Vet your visitors

We CAN claim to be victims like Adam did in the garden of Eden or we can take ownership of the personal space the Lord gave us to subdue and bring our life under His governance as obedient children that are eager to please our Heavenly Father.


While it is true that we are very seldom able to chose the people that come over our path we DO have a say in who stays in our life. We also decide how long they stay.


Some time back I heard a statement that went something like this.
“People come into your life for a reason, season, or a lifetime.”
I guess the challenge is trying to. Identify the purpose that someone serves when they come across our path In life. Some show up for a reason like changing our life direction or altering a mindset for us. Other may have more change to bring to our lives and so we may find that these people stay for a season.


A very small portion of new friends stay or remain friends for the rest of our lives. How often are we reminded that we should only allow those who build us up to stay in our lives? I would like to think that our perspective may be too self-serving on most days to be objective enough to guide us into a better future.


In the perfect world, we should be able to know what’s good for us and what is not. That’s not always the case though. Not everything in life that lifts us up is good for us. The same is true about people. Not everyone that comes over our path is going to influence us in the right direction.


A basic thing to know is that people are identified by the fruit they bear or by the outcome of their actions. There is some merit in the saying that one should not judge a book by its cover and ideally one should not base an opinion about a person wholly on their appearance.

Matt 7v16: “you will know them by their fruit. Grapes aren’t gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles, are they?”


Some of the most rational people in the past have presented like absolute lunatics. Notwithstanding the fact that appearance is not absolute it can, and often still serve as a strong point of reference for us.


We need to allow people the opportunity to reveal they’re true colours before we give them the power to impact our lives and futures.
I know that in Romans 8 Paul says that God makes everything work to the good of those who love Him. This does however not make it OK for us to become laid back over who we mingle with on a daily basis.

Romans 8v28: “and we know that for those who believe in God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together for good”


In my experience I have found that people who end up staying in my life are the ones that have:
• cared sincerely when it mattered
• contributed selflessly to meet my needs
• and have needed me earnestly in their tough times.


This same foundation is a sound guide when one aligns with people who may have an influence in your spiritual life. Your spiritual life is yours. It should be shaped by your own beliefs, because you will have to give your own account for it when the time comes.


The secret to surrounding yourself with sound investors in your future is to love sincerely, trust slowly and giving people time to show their true colours.


GOD WANTS EVERYONE OF HIS. CHILDREN TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE LIVES HE GAVE US.


Giving and removing traction of people on our lives is part of being a good steward. We CAN claim to be victims like Adam did in the garden of Eden or we can take ownership of the personal space the Lord gave us to subdue and bring our life under His governance as obedient children that are eager to please our Heavenly Father.


We need to invest in regular study OF God’s word so that we can tell what or who belongs in our lives and what or who does not.


Remember that YOU ARE THE ONLY STEWARD OF YOUR OWN FOOTPRINT IN GOD’S UNIVERSE.


Live your life like you own it because you actually do.