Who Are the People That Surround You?
Do you remember growing up and hearing your mother or grandmother tell you to watch who you hang out with because you will become just like those people? Sometimes you may have heard that it is guilt by association. Chances are you are innocent, but no one will see that because of the people surrounding you. And there were also times when those much wiser told you that if you associate with something or someone enough, it is who you become. You may have heard the older folks say “If you lie with dogs, you get fleas.” Or you may have heard, “If you mess with trash, trash gets in your eyes.” Good or bad, there are influences, and if we choose not to heed the advice of others, we sometimes suffer the consequences and are left to wonder why things have turned out a certain way. How do you choose the people that surround you? We tend to surround ourselves with certain people in work, social, and religious settings because they have similar personalities, attitudes, or beliefs. We could have a deep respect and admiration for them, or these people may feel a void that you have.
Have you heard the song “One is the Loneliest Number,” the slogan, “Better Together,” or the scripture “where two or more are gathered?” There is an underlying belief that there is strength in numbers, but the question is who makes up those numbers? When you pray, there is an expectation that your prayers will be answered. Even in numbers, when you pray, do you ever stop to ask why your prayers aren’t being answered if you believe that God will do it? According to Pastor YPJ, “The reason we don’t see the manifestation of our prayers is not that we aren’t praying the right prayers, we are praying with the wrong people. God wants us to come in agreement with like-minded people who walk by faith.” It is a reminder that prayer may be ineffective with a group of people who are not believing or praying. and wanting the same thing that you do. Be careful who is praying for, with, and over you because not everyone wants what is best for you. When you feel stagnant in growing your faith, “Your environment and your circle will dictate the consistency of your thinking.” There is a call to pray, and a need to prey.
There are people who truly want you to receive blessings, and they sincerely pray for better things for you. This is the community that you want to surround you. These are the brothers and sisters who will lovingly correct if you are wrong, offer a different perspective that you may not have thought about, or pray for you just because.
But there are also people who will pray for you, lay hands on you, and speak a word over you, but not every person wants to speak well over your life. If these are individuals that you have trusted, a great sense of betrayal comes with burning questions. What did I do to them to make them not want the best for me? Why are they coming for me? What are they jealous of in my life? How do I trust people to pray for me again? When we come across these types of people, we need to take a lesson from Ephesians 6 and equip and dress for the ensuing battle.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-17).
Yes, there are people who dislike you and don’t know you. There are people who think that you are spoiled and had too much of the good life. We call that jealousy. There are those that have the desire to control and manipulate you. Yes, we must keep in mind that there are people with a covetous spirit that want your car, your clothes, your house, your job, your children, and even your spouse. Yet, these are the same people who pray for you, but in actuality, they prey on you. Please keep in mind when praying doesn’t feel authentic and sincere, these are the people preying on you. And what they have failed to remember is that nothing is sustainable if it was not theirs to have in the beginning.
We must select those that surround us with care. It is okay to walk away if it doesn’t feel like a relationship that needs to be pursued or if your inner spirit sends alerts. The same principle applies to your home, work, and church environment. Our environment dictates our language and our actions. We may enter a situation thinking that we have the strength to resist temptation and other obstacles, but we are not surrounded by people to help form that army of resistance. Dr. Tony Evan says when we have been removed from the covering ( the prayerful environment), that is when the enemy swoops into our lives, and we become prey. We must never assume that we can do life alone or undertake missions alone. We must remain vigilant of those that prey! “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).
Know the difference between a prayer of the word and the preyer of people. “Stand firm means staying in an area where victory has already been achieved.” Dr. Tony Evans.
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