Are you ready for the next “story behind the story”? Then let’s proceed and build on our first two life lessons.
Life Lesson #3 – Not everyone who enters your life is ordained by God or intended to stay.
Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’” (1 Kings 13:15-17)
As we’ve already discovered, spiritual discernment is critical when determining who God has ordained as part of our lives and who has inserted themselves along the way. Many over-used clichés speak to this. Don’t make someone a priority who considers you an option. Beware of fair-weather friends. Surround yourself with people who will defend you when you are absent. True friends walk in when the rest of the world walks out. Some people are assigned while others are attached. Certain people are intended while others are inserted. Some seek the glory without understanding the story. To reiterate, spiritual discernment is critical to understanding your purpose and engaging with people who are aligned with, and encouraging of that purpose.
But the caution remains to avoid surrounding ourselves with flatterers or “yes men.” Let’s be ever mindful of the children’s story about the king with invisible clothes. True friends who care about your well-being will speak loving truth, be trustworthy, and engage in an “iron sharpens iron” environment (Proverbs 27:17).
God’s Supernatural Separation
Another aspect to consider is the seasonality of life’s journey. God’s supernatural separation is never a bad thing – He knows what He is doing. Some separation is the removal of what is detrimental while other times it is for our growth and expansion. It’s been my experience that some people are lifelong journey partners while others are only there for part of the journey. Lifelong encouragers are invaluable. Thank God for them, celebrate them, and cherish them dearly.
But God also brings people along for only specific parts of the journey. Learn from them. Be a blessing to them. Once God makes the separation, accept it as a gift for the journey, pray God’s blessings on them as they go, and stay true to your purpose. We see this in the stories of Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-12) as well as with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41). In both instances, though the separation was painful, it resulted in expanded ministries.
Once we identify our God-ordained purposes, that is our mainstay. It helps us identify those who come along to reinforce our purpose and those who distract, divert, and discourage. Please understand, that this is not about becoming spiritual snobs or thinking our journeys are better than others. Paul warned against thinking too highly of ourselves (Romans 12:3). Elisha and Elijah had separate though similar purposes. Elijah mentored Elisha to prepare him for his own journey. Although Elisha performed twice as many recorded miracles as Elijah, he was not “spiritually higher” because of it. God-ordained purposes are individual and they involve personal accountability before God.
Personal Accountability
God gives each person his or her talents, gifts, resources, opportunities, and time. These are uniquely different for each person. But that doesn’t imply one person is more important. We find that all Christ-followers are part of one body, His Bride, His Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). This body contains many diverse members, serving in different areas, at varying times, for specific purposes – as God pleases. Since it all comes from God, we cannot boast as if we accomplish anything in our own strength or gloat because we may have a more impactful ministry than others. Keep in mind the personal accountability before God.
We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10). There we will face personal accountability for how we lived our lives since regeneration (2 Corinthians 5:10-11). God’s refining fire will test (try, prove) each Christ-follower’s life works to determine eternal rewards and rebukes (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Oh, may we live every day with this in mind.
The God-ordained people who intersect our lives are a blessing and an encouragement. Those who are not, are coordinated by Satan to derail, distract, discourage, and ultimately defeat us. Knowing the difference requires spiritual discernment that we develop consistently in God’s presence, with His Word, by the illumination of His Spirit. The question remains: Do you care more about others’ input than obeying and honoring your God-ordained purpose?
Nate’s book, Called to Christlikeness, not Christianity – Purchase here.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Nate Stevens.
Featured Image by Sawyer Bengtson on Unsplash
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