Betrayal

There are generally two kinds of people in the

world... destroyers and builders. Destroyers criticize,

vilify, slander, belittle, and discredit the works and

lives of others while offering nothing better. Builders

add to... build upon... and improve the quality of life

for others.

Betrayal is one of life's

hardest blows.

Betrayal is the vindictive

violation of trust.

Betrayal is an act of double crossing an ally,

a family member, a friend, or an associate. The

sting of betrayal can be dreadfully agonizing and

become so embedded in our subconscious mind...

that the betrayal may become too difficult to

extract.

Betrayal is therefore pain...

and also a profound education.

Sometimes betrayals can be a

blessing in disguise. It can be

that rude awakening that we so

desperately needed.

Maybe that’s the mind-boggling thing

about betrayal, right?

There can be no deeper hurt and insult than

when one is betrayed and wounded by the

very ones who profess to be a true, tried and

trusted sister, brother or friend.

It is hard enough when one is attacked and

conspired against by the enemy and the world,

but when the fiery arrows come from those

whom we love and have bared our soul to... the

hurt becomes magnified.

Jesus knew what betrayal felt like.

Judas Iscariot, was, according to the New Testament,

one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus. Judas

was with Jesus all the time. He witnessed all the

mighty works that Jesus did, and heard all that

Jesus said in private as well as in public.

He was given the job of treasury, but he was

secretly a thief. Jesus put Judas in charge of the

very thing that would give either wings to his

hearts corruption or for his repentance... money.

It was Judas who showed what was in his heart

when he complained about the oil poured over

Jesus, preparing Him for His burial.

By breaking the bottle, the woman with the

alabaster jar was honoring Jesus by anointing

Him with oil, with something that was valuable

to her. It was the best she had to offer and she

willingly poured it out as an act of worship.

Desperate Act of Forgiveness

WOMAN WITH ALABASTER BOX

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

.

Judas Iscariot is best known for his role in

betraying Jesus into the hands of the chief

priests...

for thirty pieces of silver.

Jesus was betrayed into the hands of His enemies

by Judas and deserted by all the rest.

Jesus knew, exactly,

what betrayal felt like.

As Jesus stood before Pilate,

the very people He had helped,

healed, fed and encouraged cried...

The very ones He blessed became

His enemies.

When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned,

he felt remorse, and took the thirty pieces of

silver back to the chief priests and elders, saying,

"I have sinned in that I betrayed

innocent blood."

He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary.

He went away and hanged himself.

A fraudulent intent, however carefully concealed

at the outset, will generally, in the end, betray itself.

Titus Liviuis

Someone who betrays others is

commonly called a traitor or

betrayer.

The more trusting the relationship,

the more devastating the betrayal.

When we trust, we tend to think that our trust

in another defines all of their future actions.

Trust is the most vulnerable

state of being.

When we give it away...

all our weaknesses are exposed

to those who it has been given.

We are not obligated to trust those that we love.

And we are not obligated to trust someone...

just because other people do.

We must trust our own gut

feelings. Trust our ability to

see what is happening without

denial.

We must tune in to our own intuitions...

turning within to see what is true and false

in any dynamic.

If we put our trust in another because they

said all the right things, and seemed to do

all the right things...

we may be headed...

for a rude awakening.

Jesus knows what it feels like

to be betrayed.

He knows the feeling of support falling away.

He is all too acquainted with having the very

ones who should stand up for Him to shrink

back and turn against Him.

What a comfort to know that Jesus knows

exactly how it feels. Not only is He touched

by our feelings of betrayal, but...

"He is that Friend

who sticks closer than a brother."

Proverbs 18:24

When we put our trust in God...

we will never be betrayed.

God is worthy to be praised,

honored, and trusted... 100%.

TRUST GOD...

AND GOD ALONE.