2 Corinthians 5:18-21
In most cases, when something happened that caused you to feel like you truly needed to block someone from your life, it is very rare that anything will change that in the future.
When it comes to past romantic relationships, I believe in the vast majority of cases, God will not call you to try to date your ex again. It’s possible he does. Certainly there are some couples who got back together and then got married. But usually whenever a couple does get back together, they just experience the same issues again that led to them breaking up in the first place.
When it comes to other types of relationships like with family, friends, or ministry partners, it is more common for reconciliation to be possible, although it is still not a guarantee that God will always call you to unblock someone. Sometimes we just truly need to move on and accept that we should always block this person from our lives.
With all that said, here are 3 signs where God could possibly be calling you to unblock someone from your life.
1. If the Purpose of You Blocking This Person Has Been Accomplished, God Could Be Telling You It’s Time to Unblock This Person
Certainly in our human nature we can block people out of spite and hatred, but when God leads you to block someone out of your life there is always a good reason for it. There are times, however, where God will lead you to block someone for a specific purpose but when that purpose has been accomplished, he will then lead you to unblock them.
For example, when Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, there was someone among them living in unrepentant sexual sin. In 1 Corinthians 5:4-5, 12-13 he wrote:
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. . . . For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’”
Paul did not tell the church to just remove a member as soon as they sinned once. This person was continually sinning in an open way and not repenting. Therefore, the purpose of removing this person was to loving discipline him that he might repent towards God. Notice the motive, “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”
But when removing someone from your fellowship has accomplished the purpose that was intended, whenever possible, reconciliation should then occur. For in 2 Corinthians 2:6-7 Paul wrote again and said:
For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.”
When we apply these principles about church discipline to our individual lives, the same can be true. If you needed to block someone for a specific purpose that has now been fully accomplished, it is possible that the Lord then leads you to unblock that person. Don’t unblock someone if the root issue has not been solved and you would just get hurt again. But if true repentance has occurred or the real issue has been solved between you two, then it could be time to unblock them.
2. If You Now Realize You Should Never Have Blocked This Person to Begin With, This Is a Sign God Could Lead You to Unblock This Person Now
While it is certainly possible for the Lord to lead us to block people in very biblical ways, it is also possible for us make mistakes and block people we should never have blocked in the first place.
Perhaps someone lovingly corrected you for a sin you actually were committing but you were not ready to receive this so you blocked them in frustration. But then later on you matured in the Lord and realized that person was actually right and you can now see you made a mistake in blocking them.
Or perhaps when you were younger in life you got into a fight with a family member and you have not talked to them in years. Now that you are older, you realize that person was still wrong but you took too extreme of an action by blocking them forever.
Or perhaps you had a best friend that you got in a huge argument with. You realize you were both wrong and you sense the Lord humbling you to ask for forgiveness first so hopefully they will also want to be forgiven and you two can reconcile.
We have to be humble and accept we certainly do make big mistakes in life. God understands that we make these types of mistakes, but once we realize what we’ve done God does want us to make it right when we can. As Romans 12:16-18 teaches us:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
3. If Reconciliation Would Be Pleasing to the Lord and an Example of His Grace, This Is a Good Sign God Is Telling You to Unblock Someone from Your Life
We are always called to forgive but reconciliation is different. Reconciliation is when you unblock someone and start having a relationship with someone again. It’s not pleasing to God to reconcile with someone who would continue to abuse your heart. For in Proverbs 4:23 we are told to guard our hearts. Throughout the Bible we are told to be cautious of certain people who are not walking with God (James 4:4, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Proverbs 13:20).
But on the other hand, we are also told to be a light to the world. Therefore, when possible, we should reconcile that we may bring God glory. For in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 it states:
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Don’t feel pressured to unblock someone that you still don’t trust. Don’t feel pressured to reconcile with someone who still wants to harm you. But whenever you can participate in the ministry of reconciliation, pointing people to Jesus through the grace that you yourself offer, you should. This does please the Lord when it is possible.
Here are 3 signs God is telling you to block someone from your life.