. Give us strength, power and revelation so that we boldly endure whatever may come. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Heavenly Father,
We give you total praise. Hallelujah for another day! Hallelujah for another month! Hallelujah for successfully bringing us through the first quarter of 2017! Hallelujah for freedom! Hallelujah for health! Hallelujah for protection! Hallelujah for purpose! Hallelujah for your will! Hallelujah for favor! Hallelujah for always making a way! We give you glory for all that you do and all that we know you will continue to do in our lives. You are amazing! Your are wonderful! We love you! Every impurity that has tried to position itself into a fixed position within our lives, we bind it in the mighty name of Jesus. Cleanse us completely Lord and begin to replenish our hearts, spirits, and minds. We long to make you happy. We long to follow your ways. We long to be obedient. We long to be who we were called to be. Bless us with the ability to block every worldly distraction from our lives. We pray for the spiritual gift of discernment. Bless us with a level of discernment that surpasses our understanding yet resonates with our spirits in a way that is irrefutable. We pray that you expose our safe haven where we can go to distance ourselves from the world and solely seek you. Cover our surroundings with your full armor of protection Lord. Let nothing that is toxic slip between the crevices of the people that we surround ourselves with and the environments that we place ourselves in. Give us strength, power and revelation so that we boldly endure whatever may come. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.