To betray a trust is to surrender
information about a situation or a person to another person. To betray a
friendship is to give up a friend and separate from someone who has built a
relationship in your life. To betray a marriage is to break a vow that was made
between the husband and the wife. Betrayal is very difficult to overcome, as it
breaks the trust that bonds relationships.
When a person is betrayed, then
the betrayer has surrendered information that was given in trust, operating and
exposing his or her friend's heart during the friendship. If a known enemy
works against us we have little concern for the enemy's opinions, as the old
expression says, "There was no love lost," because there was never a
relationship or friendship from the beginning. Throughout his lifetime David
experienced the knife of betrayal after several of his closest friends turned
against him (see Psalm 55:12-14).
Love, Honor and Respect
The enigma of Christianity is
that for a religion based upon the mixture of mutual love, honor and respect,
why is there often a lack of all three among Christian brethren? The answer is
found in a prediction Christ gave, warning His disciples of events prior to His
return (see Matt. 24:10).
The root cause of betrayal is
offense. The Greek word for offend is skandalizo and means, "to set a trap to
ensnare something." We derive the word scandal from this word. A scandal occurs
when a person or persons betray the trust and confidence of others through
words or actions.
Some of America's most noted
national scandals are the Watergate break-in under the Nixon administration,
the moral failure of President Bill Clinton, and the incident that was
classified by many as a cover-up that occurred when Americans were killed in
Libya in late 2012. The longer the press reported the scandals, the more
offense they created, especially among those that did not like Presidents
Nixon, Clinton and Obama.
When you become offended, unless
you check your attitude, forgive and move forward, you will begin a betrayal
process. Suddenly that best friend becomes a worst enemy, your cherished
memories are willfully erased from the hard drive of your memory bank, and the
secrets entrusted to each other are now openly discussed with others using this
previously unknown information as a weapon to defend why you have a good excuse
to remain in your offense.
When offense comes, what is the
difference between a person willing to betray and leave a friend and others
choosing to stay and save the relationship? The answer is simple. It is the
genuine love or affection a person has for the individual who has offended or,
in some instances, fallen into a moral failure.
Love is Greater
One with true love toward another
restrains offenses from becoming betrayals. Consider your own family. You put
up with more junk from your children than you would someone else's, and you
willingly resist the temptation of throwing your children out when they have
rejected your instruction or fallen into sin. You may discipline them, but you
will not forsake them (just as God does not forsake His children) because your
love is greater than their foolishness and failures. Discipline is not a sign
of rejection but of correction (see Hebrews 12:5-6).
In the body of Christ there are
doctrinal differences, or various opinions such as the type of music or
worship, that often separate denominations. However, we can all agree to
disagree on those subjects that have no bearing upon our salvation,
justification and eternal destiny.
The Word of God must never be
used as a weapon against other men of God. God's Word is like a sword but it
must never be turned upon a fellow brother or sister. The Word is a rock, but
it must never be used to stone someone who has failed. The Word is also a
hammer, but it is not intended to serve as a tool to crucify believers on your
cross of doctrinal opinions. The Word is water that is intended to refresh, but
it should never be the weapon used to drown out the voice of someone you
disagree with. The Word is a fire that God Himself uses to purge iniquity from
a person, but it is not intended to be used by a fire-handling Christian who
wants to burn someone's hide by quoting verses in hate and bitterness (see 1
John 4:20-21, 1 Cor. 13:1-2 and Mark 11:25-26).
Why did Christ say, "Whenever you stand praying….forgive" (Mark 11:25)? When you "stand praying," the
presence of God exposes your own actions to you, causing you to make a choice
of either ignoring the prodding of the Spirit or of following through with
right actions. To release others through forgiveness is not an option but a
divine instruction. Forgiving others is not just beneficial in this life, but
it is the clear path that leads you to eternal peace.
Perry Stone
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