Some relationships are not meant to be, but we are meant to be at peace with all men.
I have had some turbulence in my past relationships. Some of those relationships were very dear to my heart, but the enemy managed to infiltrate into our lives, and he turned beautiful unions sour. Had I paid more attention to the word of God, then I would have been more vigilant and better prepared to handle difficult situations that arose against us. The truth is, God has warned us in his word to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8. If I don’t do what I should have done in the first place as a child of God, then I will be giving the devil a chance to attack my relationships.
We ought to intentionally bring God into all our relationships as much as we bring him into other areas of our lives because this is the most fragile and could be the most difficult area of our lives. When we commit our relationships into God’s hands, we acknowledge the God of the universe as the king in that relationship. When we invite God’s presence into our midst, we begin to live in a position of authority rather than that of defeat. When we bring God into our relationships, he gives us the wisdom we need to deal with any arrows of doubts, inferiority complex, identity issues, and darts the devil might want to throw at us.
Our focus on God is very critical to having healthy, godly relationships. When we focus on God’s purpose concerning our relationships, he comes in to dwell, and he brings his genuine love with him. He brings the grace to flourish in our relationships and showers us with his peace that surpasses all understanding. When we commit our relationships into God’s hands, we acknowledge the God of the universe as the king in that relationship. When we invite God’s presence into our midst, we begin to live in a position of authority rather than that of defeat.
Apostle Paul said, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). I have since come to the realisation that we are not dealing with the physical human being when we engage with people but that we are engaging with a spiritual being. Our fights are never in the physical but in the spiritual. We must be proactive in prayer by regularly declaring God’s peace with his love over each relationship. When we do this, we deal with difficult situations that could have occurred in the physical before it ever happened in the spiritual. We are not dealing with human beings but spirit beings, and we ought to engage accordingly. There is a spirit behind that individual who causes you aggravation, and your focus should be on that spirit rather than the individual. The truth is, when we do what we should do, we will live as we should.
Declaring God’s peace and the love of God over our relationships is a sure way to counter the devil’s attack in all our relationships. It will yield godly fruits because this is God’s plan and his will for his children. We have a God who lives and thrives in godly relationships. His peace and his fellowship are God’s way of bringing his children together to help us live fulfilled and to conquer the world, but the devil prowls all day long, looking for relationships to devour. The devil’s plan is to sow discord and scatter beautiful union so that God’s purpose for those relationships cannot be fulfilled.
As much as we can see the failures, weaknesses and mistakes of others or the wrongs of others done against us, we need to come to the realisation that none of our loved ones ever set out to hurt us intentionally, and all those hurts were nothing short of the devil’s attack. If things were to really work out between us all, then we should continue to pray consistently over our relationships with people because this is God’s will. He wants you and I to enjoy His peace, unity, love and harmony in our relationships.
If God has created us to be co-dependent and interdependent on one another, then He wants us to enjoy our relationships. Whenever we have robust arguments with friends, families, neighbours, co-workers, church members or acquaintances, let us remember to do three things: first, check ourselves – where have we gone wrong? Let us examine our lives, our actions and our motives – where have we left a loophole that the devil is using – because he’s always at work in sowing wars where there should be love, and thirdly, let us check with God – He may have allowed us to go through that situation because he wants to teach us a lesson or two in our relationships.
If you’re finding it hard in your relationships like I did, there is a way to manage things: to speak God’s peace over your relationships, speak the Word of God over yourself, and change your world for the good. Let us claim God’s peace and love over all our loved ones.
Day 1
I declare God’s peace over all my relationships and pray that they are filled with calmness, friendship, and harmony. Henceforth, we will no longer be at loggerheads or engage in strife, violence, hostility and misunderstanding but we will live together in unity, in friendship, in godly agreements, and we will walk in God’s love as our hearts are bound together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14) to fulfil God’s purpose and to advance the kingdom of God.
Day 2
I declare that God’s love will increase in my relationships, and as we walk in accordance with God’s plan for our lives, we will experience God’s help in being patient and in being kind towards one another. We will no longer live in unforgiveness, and neither will we engage ourselves in idle talks that break the heart, but we will dwell together, united in the spirit as we speak words that edify one another in God’s word.
Day 3
I declare that each individual person will develop the character to stay true to who God created us to be, and we will not operate in envy, jealousy, boastfulness or pride, but instead, we will receive the grace to be humble and honouring one another as the bride of Christ.
Day 4
I declare that each person whom God has connected me with as a friend, a colleague, a family member or an acquaintance will walk in selflessness and forgiveness through the grace of God that has been made readily available to us. I declare that none of us will be easily angered but we will exercise self control for as long as God gives us for this is the way of God’s love to us all.”1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Day 5
I declare over everyone in my life that this morning will bring the word of God’s unfailing love to your heart and your mind. I declare that you will know God’s unfailing love for you as an individual, and you will rely on God’s love for you in each passing day. May you live in the love of God and abide in God as he abides in you (Psalm 143:8, 1 John 4:16).
Great post 🙂