Comments on: When the Knife in Your Back Belongs to Your Best Friend

By: Jeff Adams

Jeff Adams — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:58:15 +0000

Thanks for the openness, Brandon. We can’t control others, obviously, but we do have the ability to make our own choices. As you point out, what counts is to hold to the objective truth of scripture, and make our decisions on that basis, especially when our emotions are screaming at us in a very subjective way. Some hurt is much deeper than others. Emotions can take a while to settle down. It’s like dressing a wound, yet it still hurts. Sometimes, it hurts for quite a while until it begins to go away. What concerns me is your struggle with guilt and doubt. When you are not at fault, or have dealt with any fault properly, any guilt and doubt that remains needs to be recognized and rejected by an act of your will, even though your emotions are still playing with you. Sometimes, this is even an aspect of spiritual warfare. Revelation 12: 10 tells us we have an enemy that accuses us constantly. We can choose not to listen. When the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, it is very specific and so must be our response. Generalized feelings of guilt and doubt are not from God, but from the enemy and need to be refused.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:59:07 +0000

So, “what if” all of what you mentioned happened to a person and with no known fault of their own prayerfully ask the Lord to forgive them of any unconfessed ill will toward the culprit(s) on a daily basis, but emotions still run high when the situation is brought up in conversation? Further, if you are earnestly or at least sincerely want to live a Spirit filled life without any anger from holding grudges over past ills, how do you deal with guilt and doubt over a repentant heart? Also, though I know that were are not mandated to remain confidants, brothers or sisters in Christ yes but close intimate devulgers no, I know I am to forgive them and have prayed that the Lord would see my heart as such. But my emotions, which I know can be liars and not true indicators all the time, seem to be telling me (oopps I change tense, oh well), they seem to be telling me that I am not over this. Other times that I have had, minor, but similiar situations I have gotten over it much sooner and was able to thank the Lord that the venom of ill will toward that situation was gone. Though, I know it is scripture, not my emotions that dictate my standing with Christ, I wish that I had the peace that has accompanied past circumstances. So do I just continue to trust the Lord for the peace that I would like or should I be seeking Him to make sure I am where I need to be? Both?

By: Kirk

Kirk — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:43:35 +0000

Another twist on your subject is when there appears to be no person as the one stabbing us in the back. In this case we will often blame God as the one who betrayed us. I’ve wondered if David didn’t feel this way at times. I think the points made here apply to this situation as well. To get to them we need to aknowledge that God’s word is true even when what we see all around us appears to contradict it. We know we can trust him and that he is due our trust and obedience regardless of how it seems to look but simply “because the Bible tells me so”. If we will accept this, then we can continue to put our trust in him and apply the points you’ve made.