Romans 1:11-12 (NLT)

“For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord…I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”

Who are the kinds of people you keep as friends? Even among the brethren, who are the people closest to you; and what impact do you have on them and do they likewise have on you? If your meeting together adds value to “help you grow strong in the Lord,” then that relationship is useful and valuable. If your relationship or visits to the brethren reduces your worth in Christ, decreases your passion for Jesus, and does not challenge you to a higher and deeper walk with the Holy Spirit, then maybe you need to discontinue that relationship.

Relationships amongst God’s people must have a positive healthy effect on our spiritual growth and commitment to His Kingdom. Paul longed to visit the brethren in Rome to encourage them in their faith and to be encouraged by them also. We need to be mutually edifying as God’s people. The one unbiased way to know a healthy spiritual relationship, is to assess if they are helping you in your walk with God or not. Anything and anyone that decreases your commitment and love for Jesus, is not from God.

“Lord, I pray You surround me with people who can speak into my life and challenge me to grow in You. And give me Your discerning Spirit so that I can discontinue relationships that are cancerous and limiting. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”