Have You Felt Betrayed

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;

Then I could bear it.

Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;

Then I could hide from him.

But it was you, a man my equal,

My companion and my acquaintance.

We took sweet counsel together,

And walked to the house of God in the throng. (Psalm 55:12-14)

These words are a messianic prophecy relating to the betrayal of Lord Jesus by Judas Iscariot.

But it is not only Judas that betrayed Jesus. It was also his disciples, they ran away out of fear for their own lives. Peter, one of Jesus' closest people even flatly denied having anything to do with Jesus. The deep hurt Jesus must have endured, the pain, the loneliness, is hard to imagine.

Most of us have gone through similar situations. Betrayal by someone very close makes it even more painful. When this happens, we want to rise up to defend our rights, our view point. We fight hard to get even. Sometimes, we just break up on the inside in silence.

Through Jesus our perfect example, we can learn a proper model on how to handle betrayal. Following are the principles from the teachings of Jesus to overcome betrayal.

#1 Guard Your Heart

Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do (Proverbs 4:23 )(NLT)

Betrayal not only hurts your feelings, it goes directly to your heart, the seat of all your emotions. If you do not respond correctly to betrayal, your heart will harden towards other people and ultimately towards the Lord. The goal of betrayal is to poison your heart and you must guard against it.

#2 Forgive the Betrayer

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15 )(NLT)

Forgiveness is an act of faith. If you don’t forgive, you will not be able to enjoy the forgiveness that Jesus has so freely given you! The word "forgiveness" in New Testament Greek means to "let go". Let go and move on.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ would dwell in my heart through faith.

Father, I pray that I would be rooted and established in Your love which surpasses knowledge. In Jesus name.

Father, I pray that I would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. In Jesus name.

(Based on Ephesians 3)

Have You Felt Betrayed

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