I will be honest, I didn’t want to do this blog post. It started out as a status which got deleted. Every time the thought crossed my mind, I felt the nudge to do the post, so I obeyed. It seems to be the season for having numerous posts in regards to friends who betray and are wolves in sheep clothing. Now I happened upon this post recently which encourages you to close your mouth if something good is happening in your life. If you have no idea what post I am referring to, here it is:
For those of you who may not be aware of who I am referring to when I use the name Judas in the title of this post, I am making reference to the disciple that betrayed Jesus. Judas was apart of Jesus’ inner circle and being used by satan (the devil) he betrayed Jesus with a kiss on the cheek, for a few coins in his pocket (Luke 22:47).
I can definitely say that the post above is not a bandwagon I will be jumping on. I am finding it very difficult to accept this sort of thinking. Why? Because the post is basically instructing me, that if God blesses me I should be quiet, and close my mouth which directly contradicts what I have read in the bible- Notwithstanding we should use wisdom in what we share and how we share. I am here searching for a point in Jesus’s life on earth, where it was stated that the people who Jesus interacted with were silent after Jesus performed a miracle in their life or blessed them.They proclaimed and shared their testimony. The woman of Samaria that Jesus met at Jacob’s well is a prime example of this (John 4: 7-42), and in Mark 5:19 Jesus specifically instructed the man who was delivered from the legion to go home to his friends and tell them the great things the Lord did, and how compassionate He was.
The portion of the post above that I really didn’t like is the part that states “close your mouth and let God do all the talking”. How exactly are people to know what God is doing, and the miracles He is performing in our lives if we follow the instruction of: a post that insists we keep it all under a bushel? A post insisting we hide the miracles? A post that insists we live in a sound proof room that when God does speak no one else hears?
∗News Flash∗: God has already spoken and is still speaking. He already provided salvation. He brought healing to your body. He delivered you from unforgiveness and resentment. He taught you how to love. He provided the house. He has performed many miracles and done many marvelous things. Which now makes it our responsibility to open our mouths and tell others who haven’t yet heard Him speak or read His word that “God has spoken and is still speaking!”.
Daniel 4:2(AMP): It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.
When I first saw this post, these were the thoughts that immediately came to mind:
These posts are created to generate and breed mistrust, they make you start looking at everyone with a side eye. It feeds the fear we have inside concerning being betrayed by those we are holding close and dear to our hearts, while at the same time planting seeds that are creating separation. The fact that so many shared this post brings to light that the testimonies we used to share with our friends, we don’t share anymore. Why? Because we are using wisdom. When God did something great in our lives, we used to go to church with a smile, but now we compose ourselves and hide what God is doing. Why? Because we are using wisdom, and in due time we will share, but in the end we never testify.
The post demonstrates that we are convincing ourselves that our silence is because: we are wise, we are preventing ourselves from getting hurt and we are preventing people from talking and gossiping about us. I know that this happens, I do. I have been the bad friend, so I know. However I have learned that no matter what you do or how careful you are people will find something to talk about. We cannot dictate the narrative of the stories told about us, we just have to live our lives proclaiming the gospel and talk about who God is. We cannot afford to hold our testimonies hostage in the name of wisdom, when it’s really fear that is keeping us bound. The testimonies that we should be using to encourage our brothers and sisters, have now become our best kept secrets. Our silence will eventually pour over into other areas of our lives without our knowledge. When we stop proclaiming the goodness of Jesus how will those around us know that He has been faithful?
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (AMP): Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.
It is always fascinating to think of Judas in the company of Jesus. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him and he entertained him anyway. In fact Judas was an integral part in getting Jesus to the cross. And that jealous friend will play an integral role in ensuring that someone hears your testimony and gets saved. I will share a secret: Jesus is bigger than voodoo/santeria and the jealous friends (Phil 2:10-11)! I mean who can stand before us when we go in Jesus name (Rom. 8:31)? Do we so easily forget that He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies (Ps. 23:5)? Most people will never allow the enemy they know close to the table of blessings in fear that they will cause trouble. The only enemy that will get close enough to the table God is preparing for you is the wolf in the sheep’s wool. The reason we become fearful of our enemy’s mouth/ feelings is because we begin to view them as bigger than God. The post basically said that things didn’t happen or materialize because jealousy is just as powerful as voodoo/santeria, and again I say Jesus is bigger and more powerful. If things didn’t go the way we desired or would have loved it, maybe “it wasn’t meant to happen” or “it wasn’t meant to happen yet” or maybe we are the reason: maybe we forfeited or delayed our own blessing.
Please remember the enemy can’t stop God from blessing you. If He has to dispatch angels for the answer to get to you, then He will (Daniel 10: 12-13). Balaam tried it in Numbers 22, and no matter how many times Balaam tried to curse the people of God, he had absolutely no choice but to bless them. The only way that Balaam could cause the blessings to be revoked, was to devise a plan and cause the children of Israel to sin. The jealous friends cannot cause you to lose your blessing. The people working voodoo can surely try, but the only person that can actually cause a forfeit of the blessing is you. You have to be the one to give it up. You have to be the one to quit. We cannot afford to care about Judas or the Pharisees (Religious people who feel the need to critically analyze what God is doing in your life, and then try to discredit you). If Jesus had allowed them to shut Him down and not declare somethings, then we wouldn’t have this great salvation today. Of course it will hurt! It most certainly caused Jesus some pain when Judas betrayed Him, but look at the end result!
We need to let our light shine forth, we need to sing and shout the goodness of our God. I for one am tired of keeping my mouth shut because I am afraid of Judas. I cannot afford not to share my testimony, because I am afraid of jealous friends. I will say this: if your “friends” find themselves feeling jealous of what God is doing in your life, it is not your responsibility to stop sharing your testimonies or letting your light shine; it is the responsibility of your friends to check themselves, recognize their problems and work out their own salvation. DO NOT! I repeat: DO NOT dim your light and be intimidated by jealous friends because it is making them uncomfortable. The more light shines, is the more darkness has to recede. If you dim your light, if you close your mouth and prevent what resides in you from pouring out then you begin to give darkness the allowance to invade your space and snuff out the light in you. When you starve a fire of oxygen then the fire will be snuffed out. I implore you, do not allow darkness (fear: fear of jealous friends etc) to starve the light in you of the oxygen it needs to keep burning.
I don’t know about you, but I desire to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony (Rev. 12:11). The devil does not get the chance to win because I am going to keep my mouth shut. Somebody somewhere has/needs to know that God is real, and that He is still doing amazing things. Therefore I have come to the conclusion that I can’t afford to fear Judas.
Food for thought: Are you prepared to receive Judas’ kiss? If Jesus wasn’t so influencial and outspoken then there would have been no need for a kiss on the cheek from Judas. Though Christ had to endure much after the betrayal it was necessary for you and I to receive salvation. As long as you are in the will of God, your friend’s jealousy can only cause the birth of something greater.
Thank you for reading! ♥ ♥
Ashley #followerofJesusChrist
Matthew 5:16 (AMP)
16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Psalm 22:22 (AMP)
22 I will tell of Your name to my countrymen; In the midst of the congregation I will praise You.
Psalm 71:15-16 (AMP)
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And of Your [deeds of] salvation all day long,
For their number is more than I know.
16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord God [and in His strength]; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
