Not Everyone Has Good Intentions
Family, friends, co-workers, employees, pretty much anyone that’s tied to you in some way probably knows something about you that you wouldn’t necessarily be willing to tell a total stranger. Depending on the type of relationship, it may be tempting to tell someone that’s close to you some of your plans or what the Lord is doing in your life, but that’s not always a good idea…here’s why. Just because you have known someone for a while doesn’t mean they should have complete access to the intimate parts of your life. Some things that God shows you are for you to know, no one else. You can’t truly know what’s in a person’s heart unless you ask God. While the person may seem supportive when you are around them, they could secretly be waiting for your downfall. That’s why discernment is needed on when it’s okay to speak and when you should remain silent. Not everyone should know your business.
Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Genesis 37:5-8 NASB
Consequences of Oversharing
Concerning relationships, you have to know who’s for you and who’s against you. Even your own family could be plotting against you out of jealousy. Had Joseph known how his brothers felt really felt about him, he probably would have kept his dreams to himself. They already hated him because he was their father’s favorite son, but now that they knew that he would one day rule over them, they hated him even more to the point where they contemplated killing him. Can you imagine being so jealous of your sibling that you would kill them? Even though they didn’t do it, they still sold him into slavery, but miraculously God used what they meant for evil and turned it around for the good of Jacob, his brothers, and the entire nation of Egypt. While this story had a positive ending, we’re still able to learn what not to do when it comes to sharing God’s plans for our life through Jacob’s ordeal. Overall, there’s nothing wrong with being excited about what the Lord is planning to do in your life, but always use your discernment so that you can know who you can share intimate details with versus someone that doesn’t need that kind of access to your life.
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