Most people can recall a time that they experienced betrayal, and the emotional difficulty that came with it. Even if a betrayal resulted in substantial material loss, still the most difficult part is often the shattered trust, and loss of confidence in a belief system that seemed to provide a solid foundation for life, up until the point of the betrayal. Without even knowing the details of a betrayal, it is safe to say that such an incident likely becomes a life-altering event. The shock of something unfathomable becoming an unexpected reality, and henceforth a danger to be guarded against, can result in any number of extreme reactions, whether acted out or whether declared silently in one's mind, a vow of reactionary proportions that brings all future decisions under subjection to this new self-imposed rule.
Unfortunately, human nature often makes our reaction to betrayal even more damaging than the betrayal itself. In the most benign case, when the loss isn't very painful, even then the root of self-righteousness can easily take hold. An attitude of righteous indignation can color our thoughts and the words we speak, pulling us off course from being thankful and having gratitude for the blessings in our lives. In a more damaging scenario, when the loss is quite painful, emotionally scarring, or materially devastating, the very destiny of a person may be thwarted by their own harsh reaction to the experience. A strong reactionary decision in the face of betrayal may certainly be understandable, but few can readily count the cost of such a decision. In the most extreme betrayals involving horrific abuse, the soul's self-protective reactionary response is automatic, not a conscious decision, but a desperate measure to block out the horrors from consciousness. The heartbreak that results from even a single occurrence of horrific abuse is the continual dysfunction borne of a soul that has fragmented into an alternate reality, because the abuse was so horrific the soul could not endure the consciousness of it. Even then, at no fault of the abused, this self-preserving human reaction and subsequent chaotic life can create more misery than even the abuse itself.
These are not light-hearted conversation topics, but incredibly important to bring into public discourse. There has been a false movement of self-realization, self-actualization, or "self-help" to overcome the obstacles in life, which is very appealing and intellectually fascinating, but it misses the mark for empowering a person's God-given identity to come to fruition. Whether one believes in the promises of the Bible or not, a compassionate world view requires that we acknowledge that every person born into this world has a purpose and a destiny. If we do not seriously affirm this important position, then the harm of subjectively comparing one life as being worth more than another life immediately takes hold, and all the evils that go along with it. Therefore, with no reservation whatsoever, I boldly proclaim that every single life conceived into being has a God-given identity, with an important purpose and destiny to fulfill during their time on earth. This purpose and destiny will be thwarted throughout one's lifetime, and the extent to which we stay on course, or get pulled off course, will determine whether we fulfill our purpose during our lifetime. But how can we be sure that we are on course, that we are taking steps in the right direction?
In Jeremiah 29:11, it is written "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (NKJV) In another translation, "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (NLT) God is clear that His purpose and destiny for each of us is one that is good, one that brings peace. A life purpose which is good and which brings peace is one that is of value, of contribution, of meaning, of contentment. The extent that we actualize these good things meant by God to exist in our lives does not depend on our own understanding. This is where self-realization, self-actualization, and "self-help" falls short. If we continue reading in Jeremiah 29:12-13, we see a clearer picture of how we can achieve the purpose and destiny God has for us, to bring it to fruition: "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (NKJV) God knows all things, but we must seek out our purpose and destiny by calling upon Him through prayer, to show us our unique path.
It is not from our own self that we can gain a deep insight into the destiny we each were created for, but by tapping into the all-knowing wisdom of the Creator of the Universe. God knew us before we were formed in our mother's womb. He knew us before the beginning of time. He created us in a special and unique way different from every other human being, and orchestrated the unique circumstances to bring us into the world with the particular family and heritage that we could never have chosen on our own. There is a certain kind of arrogance that would convince a person of such comments as "I am a self-made man. Everything I have, I worked to achieve through my own efforts and skills. I set my own course and carried it out." Not only is it impossible to achieve success in a vacuum, but the very nature of life demands an acknowledgement of the breathtaking order and beauty of time, seasons, growth, harvest, provision, healing, and inexplicable alignment of events that are the true substance of life. The order and beauty of God is far more pervasive throughout all things than the human-created order and/or chaos that tries to usurp the place of importance in our minds. The divine order that flows through all of creation is the same order that brought each person into existence, and without connecting into that source, we do not have an anchor to our true destiny, but are easily pulled into a life of self-protection, self-promotion and self-glorification. That very attitude is what ultimately leads to betrayal.
How can this possibly be avoided? Isn't self-protection and self-promotion a necessary common sense part of a successful life? Wouldn't it be self-sabotage to neglect these things? On the contrary, there is a protection, a promotion, and a glorification far greater than we can individually muster, greater than we can even think or imagine. In Ephesians 3:20 it is written "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." (NLT) The Passion Translation beautifully states "Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you." (TPT) The way we can access this amazing protection and guidance over our lives is to ask for the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to live in us, and to yield our lives for His spirit to be the source of our every thought and action. If we let the world affect our thoughts and actions from all the fears, dangers, loss or pain that the world has inflicted upon us, and act only upon our own self-protective instincts, this is what can pull us off course. There is a wicked spiritual ruler of this world who wants to cause destruction in our lives by planting seeds of falsehood, manipulation and deceit between people, stirring up our fear and self-protective measures, thereby pulling us off course from our God-given purpose and destiny. This ruler of spiritual darkness is active in the world today, and is the same spirit of darkness that caused the very people waiting eagerly for their Messiah to betray him unto gruesome death. Through the unlawful act of Jesus' spilled blood, this ruler of spiritual darkness has been conquered once and for all by Jesus. It is through the faith and obedience demonstrated by Jesus Christ, who suffered a heart-wrenching betrayal of unfathomable proportions, that His authority, protection, and glorification now rests on all who believe in the depth of God's love, that He purposed this destiny for Jesus, in order to save mankind from the wickedness of heart, from all the self-protection, self-promotion and self-glorification errantly run amok in the world.
So then in the natural world, when we suffer betrayal, as painful and devastating as it may be, it is often the starting point for God to begin revealing to us His strength and glory, for us to have our eyes opened up to the personal revelation He has for us individually, of our true purpose and destiny, which we can attain in this life if we receive Him, and let Him guide us. By focusing on God and allowing the spirit of God to shine through us, anticipating the glory of His purpose for us, we can avoid being destructive to others. On the contrary, if we focus on the possibility of negative outcomes, anticipating the worst from people and from circumstances, then from a selfish standpoint, it leads us to protective measures that are out of proportion to basic self preservation, and become harmful to those around us. The very act and focus of such vigilant self-protection (or mothers, the vigilant overprotection of your children) engages one's life with the most harmful elements, and blocks out the most peaceful outcomes. In other words, the evil of betrayal often comes from those who think they are doing good by being hyper-vigilant.
As opposed to betrayal, where does love and loyalty come from? It also comes from anticipation, but not anticipation of negative outcomes, rather the anticipation of positive outcomes. At the highest level, within the context of relationship, blissful love and deep devotion comes from the continual anticipation of amazing outcomes. It is anticipation that imbues deep emotional significance on the happenings in our lives as they unfold. The anticipation of meeting makes that meeting sweet or tense. The anticipation of time spent together makes that time heavenly or hellish. In each passing moment, the joyful anticipation of the next moment results in a life of joy, while fearful anticipation of the next moment results in a life of fear. And to the extent that a person moves in one direction or the other, is the extent to which they affect the lives of those around them. It is exactly in this way that God gives tremendous joy and contentment to those who focus on Him, on His purpose and destiny in our life, on the power and faithfulness of God to manifest our purpose and destiny within our lifetime, and on the love of His Son Jesus Christ, who walked this earth as a perfect sinless man, and took upon Himself all the sins of the world as He suffered the shame, humiliation, and ultimate betrayal by His own people, unlawfully sentenced to death on the cross, thereby defeating the ruler of the spirit of darkness, liberating every person who believes and receives the gift of His salvation, to live a victorious life in the spirit of God.
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