Divine Insight: The power of discerning relationships

Jonah 1:7

THE Bible shows us that relationships carry both blessing and curses. In the story of Jonah, the men on the ship heading to Tarshish immediately sensed trouble in the waves.

They realized something was spiritually wrong and said, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this trouble” (Jonah 1:7).

When the lot fell on Jonah, they understood that   it was Jonah who has caused this misfortune.

The wrong person can sometimes bring a spiritual storm into an environment.

This truth still applies today. There are people who, when they enter your life, unintentionally carry clouds of misfortune that affect your progress.

Scripture shows us this pattern again and again. When Jezebel entered Israel, she brought idolatry, turmoil, and famine.

Yet we also see the opposite — relationships that carry favor and divine impartation.

When David connected with Jonathan, the rightful heir to the throne, grace and favor shifted toward David; their covenant opened the door for David to walk into kingship (1 Samuel 18:1–4).

Relationships are not neutral. There are people who, when you connect with them, bring peace, clarity, and growth — and others who bring confusion, loss, and delay.

That is why discernment is so important.

The Word of God is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

The Word itself becomes the greatest tool for discernment, revealing what human wisdom cannot.

The more a believer is rooted in scripture, the easier it becomes to recognize the difference between relationships that give life and those that drain it.

The Bible also declares, “He who walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

The people you walk with shape the outcomes of your life.

God uses people to lift you, but the enemy also uses people to delay or destroy what God is building in you.

Whenever God promotes or elevates a person, the enemy often sends wrong connections disguised as help, friendship, or opportunity.

Jesus taught that while men slept, “the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat” (Matthew 13:25).

Those tares can represent wrong relationships — people sent to choke your growth or disrupt your direction.

Every promotion attracts both divine helpers and counterfeit connections.

It takes discernment to know which is which.

Discernment is not suspicion; it is spiritual clarity.

It allows you to sense whether a connection carries God’s presence or another agenda.

A discerning heart can feel when peace accompanies a person’s presence, or when unrest follows them.

The Spirit of God gives that sensitivity to those who stay in the Word and in prayer.

If you lack wisdom, the Bible invites you to ask: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously” (James 1:5).

Not everyone is meant to be part of your inner circle.

There are key people ordained by God to bring favour, strength, and alignment to your destiny, and there are others who will test, distract, or destroy.

Choosing wisely is necessary for fulfilling the destiny God has planned.

My prayer is that God gives you a discerning heart so your relationships become channels of grace, not gateways of struggle.

May you connect with the right voices, be shielded from wrong influences, and walk into the divine connections that unlock your next season.

God bless you.

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