During my communion time with the Holy Spirit, He gave a profound review of all my past lessons, corrections, and growth that have come through walking His set curriculum for my life. Through His instruction, many long-standing questions were answered, spiritual principles became much clearer, and practical wisdom was revealed for navigating the next season of life.

The Holy Spirit emphasised the fact that how we respond to this truth will determine whether we move quickly into the Lord’s ordained purposes or remain delayed by unnecessary cycles and hindrances.

The central pivotal lesson was this that we must stop living our lives to satisfy those who merely want us and instead invest ourselves in those who genuinely love us and love the Lord.

The Holy Spirit highlighted the crucial difference between people who want us for what we possess and the people who genuinely love us. Those who want us only because of what we possess are often constantly seeking our help, encouragement, prayers, support, wisdom, resources, anointing, and undivided ministry.

They continually require our involvement and appear highly appreciative of our gifting, but their pursuit is often motivated by what they can receive from us rather than by genuine love, covenant relationship, or commitment to the Lord. The Holy Spirit reminded me of an early ministry experience in Botswana.

After powerful meetings marked by miracles, signs, and wonders, many of the people discovered where I was staying and began gathering there, seeking more ministry. They continually praised me and expressed how much they valued what the Lord was doing through me.

They however never gave any financial support to me but kept expecting me to keep giving to them. Some even continued coming to the house where I was staying for weeks after I had left, refusing to believe that I was gone.

Through this period the Holy Spirit warned me not to be moved by the praise of men because the people only desired the anointing that was on my life which produced the results, supernatural changes, and blessings in their circumstances. The fact that they kept coming did not necessarily mean they loved the Lord or were committed to His purposes.

Their desire for more ministry could have easily driven me into disobedience by causing me to use the anointing carelessly to satisfy human demands rather than to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit made it clear that as servants of the Lord we do not live to fulfil people’s desires but we live to please the Lord in all that we do. This principle was demonstrated in John 6:26-27, where the crowds diligently searched for Jesus after He fed the five thousand.

On the surface, their desperate pursuit of Jesus appeared spiritual and faith-filled. However, Jesus revealed that many only sought Him primarily because they had eaten bread and wanted more provision. They pursued what He could do for them rather than loving Him for who He was. The Holy Spirit emphasised that many seek the Lord’s power, provision, and miracles without truly seeking the Lord Himself to serve Him.

In contrast, we see those whom Jesus personally called into discipleship remain faithful to Him and devoted their lives to pursue His purposes. Many who merely received miracles did not continue following Him. John 12:42-43 reveals clearly how many whom He had healed valued human approval more than commitment to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit further highlighted the example found throughout the Book of Acts. Whenever people genuinely received the Gospel, their response was not, “What will God do for me?” but rather, “What must we do to be saved?” They embraced personal responsibility, obedience, repentance, and faithful commitment to Christ.

Their focus was on loving Jesus and serving Him and not just simply obtaining benefits from Him. The Holy Spirit warned that many followers of Jesus are presently in danger because they are exhausting themselves trying to help, rescue, impress, or satisfy people who do not truly love them, value them, or love the Lord.

This includes family members, friends, and others who may appear interested in the Lord only because of what His power can provide through our lives.

From personal experience there were many times I had often been deceived by people who appeared committed and excited about the Lord but turned out ultimately only to be seeking what they could gain from relationship with me.

Once their needs were met, they abandoned both me and the Lord with no regrets. The Holy Spirit emphasised that continually pouring out grace, time, energy, and anointing into such relationships leads to depletion, discouragement, and distraction from the Lord’s true purposes.

Many followers of Jesus are attempting to save people whom only Jesus can save. The Holy Spirit declared that we are not the Saviour and we must point people to trust Jesus, not us. We can pray for people, but the Lord must be their answer.

We can only obey the instructions of the Holy Spirit, but you cannot carry the responsibility that belongs to Christ who makes it happen. The Holy Spirit urges us as Jesus followers to stop remaining in dangerous and toxic situations based out of misplaced responsibility or false compassion.

The Lord often provides a way of escape and deliverance for us from such deceptive situations that have intent to harm us, but many refuse to leave because they believe they can fix situations that only the Lord can resolve when people look to Him for the way out.

He warned against remaining in pits trying to rescue those who refuse to respond to Lord while neglecting one’s own calling, purpose, and safety in order to help them.

Instead, as followers of Jesus we must respond immediately to the Holy Spirit’s leading, by removing ourselves from harmful relationships and environments, and come into the place of protection, purpose, and freedom that the Lord has prepared.

This action is not an abandonment of people but it is obedience to the Lord. The Holy Spirit declared that many have been delayed from receiving the triumph, breakthrough, and fulfilment the Lord promised is because they have remained attached to relationships and obligations that the Lord never intended them to carry.

Now is the time to remove those obstacles, to break free from unhealthy dependencies, to stop responding to those who merely want what you carry them, and begin investing your time to develop relationships marked by genuine love, commitment, and obedience to Jesus.

As we the followers of Jesus obey this instruction, we will enter the realm of unhindered answers to prayer, restored purpose, renewed strength, and greater effectiveness in the Kingdom of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus, may the Holy Spirit give you the discernment to recognise the difference between those who love you and those who merely want what the Lord has placed within you.

May every toxic attachment, life draining relationship, misplaced responsibility, and deceptive obligation be broken from off your life. May you be delivered from every pit that has delayed your purpose and every burden Jesus never assigned you to carry.

May the Lord grant you the courage to obey His leading, wisdom to establish healthy boundaries, and grace to invest your strength where His love is received and His purposes are honoured. May every obstacle hindering your breakthrough be removed, and may you walk into the freedom, protection, provision, and triumph the Lord has prepared for you.

May your life become a testimony of divine wisdom, restored purpose, unhindered answers, and Kingdom fruitfulness. May you walk in liberty, by fulfilling your calling, and shine brightly as a witness of the Lord’s goodness and power. Walk out into the freedom Jesus has prepared for you and experience His victory, purpose, and liberty in this season, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.