Proverbs 13 v 20, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.”
Colin Nyathi
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’”
No human being can progress in life independently. God designed us to be inter-dependent or inter-linked. The human network is the channel God uses to promote people. In running with a dream or vision, upholding strong and sound relationships is vital.
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Here is a powerful statement: “You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things, the people with whom you associate and the books you read.”
When you associate with people, it is not just a matter of being found together, but a principle of the contagious sharing of life. We share our convictions, belief systems and aspirations. Not every relationship can be inspirational, so we should be selective, especially when it comes to matters of vision and destiny. Relationships will either build us or break us. The choice is ours.
Cut off relationships that will not take you to your destiny. It is recorded in the Bible that “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” Solomon says, if you develop meaningful relationships with wise people, you will eventually become wise. So find wise people and walk with them. “Wisdom calls aloud outside, she raises her voice in the open squares.” “She cries out in the chief concourses. At the openings of the gates in the city, she speaks her words.”
In other words, there are people out there on the streets, who have made grave mistakes in life, but if you are wise, you can learn from their mistakes and avoid the same in your life.
One of the most difficult tasks for a person of destiny or a visionary is one of finding reliable relationships and people one can trust.
God is faithful. If you trust Him to ordain your relationships, He will come through and make divine connections for you.
Some negative associations that we ought to stay away from;
l Visionless people.
“For where there is no vision, people cast off restraint (perish)…” Visionless people die ruthlessly. They have no direction in life, thus, no focus and expectations. They will waste your time. (Dump them).
l Easily-discouraged people.
They do not move by conviction, they may transfer the grasshopper mentality to you. They see obstacles in everything. “…and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” The way you view yourself is the way the enemy will view you.
l Gossipers.
Gossip betrays confidence, so avoid a man who talks too much. “He who goes about as a tale bearer reveals secrets, therefore, do not associate with one who flatters with His lips.” Disassociate yourself with gossipers.
People you need to integrate within your relationship circle
Winners associate with the following people;
l Those who can love you and appreciate you for who you are. “And Jonathan made David re-affirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.”
Jonathan, son of Saul loved David. He loved him unconditionally. The Bible records that he loved David like he did himself. You should also remember that relationships can be developed.
It takes some friendship tests in order to come to the point of true love, and sincerity in a relationship. A true friend is one who has your interest at heart, one who can trust you and openly speak into your life without fear or favour to make you a better person. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
l Those who are going somewhere in life.
You cannot expect yourself to go somewhere in life, even if you have somewhere to go, if you are surrounded by people who are going nowhere. You need relationships that can challenge you, relationships that should always cause the giant within you to arise. They should propel you into an aggressive battle against mediocrity. Visionaries have a sense of direction and purpose. They know where they are going and are able to explain with clarity the dream of their life.
l Those who are positive in life.
Negative-minded people are dream killers. They are murderers of people’s expectations. If you want your life to count, and if you are pregnant with a desire to leave a mark in your generation, which cannot be erased, you need to ensure that you feed on positive issues and not negative ones. Ensure that you surround yourself with people who have a positive fighting spirit and they do not know the language of giving up or defeat.
“Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character.” Quit the company of those with a grasshopper mentality, you will go nowhere with such people. The people you allow to embrace your life ultimately have the greatest impact in your life. Make sure it’s not those with a grasshopper mentality.
l Those who refuse to stop thinking.
Life is a series of challenges. Even if you are a tongue-speaking sanctified charismatic, you will also meet challenges in life. The fact that you have a vision does not mean you stop thinking. Have you ever met people who refuse to think? They become anointed to complain.
They complain about their job, wife, children, ministry, business, pastor, anything. These people are connected to defeat and they are worry warriors. God gave us the five senses to think. Don’t sit on those brains, use them to think.
l Those who can see a gift in a problem.
Every problem has a solution and every solution has a problem, you cannot have one without the other. You do not need to invite problems, there are always there. You will do yourself a favour to just develop an attitude that allows you to see beyond the problem, see the gift instead.
Remember, “God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” All things work out for your good. As a child of God, nothing just happens to you without God knowing anything about it. If it is a bad experience, God can turn it for your good by strengthening you and turning that situation around.
l Those who are highly expectant.
Have you ever come across individuals who have completely given up on life? Their major problem is failure to visualise a positive preferred future for their life. Their visualisation power has been defeated. They cannot see anything good beyond what they are.
What is it that makes a person a winner? What distinguishes those who succeed from those who fail?
Answer — Expectancy. The power of visualisation. The art of seeing things invisible.
The power of association is key in one’s life.
Winners associate with the following;
l Those who can love you and appreciate you for who you are.
l Those who are going somewhere in life.
l Those who are positive in life.
l Those who refuse to stop thinking.
l Those who can see a gift in a problem.
l Those who are highly expectant.
Bishop Colin Nyathi is a senior pastor and founder of Harvest House International Churches.