Toxic Relationships...

There is a saying, 'Birds of a feather, flock together'...I've heard it for years!  Every so often in my journey, when I need things shaken up in my life, and a positive change to take place, I begin to pray and ask God to remove any THING or PERSON/PERSONS in my life that don't add but take away from my life.  Usually His response wasn't always immediate so I wouldn't recognize the shifting when it would come.  But as sure as the sun is shining in Orlando today, He always took action when I prayed this prayer.  You see, sometimes we think that just because certain things or people have been in our lives for extended periods of time that it will always be that they are present and we have to learn how to deal with them.  I have learned first hand this is absolutely not the case.  Every time I've asked God to remove the negative influences or "suckers" out of my life, HE HAS.  I may not have recognized immediately was what was going on, and fought to keep those friendships, but eventually my eyes would be enlightened and He would remind me of what my prayer was.  I'm learning now, not to fight for what God wants OUT of my life.  When God removes something he always replaces it with something even greater!  God is not a taker but a giver.  He came that we might have LIFE, and have that Life MORE Abundantly!  I had so much JUNK around me, it was INSANE!  I literally was losing my mind.   I was taking medication just to keep my mind in tact.   I had people to make decisions for me, people who did everything for me, people who told me what to think and say 24/7.  What to wear, How to act, who we needed to schmooze, what was important for the Big picture... I wasn't a witness of Christ, I was a product of man!  I found over time that the very thing that man was creating me to be, man was hating!  I had stop thinking for myself and was doing what I was told to do and think and the people that had my ear were creating my future...and that future was a DEAD END!!!  They even wrapped a spiritual bow around it, so they could sell it to me.  


It has taken some time, but, by allowing God to eliminate the unnecessary "suckers" (those who strangle your sense of self by taking from you emotionally, physically & spiritually) in my life, I am Blooming again with a sense of Purpose & Poise that I am LOVING!  When you began to allow God to remove the "suckers" in your life and don't fight to keep them you will hear His voice so much more clearly.  The drama that used to surround you will dissipate and one day you'll wake up and realize where all the chaos was coming from.  I love how the people that claim they want to escape the drama are usually the ones who carry the drama with them everywhere they go.  I've even started praying over my kids lives, that God would remove those dead weights in their lives that would distract them from their purpose & promise.  They don't know what I'm praying and yet, I'm seeing things shifting with their friends and they don't understand what's going on...I'm just smiling and looking up to Heaven, saying, THANK YOU!  He's answering my prayer!


Be prepared if you decide to pray this way, you will go through a season of having little or no friends.  But don't despair, it's just a time where God needs you to himself to get you back on track and teach you what to look for next in new friends.  I went through this period,  I felt lonely and wondered what was wrong with me.  I didn't fit in with the old friends and the new ones I'd meet I didn't have anything in common with.  But, this alone time was about me...getting better,  getting stronger,  teaching me how to hear God's voice and know his Presence in my life, so that when I did start allowing new faces into my life I could appreciate them & they would be a safe haven for me.  


There's a scripture that I love...Whether I turn to the right or to the left, my ears will hear a voice behind me, saying, "This is the way; walk in it" (Isaiah 30:18-21).  I am so glad I can CLEARLY hear His voice now.  I can see drama coming a mile a way, and I just choose another path to walk on.  God always shows me a better way.  Get rid of the "toxic" friendships in your life...it's your life & your choice!  Make it for yourself & your family!