I read something online today that I want to share with you and expound on.
One of the most painful things you will experience in ministry is realizing that not everyone assigned to your table was assigned to your heart. Jesus had Judas in His circle. David had Ahithophel. Paul had Demas. Joseph had brothers who sold him. Betrayal has always sat close to purpose.
And one of the hardest lessons in ministry is learning that sometimes the deepest wounds do not come from enemies, they come from people you prayed with, trusted, discipled, sacrificed for, and loved deeply.
People will celebrate your gift while secretly resenting your obedience. They will eat at your table while dishonoring you in private. Some will benefit from your oil while attacking your name.
But betrayal has a dangerous way of revealing what was hidden in people all along. And if you are not careful, betrayal will try to harden your heart, poison your spirit, and make you suspicious of everyone God sends into your life afterward. That is the real attack.
Because the enemy does not just want to wound leaders, he wants to stop them from loving, trusting, building, and pouring out again. But hear me clearly: betrayal did not stop Jesus from fulfilling His assignment. And it cannot stop yours either.
Do not let the pain of being mishandled make you abandon your calling. God will deal with Judas. Your responsibility is to stay pure. Because some people may walk away from your life, but they can never steal what God placed on it. (Kelton Hughes)
Hurt people hurt people. There has never been a truer statement. However, we must always remember, people are human and they will mess up. They will hurt. They may betray. However, we must choose to let it go and walk on in peace. Does that mean we keep them in our lives? No. It does not mean we allow them into our inner circle but it does mean we have to do all we can do to keep our heart right before the Lord.
We cannot blame God or church for what people do. We must not allow it to cause us to harden our hearts toward God or toward the church as a whole. We must see it for what it is. Flesh.
I don’t believe this only applies to leaders, sadly, I believe many, if not most people who attend church have been hurt either by the leaders of the church or someone in the church. As this man says, something they have prayed with, worshipped with and attended services with. Our job is to release that hurt to God and allow Him to deal with the people.
Just this week, a friend was sharing with me about an argument between two people. One person was being vindictive. The other made this statement; “I choose humility, I chose to stay humble and pray.” When I heard those words, I knew he had won this battle. It was already won. The Bible says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. It also says when we humble ourselves (and we must do that on purpose) God will exalt us.
In our hurts and betrayals, our choice must be to remain humble and give it all to God. No one wants or needs to carry around all that hurt, that bitterness, that offense. God cannot work in that type of atmosphere. BUT. When we keep our heart right, give it to God and set boundaries for our own peace of mind, God can and will work on our behalf.
My friend, if you have experienced hurt by another Christian, give it to God. Ask Him to heal and restore your heart to a place of pliable love and forgiveness. Stay in the middle of humility and watch God work on your behalf. You will be so glad you did.
It appears that there is a pandemic of Christian’s who are offended and won’t forgive. Good word to stay humble and let God handle the situation. Thanks for sharing .