When You Need to Move On

Have you ever had toxic people in your life that don’t add to you, but drained you?

English: A dried rose. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had a friend that was someone I looked up to. But whenever I shared with her about what I was doing, she always had a negative comment to make. She wouldn’t encourage me in what I was doing. She was a perfectionist and a control freak. Every time, I left her presence, I would feel bad about myself, and unsure if I had done the right thing. It was difficult, but what I saw was that I valued her opinion more than I valued God.

I soon became less dependent on her for her advice and opinion. We started talking less and less, and became more distant from one another. Sometimes, the Lord will move these people out from your life.

Toxic people always put you down. Even when you accomplish something good, they don’t complement you or they tell you could do a better job. They remain critical of you. They are people that you don’t want in your inner circle, because they formulate what you believe about yourself and your world. When we place people in such high esteem in our lives, we focus more on what they have to say about us, than what God says about us. When they become an “idol” in our lives, their word becomes the bottom line, instead of God.

Birds of a feather flock together. Don’t hang around with toxic people, because you will take on the characteristics of those you hang around with.

God encouraged me through His Word.“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1 NIV

What He showed me was that I had my eyes on a person, more than on Him. If you focus on man, you become like man. Focus on God and you will become Christlike. 

Look around and see if there is are toxic people in you life. Now is the time to release them and let them go. This does not mean that you do not love them or pray for them. Continue to love them and wish the very best for them, but don’t let their toxic nature or critical words get into your heart.

Ask the Lord if there are relationships in your life that need to be altered. You need to release them and let them go, and stop the influence they have in your life.

Heavenly Father, show me who are the toxic relationships in my life. Let all hidden things be revealed so that I may know who it is that you want me to connect with and who not to connect with.

Father, forgive me for allowing certain people to become idols in my life. I repent for this. It is You and only You that has the final say so over who I am and who I will become. I take these people and I place them at the foot of the cross through the blood of Jesus Christ’s forgiving and releasing them.

In Jesus Name, Amen.