I was resting in the bed room when I heard my two daughters ‘holding Church service’ in the sitting room. After singing worship songs, the elder one said, “now let’s begin to pray in tongues”, and they began to speak. I had to listen well to see if they truly meant what they were doing. Of course, they’ve not been baptised, but they ‘spoke in tongues’ for minutes. One spoke my wife’s kind of tongues, the other spoke mine.

Friend, the environment you find yourself will ultimately determine your manifestation. Atmospheres determine happenings. Who and what you consciously or unconsciously expose yourself to will go a long way in determining what your life will become. Like in computing, it is “Garbage In, Garbage Out – GIGO”.

I want to ask you today, what kind of environment do you find yourself? What do you learn from such environments? Who or what is influencing you unknowingly. Don’t forget that atmospheres determine happenings. You cannot live better than the environment you find yourself.

“Don’t be deceived, evil communication corrupts good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). It is better to have a bad life but a good company than to have a good life but a bad company. This is why a sinner whose best of friends are saints has the more likelihood to make it to heaven than a saint whose best of friends are sinners. Your friends do not only tell us who you are but also how you would end.

Don’t be a victim of the wrong atmospheres and relationships. Even if you are ‘fortunate’ to be in a wrong atmosphere by circumstances, you can create your own conducive atmosphere by choice. You can create a good atmosphere inside a bad one. You can create quietness in the midst of chaos. You can cultivate intimacy with God in the midst of perverseness (Genesis 6:5-8, 22).

Samuel was placed in the temple right from birth and a major prophet came out of him as he cultivated intimacy with God (1 Samuel 3:1-11). The Grace of prophecy rubbed off on Saul as he found himself in the company of prophets (1 Samuel 10:5-11). If these two people were elsewhere, they would have become something else. What about you? Are you in the company of prophets or gossips? Are you developing into the man or woman that God has destined you to become?

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria