The Blessing of Betrayal

The Blessing of Betrayal:

Some years ago I was on the pastoral staff of a large, charismatic church. At the invitation of the founding pastor and the direction of the Lord, we moved from small town Montana to a large city. With high expectations of being a part of a church that was on the cutting edge of renewal, I jumped right in to my work.

It wasn’t long before I began to realize that the original invitation had some limitations. Although he was in the process of releasing his pastoral role, he still wanted to maintain control of the church. We were good friends but the tension increased to the point where outside help was needed to resolve our differences.

Sparing the details, our relationship as well as the direction of the church started to spiral out of control. Even with outside help, we both said and did things that further aggravated the situation. It got to the point where one of us had to go. Trusting the Lord and the wisdom of others, I resigned and left the church. My life was in a tailspin both emotionally and spiritually. In short, I was a basket case. My friend had betrayed me!

Betrayal is a tricky thing. The closer the relationship, the more the betrayal hurts. I felt like I got blindsided by someone whom I trusted. Thoughts like stabbed in the back and double-crossed brooded in my mind. I was wounded and couldn’t let it go. Like I said, I was a mess!

In the middle of all of this, a friend sent me an article entitled “The Blessing of Betrayal.” The author shared his own struggle with betrayal. He wrote how the betrayal of Jesus by Judas was a test of forgiveness for both Jesus and Judas. Jesus passed the test; Judas did not. Here’s where the blessing comes in: the opportunity to forgive and release the person who broke trust and gravely hurt you. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can this happen. Betrayal without forgiveness is a cancer to the soul.

I read and reread that article over a period of several years. Finally the release came and I was able to write a letter to my friend asking forgiveness for all I said during that turbulent time. Our relationship was never the same but the hurt was gone. What a blessing that is.

The Blessing of Debt

The Blessing of Debt

It is with some risk that I bring up this subject. I find it interesting that in a culture that is drowning in debt people are afraid to talk about it let alone see that there is a blessing somewhere. In my opinion, church culture is not very different. Although there is a lot of teaching on the need to get out of debt there is little appreciation that debt can produce a blessing.

 Some years ago I was involved in a church that placed debt free living right up there with personal salvation. We were told that the Bible teaches that financial freedom was the goal. Those of us who were raising a family and living near the poverty level began to feel like second class Christians. The financial demands of mortgage, car loan, groceries, clothes and school supplies overruled any luxury items. The bills kept piling up and the debt increased. The guilt and shame overshadowed any hope of financial freedom.

Where is the blessing? It came when I realized that without the Lord’s help, my struggle would be in vain. Because at the time I had little control over income or expenses, my dependency was not on myself but on the Lord who is my provider. What I started to learn was that all good gifts come from God. The air I breathe, the job I have, the money I make all come from Him. He is my source! That revelation alone has empowered me to walk through the valley of debt and experience the freedom, including financial, that comes from Him.

One time I preached on the Blessing of Debt. It happened to be in the same church that promoted financial freedom. I was not surprised to get a lot of blowback from people who couldn’t see the blessing. As often happens in church life, we focus so hard on one issue that we are blind to what God is doing in other areas of our life.

If you are in financial debt, I encourage you to ask the Lord to show you the blessing. Let Him speak to your heart and open your eyes to the joy of being released from the guilt and shame of trying to do it on your own. He wants you to be free. “Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”