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Luke 22:21-22 - "But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. 22 "For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" NASU
The closer and longer the friendship the deeper the pain will be. If you have been betrayed please read this entire Pump Up. I am hoping to share with you some information to assist you in healing from this wound.
You will wrestle with the thought: "Do I ever want to put myself in the position to be hurt like this again?" Once your trust has been broken, you will try to protect yourself from it ever happening again. What feelings will you experience? It is common to have emotions of anger, disappointment, doubt, grief, shame and fear of it happening again. For you to trust a deserving person will now take much longer because you have "trust" issues. You don't want to deny having trust issues. Admit it! Yes, I have trust issues because I was betrayed. Your mistake was you never thought it could happen to you. Now you know that it can.
You had the "pure" mind. If you have asked yourself why couldn't I see it there is your answer? You were operating from "pure" motives not evil ones like the person who did the betraying. You were doing the right thing. Doing the right thing in this world doesn't always equate with not having any problems. People taking advantage of people has been happening for thousands of years.
In my mind though, King David's betrayal of his servant Uriah (2 Sam. 11) is right there at the top of the list. Uriah is one of David's most loyal army officers. He is one of David's mighty men. In today's military Uriah would have been a Navy Seal, a Green Beret or a member of Delta Force. While Uriah is out fighting David's battles David is at home having a sexual relationship with his wife. When his wife informs David she is pregnant David calls Uriah home. He gets Uriah drunk and then dismisses him. David thinks Uriah will go home and have sex with his wife and David's sin will be hidden, but Uriah being a loyal soldier would not have sex with his wife while his brothers were engaged in the war. When David's plan fails twice he sends Uriah back to the battle with a note for Joab to see to it Uriah is killed in battle. What David did to Uriah, one of his faithful soldiers, is what I call a betrayal in the first degree.
First, when you operate from having pure motives betrayal is just something that will happen. Second, being betrayed generally won't kill you unless your name is Uriah and King David is the betrayer. It is often said, "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger." Third, God's Spirit is able to help you navigate through any rough water you may find yourself while here on earth. Think About These: The betrayer will be betrayed (2 Sam.12:10-12) or what goes around comes around. When people speak evil of you, live so that no one will believe them. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Revel. 2:2-3 - 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. NASU
· Fatigue Is The Enemy Of Us All In our scripture text today Jesus is commending the saints who live in Ephesus for they have not grown weary. In other words, they have not allowed "fatigue" to win the battle they have been fighting. (If anyone is interested Dr. Mark Ziese and I will be leading a tour March 31-April 11, 2025 to Ephesus. We will be visiting the sites of the 7 churches in Revelation for more info click on this link - https://mark-ziese.squarespace.com/trkiye-and-the-early-church ). The Christians at Ephesus had not grown weary or as we might say today they didn't allow fatigue to settle in and dampen their spirits. There are a lot of causes for fatigue. A person might have anxiety, depression, an unhealthy diet, emotional exhaustion and the list goes on. It can be cured by getting more sleep, changing your diet, associate with active positive people, have a good friend to share life with and simply exercise for 30 minutes a day. All of these can be used to help people eliminate fatigue. I think the best way of all to overcome fatigue is to have a daily walk with God, believe in Him and ask Him to guide on your journey to Him. · Doing Good Gal 6:9-10 - Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Paul says there is a chance that even if we are doing good and helping people we could grow weary or become fatigued. I remember hearing that the average life span of a nurse working in the burn unit of the hospital was less than 18 months. I am sure we all would agree working in a burn unit of a hospital would definitely fit under the category of "doing good". Yet, it becomes very burdensome to the nurses seeing people severely burned everyday. They become weary or fatigued and transfer out of that unit. You may be involved in a vocation right now that drains you on a daily basis. Ask yourself if you believe this is where God wants you to be? If the answer is Yes, then ask God to give you the strength to overcome the challenges before you. · What About Christianity It might surprise you but ministers likewise become fatigued or grow weary in the ministry. When I was ministering in MD one young boy came up and told me when he grew up he was going to be a minister because he would only have to work one day a week. Well, I know some people jokingly say that but I guarantee you a minister of God will work more than one day a week. What keeps a man in the ministry is he knows this is where God wants him to be. Any time you have a job where you are serving people you can be sure you will be facing the challenges of fatigue or as the apostle Paul would say, "growing weary in well doing". · How To Protect Yourself I would say the best way to protect yourself from fatigue is by believing what you are doing is vitally important and God has placed you there for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). In order to do your job correctly you will need to ask God to give you strength daily to overcome all the obstacles that will come your way and know this "fatigue" will be one of those obstacles. Another way to protect yourself from fatigue is have a good friend that you can share open conversation with about your life challenges on a regular basis. The frequency of this is up to you. Lastly, if I were you I would develop an exercise program, get plenty of sleep and eat a balanced diet for starters. Think About These: Fatigue makes cowards of us all. - General George Patton & Coach Lombardi Don't stop when you're tired. Stop when you are done. - David Goggins Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. - Coach Dan Gable Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 26:56- "But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets."Then all the disciples left Him and fled." NASU
This reminds me of the old saying when you go to a friend in time of need to ask for a favor and he says, "I'd love to help you out, which way did you come in?" One of the main differences is Jesus knew His betrayal was coming and He even knew the ones going to betray Him. He asked Judas, "Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" He not only knew who would betray Him He knew how it was going to be done. He told Peter before the rooster crows you will have denied Me three times (Matt.26:34). We know from reading the gospels Peter will do exactly as Jesus informed him.
First, a Christian remembers that we are all sinners and therefore, we all make mistakes. You may also want to remember this passage of scripture: Luke 22:3-4 - And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. 4 And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. The word "satan" means adversary or one who is against what you are for and the devil is the one who is against what God is for. The devil enters into Judas and then we see Judas begin his betrayal of Jesus. The person who betrays you likewise may have had the devil enter into them and this person then becomes an adversary or one who is against you. Second, remember that God is sympathetic and He cares about what happens to you. He knows you are hurting and He will send relief, but you will have to be patient and wait for it to arrive. 1 Peter 5:6-8 - Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The devil may have devoured your friend and what will the devil do next? He will get your friend to betray you exactly like he got Judas to betray Jesus. Third, don't betray or desert your friends. You didn't like it done to you so practice the golden rule and do to others what you want them to do to you. The best way to counter betrayal is by being a loyal friend. A friend is one who walks in when everyone else is walking out on you. Be the friend you want to have in your own life. This is how a Christian would handle being betrayed or deserted by a friend. Think About These: "A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships." - Helen Keller Some people may still have their first dollar, but the man who is really wealthy still has his first friend Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen. 32:24-28 - So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." NIV
There won't be any of your teammates coming to your rescue, nor would you want them to interfere. This is between you and your opponent. Jacob wrestled through the night until daybreak, alone.
Who is this man that Jacob is wrestling? I have my thoughts about Him and will allow you to have yours, but I can tell you this much He was powerful enough to dislocate Jacob's hip with a touch. In the 1972 Olympics, Dan Gable, was head butted. His trainer wrapped his head to temporarily stop the bleeding. He continues to wrestle, wins the match and then received seven stitches to close the gash. In the 1998 Freestyle Wrestling Championships, Cary Kolat, dislocated his shoulder during one of his early matches. He continued to wrestle and won a bronze medal. There are hundreds of wrestling stories like these. When you get hurt you keep on going.
Jacob was wrestling with God. Notice what the verse says, Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God…" He was struggling or wrestling with God.
The apostle Paul informs Christians that we likewise are wrestlers and he even names our enemies that we will be wrestling against in this life. One passage of scripture we never want to forget is 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 - "…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." NASU Think About These: When God measures a man, He puts the tape around his heart not his head. Who is more foolish: a child who is afraid of the dark or a man who is afraid of the light? Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Prov. 24:16 - "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,..."
A study of Proverbs will reveal the way to overcome adversity is to get back up after you have had your encounter with adversity.
It may have been an illness, a medical set back such as a torn ACL, a rejection of your resume, failure to accomplish a set goal, a divorce or the death of a loved one. There are thousands of ways to get knocked down but if we intend on overcoming adversity we must get back up and re-enter the race. We must get back up on our own two feet and start again.
For some, it would be a conversation with someone that you respect, or watching a movie or reading about other people who overcame adversities. Are you one that is able to motivate yourself? Or are you the kind who will graciously allow others to help motivate you? It doesn't matter which method works for you. What matters is in order to overcome adversity you will get back up and move forward with another plan and a new head full of ideas.
Every time you get knocked down by life you get back up on your feet and start all over again.
What can I learn from this trial? I then write down the things that I can learn and allow these to help motivate me positively to keep moving forward to accomplish my goal. If you ask "Why" you may never be able to determine if the answers you come up with are true. If you're knocked down get back up and you'll be glad you did. If you meet some events that knock you down in life then plan on getting back up and re-engaging. This is the correct way to overcome adversity. Think About These: The difficulties of life you're going through now in 20 years will be the good ole days. Say what you will about trouble; it always gives us something to talk about. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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