There are people in our lives that say they want us to succeed while secretly wanting to see us fail. These people really want to see you fail even though they act like they only want the best for you. It is important to discern the real intent of these people and be very careful around them. They want to be close to you and know all that is going on in your life but secretly they are hoping and waiting for you to fail so they can say “I told you so.”

Does this ring true in your life? My guess is that it probably does for most all of us.

I have a friend from some years back like this. When he is around me, I could not ask for a more encouraging friend but in his eyes I see what he really desires. I was and am always very careful around him. It doesn’t mean he can’t be my friend anymore, it just means that I will not confide in him the important things in my life. When we are together I keep the conversation very summary and only discuss surface areas of my life.

You ask how you can tell. The answer is that the Holy Spirit that lives in you and me gives you the gift of discernment. The Holy Spirit is talking to you all the time but we may just not be tuned in. Have you ever been in a store or somewhere and you just felt something was off? You just got up and left? That is the spirit leading you.

I guess the point of the blog is to be careful who you let into your inner circle. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the discernment of those around you and then have the courage to act on it. Many times I have been around people in business meetings and conferences where I just excuse myself and walk away. Even in your church there are people like what I am talking about. There are ones you trust and then the ones where there is just that little something that makes you keep them at arm’s length. There is nothing wrong with this. Rather it is prudent to be aware of those around you. Some are friends and some are foes. It’s the foes that you want to be careful of. KT