Not long after that, a friend I had known almost 20 years turned on me and removed themselves from my life. Looking back, there were signs that this person should not have been in my life in the first place.
When I was praying for a wife, I only asked that she have a sense of humor. I felt God telling me not to limit her to a specific geographical region. I ended up marrying a woman who lived nearly 600 miles away.
Recently, I needed prayer. I wanted to ask a certain individual to pray for me. God told me not to go to him. A little while later, I learned he had no concern for me. It wasn't pleasant, but I at least learned God was growing me in the area of discernment.
The first time God removed someone from my life, it hurt. It hurts less each time, but that's only one aspect of surrendering your relationships to the Lord. God will sometimes put people in your life who are exactly what you need.
There was someone I did not know too well, but God ordained that he should perform the role of a prophet in my life. He was harsh, but was exactly what I needed to hear because I can be a little dense sometimes.
Another person, whom I've only spoken to through email asked me to consider a music ministry position. I have thought about that area often. I can play multiple instruments and can sing. I would also prefer beginning in a ministry position overseen by an experienced pastor. The problem is that I don't live, breathe, eat, and sleep music. I do that with theology. I believe I can and will use music in my ministry, but God has primarily called me to proclaim the Gospel.
God is growing me for ministry. He used to remove or add people to my life. Now he has given discernment to do that for myself.