Betrayal Exposed
Testimony: Delivered from a cycle of betrayal:
“My husband and I married when I was just twenty-one years old and served at his parents’ church for ten years. My in-laws became my rescuers when my relationship with my own parents suffered under the weight of the disagreement over my marriage.
My in-laws created a culture to keep everyone outside of the family out. I recall my mother-in-law telling me “We have to have each other’s backs in ministry. We can only trust each other as a family. It is us against the world.” I believed her and learned not to trust people besides my husband and his family. (Betrayal begets betrayal. A culture of distrust and suspicion is learned.)
We had a cycle in our church that went like this: Good people would leave our church, my in-laws would try something new and that would spark a small amount of growth in the amount of members we had, and then a conflict would happen and the cycle would start over. When people started leaving our church again, this time I began to ask “Why?”. I was told by several friends of mine that they had decided to leave our church when my husband’s family started gossiping about us on several occasions. I was fuming with rage. I felt like I had been stabbed in the back by the only people I felt that I could trust and began to wonder who else was gossiping about me.
Subconsciously, I had believed the lie that I could never trust leaders ever again and that leaders did not trust me.
Because I believed this lie, there was a cycle of betrayal in my life that occurred. I felt so confused and full of fear about my relationships. I couldn’t trust anyone. I couldn’t even trust God to protect me.
It wasn’t until I went in for a Sozo that I realized what was going on. Once I recognized that I had been listening to bitterness and judgment. I was habitually agreeing with these spirits. (What?! My family was in the wrong, not me, right?) The pain of my past had held me captive for a long time, and I didn’t even know it!
The breakthrough I experienced changed my life. The ties that had been hindering me from hearing God’s voice were broken off of my life. During my Sozo session, I was finally able to connect with Father God. He gave me insight into the cycle of betrayal that held me captive. He showed me where the poor behavior was coming from in the family and that it was all learned behavior. I took on Jesus’s love for others in the place of offense and was delivered from a spirit of judgment, fear, and control. Now, from love, I am interceding for our family to encounter God and experience the breakthrough that I have experienced. I felt so light after my session and could hear God’s voice so clearly. I could sense God’s nearness to me and was set free.”
What do YOU do when your family or friends betray you?
One definition of betrayal is the exposure (one's country, a group, or a person) to danger by treacherously giving information to an enemy. Oftentimes, it is easy to pinpoint our betrayer as an enemy, but who is the real enemy here?
Ephesians 6:12 says “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Our immediate reaction might be to hold on to the pain and to keep everyone out but the work of the Cross teaches us otherwise.
“The punishing spirit denies the work of the Cross, the Blood of Jesus and the Resurrection as payment for our sin and mistakes. It blocks from receiving amnesty and forgiveness demanding greater payment. Continuing to punish ourselves for the reasons Christ died for us leads to self-destruction. The punishing spirit strikes with a whip entitled ‘regret’, strategically mutilating hope, confidence and encouragement. It rises in contest to the power of Jesus’ Blood. When you are more comfortable at the gravesite than in the Kingdom, you will bury your blessings rather than let them multiply and prosper.” - “Healing Trauma Using Simplified Bethel Sozo Ministry” by Yvonne Martinez
If an act of betrayal is held onto by the victim, it can lead that victim into bitterness. Bitterness opens a door to the enemy because it involves unforgiveness. An open door gives the enemy access to places in your soul and is like a crossed boundary. To learn more about open doors, read Dawna De Silva’s book - SOZO Saved | Healed | Delivered
“Feelings of rejection, betrayal, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, and ambivalence are natural responses to being hurt. But when we harbor and protect them, we often reshape them into weapons to hurt ourselves or others. Betrayal will instill personal (or spiritual) doubt about the ability to discern a situation correctly, failing to detect a relationship or situation was heading towards failure and pain.” - “Healing Trauma Using Simplified Bethel Sozo Ministry” by Yvonne Martinez
How do we deal with betrayal?
-- A communion revival. This means to bring your offenses into the light with your offender from a fresh realization of the power of the Blood of Christ. The Blood of Christ is greater than any sin that you will ever commit and it is greater than any sin that anyone will ever commit against you. We must learn to forgive ourselves and to forgive others.
The spring of living water that Jesus talks about in John chapter 4 is a prophetic picture of the love of God and actuality of the Blood of Christ. The woman at the well asked Jesus, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?” A well is stagnant water that requires toil and effort to receive from, but when you receive Jesus, you receive a fountain of His Blood inside of you that will never run dry. This means that you have ample supply of the love of God living in you right now. From that love, you are able to give it away because it is ever flowing and continually replenishing itself by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit!
Are you getting tired and burned out by religion?
If anyone knows how you feel, Jesus does. He was mocked, rejected, betrayed, and despised. Isaiah 53 says that He is “acquainted with grief” and that men hide their faces from Him in disgust. But, He was pierced for our offenses and he was crushed for our immoral and unfair behavior.
There might not be a human being in your life who understands what you’re going through, but the person of Jesus does understand what you are going through. He loves you right now as you are and wants to see your face. He wants to be the one that you turn to and that you confide in.
Imagine that you and your betrayer are sitting at a table face to face. Maybe you’re feeling shocked and numb with disbelief. Maybe you are in denial and hiding behind a smile from the truth that has emerged. Maybe you are angry, hurt, unhappy and sad. Maybe you’ve been burned by the religious act of ‘thinking the best’ resulting in exhaustion because you have no confidence or trust in your discernment. You almost hate yourself because you’ve trusted the person sitting in front of you. Now look into the eyes of your betrayer. Can you see your reflection?
You start to feel shame and unforgiveness toward yourself. You’re striving to clean up your act, get it together, and love, but all of the noise of anxiety and panic are raging war within you to save face. Suddenly, the sound of rushing water is reverberating in your ears. This loud and interruptive red river bursts through your walls and starts violently moving through this room of your heart, staining the carpet, the table, the clothes you’re wearing - It fully engulfs you and your betrayer. Then, unexpectedly, Jesus comes into the room and walks up to the table. He stands between you and your betrayer and says “I am everything that you need. Come to me, beloved. My desire is to love you. I will never betray you.”
Is your heart relating to the feelings described above but unable to connect with God?
Sozo is about revival in the heart and complete wholeness. Your spirit, soul and body are connected, affecting each other. The Sozo healing experience reconnects your heart to God’s heart causing healing - spirit, soul and body. God is waiting for you at The Transformation Center!
