Let’s face it, down deep inside we all want friends and to be accepted by others! God wired it into us as humans and anyone who claims otherwise just doesn’t want to admit loneliness  Relationships are a vital part of our lives. The key is to recognize and to cultivate healthy, Godly relationships and to separate ourselves from ungodly ones.

Our relationships should build our confidence in God and ourselves and what He has called us to be. They should motivate us to be the best that we can be for Him and to encourage us to stand strong when we are considering giving up. They should forgive us when we make mistakes and accept us as we are. They should recognize when we are hurting, in need, and be there to lean on when we can’t seem to walk on our own. Above all, they should enable and strengthen us in whatever way possible to grow in our relationship with God and to achieve His will for our lives.

Unfortunately, in our quest to be accepted we “settle” in our relationships. We hangout with people who do not know God and who do not hold our same values. We tell ourselves that we can witness to them. We can change them. When in reality it is they who are changing us.

Take a moment and answer these two questions.

• When you look at the relationships you have with others do they encourage you to become the person that God wants you to be and to achieve what God wants you to achieve in life?
• Or are your relationships tempting you to slip away from what you know is God’s will and to compromise your values?

If you answered yes to question two, take a moment and ask God to give you the wisdom and courage to separate yourself from that relationship. Remember, the most important relationship in your life is God and no one is worth walking away from Him.