No One Wants To Experience This Pain

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 
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• The Pain Of Betrayal 

I am of the opinion the pain that comes from being betrayed is second to none. What is the saddest thing about betrayal is it never comes from your enemies; it comes from those we trusted and have considered our friends.

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. 

• The Effects of Betrayal 

The trust you had with this person has been shattered. Will you ever be able to trust anyone ever again? In order for you to trust someone again you will have to become vulnerable.

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. 

• How To Trust Again? 

First, you must realize you didn't do anything wrong by trusting the person. Paul tells Titus "To the pure, all things are pure;…"
 
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. 

• One Of The Greatest Betrayals 

I know many people think of Judas betraying Jesus as the greatest of all betrayals and I will not disagree with that conclusion.
 
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. 

• Conclusion 

So how are we to handle a life situation where we find our self betrayed?
 
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