I heard the story of a renowned purpose coach years ago. While he was in the university, his vision was to finish with a first class. So he made a decision never to hang out with anyone who does not have a similar vision. The result was that he graduated with first class. He tailored his relationship around his dream.
Friend, you need to tailor your relationships around your dream (Proverbs 13:20). You won’t succeed because you have great dreams. You would succeed because you have great relationships to service your dream (Psalms 1:1-3). You don’t rise to the level of your dreams. You fall to the level of your discipline. You need to be disciplined about your relationships.
Relationships will either reduce or increase you. No relationship will leave you the same (Proverbs 27:17). Even what you call casual relationships is not causal. Many of them have made causalities of destinies. When you understand the implications of your relationships on your reality in life and destiny, you would be circumspect in your approach to them (Proverbs 7:7).
A sinner whose best friends are on their way to heaven is more likely to make it to heaven than a saint whose best friends are on their way to hell (1 Corinthians 15:33). Your friends set direction for your life and decide your destiny and destination. Your friends do not only show who you are but also show how you would end (Hosea 7:8-9).
How do you want to end? You can already tell by the people around you at the moment. You cannot make progress hanging around those who are fixated on the past (Philippians 3:12-14). A grounded vehicle will take you nowhere no matter how determined you are to make progress. The genius of successful people is the wisdom of choosing relationships based on where they are headed (Ecclesiastes 10:15).
Relationships must be based on revelation. You won’t know who people are to you until you catch a revelation of what they represent before God and in your life and destiny (Matthew 16:15-18). Many people have thrown away life-changing and destiny-shaping relationships due to lack of revelation. You need to constantly ask God to show you who people are to Him and to you. You will succeed!
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria