A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; and a gossip separates the best of friends. Proverbs 16:28 (NLT) Trust is earned over time. It’s not built on what people say they will do but what they actually do and don’t do. Gossip is one thing you need to watch out for when you’re establishing trust with someone. As today’s verse says, gossip can separate the best of friends. Some people just love to stir things up. They are quick to focus on other’s flaws and they seem to take offence with everything. Be careful. Their influence can create problems in your other relationships. Also, you never know when they might turn their fault-finding microscope on you. You also need to be careful of those who are …

Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot. Proverbs 25:19 (NLT) We live in an imperfect world, and the reality is that not everyone can be trusted. The trouble is that we often confuse love with trust. We’re taught to love unconditionally—no strings attached. We learn that everyone deserves acceptance; it’s not something people have to earn. But somehow we lump trust in with love and acceptance. We assume that we’re supposed to trust people unconditionally as well, but it’s not true. Trust should always be earned. If we rely on people who haven’t earned our trust, it’s going to cause us pain, much like chewing on a broken tooth …

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16 Seeing the best in people is a great characteristic but it can get you into a lot of trouble if you’re not careful. If you’ve ever pursued a relationship even when you sensed it was wrong for you, you know what I’m talking about. Instead of listening to the little voice inside telling you to be careful, you gave the person the benefit of the doubt and continued to allow them in…and later regretted it. I’m not saying that it’s bad to give people the benefit of the doubt. To form healthy relationships, we need to extend acceptance and forgiveness. I like to call …