I had pastored him for a few years. Suddenly, he went incommunicado. I was bothered. I kept trying all his phone lines to no avail. After a few years, he called. “Where have you been?”, I asked. His response surprised me; “I deliberately changed my line so no one could reach me. I had to make some decisions. But now I’m in a mess.”

Friend, relationships are bridges to your next level of success. You are just about four people away from whoever you want to meet and wherever you want to be in life. The portraits of the blessed man in scriptures emphasized his relationship (Psalms 1:1-3). Truly, your net worth is determined by your network.

“And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire from him, that he may be smitten, and die” (2 Samuel 11:15). Who killed Uriah? Some would say it’s David. Others would say it’s Israel’s enemy. But I believe it was that people retired from him. That was the strategy of David. That is the strategy of the devil against people today.

When God wants to bless you, He would connect you with the right people, and when the devil wants to destroy you, he would separate you from the right relationships. You are as strong as your relationship network. A sheep is only vulnerable when he leaves the sheepfold. You must be sensitive to the subtle strategies of the devil to separate you from your destiny company.

“Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king” (Daniel 2:49). Daniel refused to be promoted to a place of vulnerability (Daniel 2:48). He kept his destiny relationship (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) close to him as he moved up the career ladder. It was his strategy for safety and sanity.

“And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them” (Acts 4:23). Do you have your own company? Who do you run to when you are down spiritually or emotionally? Who do you run to when you have battles confronting you? Don’t fight alone when you can win with the right people (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Ephesians 6:12).

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria