Transcription
types of people that easily betray others.
Five types of people.
One: Agree. The person a greedy person. Greed is a strong desire to continually get more of something, more of something, especially money, especially money. They are never satisfied. A greedy person, like Judas, values material goods more than the value God, more than the value vital and close relationship. It is the obsession with accumulating material things. A key aspect of greed is that greed is never satisfied, no matter how much material goods are accumulated by the person. And one dangerous nature about greedy people is that they will easily use deception, deception to acquire material things. The greedy will lie. They will easily lie and use false pretenses to acquire goods or money at the expense of others.
The second group of people you should be very careful about because they can easily betray you are gold diggers. Gold diggers. In those days, make a good percentage of gold diggers used to be women. But in this present time, we have to carry out a very thorough search to even know the gender that has a higher percentage because now we see a lot of men that are perpetual and chronic gold diggers. Is someone who positions himself or herself to get the best from you, not necessarily because he or she likes you, but they position themselves to get the best, not just to get something from you like an opportunist, but to get even the best that you have to offer. And gold diggers are given to too much material considerations, too much material conservation. If they are going to marry, material consideration is one of the major factors that will determine who they will marry. Even when their children want to marry, material financial consideration will be one of the major factors that will influence their giving their consent to adopt our son's choice in marriage. And gold diggers are very good pretenders. They are very good pretenders. And many times you will assume they love you, and they love you more than those who sincerely love you. And that's why people fall for them. People befriend them. People get them, allow them to come so close. People even make them advisors. And people, some others even marry them. They are very good pretenders. And they can easily shift their loyalty from you, even when there is no offense. And they will shift loyalty is looking back. They've benefited from their relationship with you.
The third threat you should be careful about because of their tendency towards betrayal as sycophants. Sycophants. A sycophant is someone who is only around you for what he or she stands to benefit. And most of the time, they are very, very, they are very, they, they give in to sweet talk. They are given to sweet talk. They are given to flattery. They are given to praise. Their praise singers. They are very good as praise singers. They are given to flattery. And they are experts in sweet talk. But all they say is not from the heart. All they said is never from the heart.
And the next, number four, the next one. They're all, they look some of them look similar, but there are some slight distinctions. Uh, opportunists. About opportunities is someone who, who seeks to take advantage of you. Their relationships are based on what is in need for me. What is a need for me? Someone who enters into a relationship or marriage based on a hidden personal interest or expectation, and not what he publicly appreciates, pretends to appreciate about his or her partner. Do you know we have, we have, we see people who secretly wish for the death or downfall of people around them, people they are close to, in order to benefit from it. People don't about what they want. They abandon what they were using. If someone was using you, the person will easily abandon you once there is a better option or opportunity. People don't abandon what they want. They abandon what they were using. Loyalties. When you have my back, behind my back, I pray that the Lord will increase every one of us in wisdom in the name of Jesus. Can the Lord hear your amen?
And then the last one is a schemer. A schemer is someone that can even give his complete loyalty to someone for a long time, but this is only been done out of a hidden personal interest or future expectation. Now, of this scripture, Psalm 41 verse 9. Psalm 41 verse 9. Amplified Bible, classic edition. It says, "Even my own, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, relied on, and was confident, who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me." Contemporary English Version says, "My most trusted friend has turned against me, though he ate at my table." The Message version says, "Even my best friend, the one I always told everything, I always told everything, it me all the time, has beaten my hand." The Voice version of the Bible, it says, "Even my best friend, my confidence, my confidence, who has eaten my bread, will stab me in the back." Praise God.
So we close it up with these lessons. One, the first lesson is on the power of relationship. Your choice of people with whom to associate will have more impact on what you become than most other single factors. Your choice of people to closely associate with could turn out to be a bridge or a wall. As a bridge, it could connect you forward. Or as a wall, it could hinder you from achieving your clear potentials. Your relationships in life will either make you or break you. Most relationships will never leave you neutral. Many great destinies have been ruined by wrong relationship. Many great destinies, many great destinies have been deserted by wrong association. It is a common saying that when God wants to bless you, one of the ways he does it is to send you a good friend and relationship. And in the same way, when the enemy wants to cause you pain and trouble, he will deny you of a right and rewarding relationship. And what still, it will connect you to a wrong person. I pray that there will be a supernatural intervention right now for someone listening to this message. May God help you and deliver you from every wrong connection in the name of Jesus. So brothers and sisters, you have the responsibility to choose the right relationship. You have the responsibility. Don't be forced into any relationship. Don't be coerced into any. Don't be added into any group on social media without being properly briefed. Don't subject yourself to the leadership of someone that you have not understood properly. Don't let people force you into any relationship. Don't let any man or woman force you to make you a friend. And when they become too fussy about it, be fun, be very, very firm in standing your ground.
Number two, very careful in your choice and selection of people. Be very careful in your choice and selection of people. A choice of the wrong persons has caused too many. You must be careful before making a decision or a choice that is supposed to last for a lifetime. In Proverbs 26 verse 10. Proverbs 26 verse 10. Very interesting scripture from The Living Bible. He says, "A master, the master may get better work from an untrained apprentice, untrained apprentice done from a skilled rebel, done from his skilled rebel." This scripture is putting character before competence. Or let me put it this way, is putting character before expertise. Skill and expertise by sporting character first. That someone is very good, skilled, is an expert, but the person is a rebel. Ha, you will get results, but the person is going to destroy or bring down everything you are built up on. On the other hand, a novice with a good heart can be trained. Can be trained. Skills are transferable. You can transfer skills. So a novice with a good heart can be trained and eventually we have those same skills and expertise. Please be very careful before entering into a long-term or lifetime agreement with people. And this includes marriage. In Proverbs chapter 31, verse 10 to 12. Proverbs chapter 31, verse 10 to 12. Living Bible. It says, "If you can find a truly good wife, truly good wife." I pray for our singers who are listening that may the Lord give you a wife and not a knife. And then in Proverbs chapter 12, we have to close now. Proverbs chapter 12, verse 4. Proverbs 12, 4. Living Bible. It says, "A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown. A worthy wife is a husband's joy and crown. The other kind saps his strength and tears down everything he does, tears down everything he does." This design scripture, they are very much in scripture.
And so the last, the very, very last lesson is choosing your inner cycle. Choosing your inner cycle. That's a closing part of the message. Matthew 26:36-38. And this is lesson number four. Choosing your inner cycle. Matthew 26:36-38. Easy to read version. He says, "Then Jesus went with his followers." Take note of that. He went with his followers to a place called Gethsemane. Then he said, he said to them, "Sit here while I go there and pray." Verse 37. He told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him. He went. He had followers, and they were close to him. They believed in him. But from amongst these followers, he had an inner cycle. In verse 37, who were they? Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him. Then he began to be very sad and troubled. Jesus said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, "My heart is so heavy with grief." Take note, what he was telling them. He didn't tell the larger crowd of followers. There are things you can open up and share with your inner cycle. He said, "My heart, it's so heavy with grief. I feel as if I am dying." This was the same Jesus that you know, thousands of people will enough to what he's confiding in these very close associates. He said, "Wait here and stay awake with me." And then the lesson is this. Jesus, for instance, had thousands of followers. He had a 70-member workforce what he had then. He had 12 apostles that were working with him officially in ministry. But he had three close friends, three close friends. You could also see something that looks like a model and an example in the Old Testament with with Prophet Daniel, who also had these three close associates, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. You could see them praying together, doing a lot of things together, and they share the same values. Each of them share the same values. They share the same principles. And they believed so much in God. And they were all loyal to God. They were all loyal to God.
You must have an inner cycle. Choose them carefully. Build them up and build up your relationship with them. Invest in your relationship with them. Stand by them by all means and at all times. Standing by them will see you and doing things to to protect the interest of members of their own family when God gives you the opportunity. Do things to even empower them as Jesus also did for the three. But in choosing your close, as your inner cycle, be very, very careful. In Exodus 18 verse 21. Exodus 18 verse 21. When Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, was recommending to him some criteria in wisdom to use in choosing people, he said, "But you should also choose some of the people to be judges and leaders." He said, "Choose good men you can trust. Good men you trust. Men who respect God. Men who respect God. Choose men who will not change their decision for money. Who will not change their decision for money?" So the character traits of a good choice. Just write them down and then we'll rise to pray. The character traits of a good choice. One, a good heart. A man or a woman with a good heart. Number two, God-fearing. A man that is God-fearing. A woman that is God-fearing. Number three, loyal and dependable. Loyal and dependable. Not a fair-weather person. Not a fair-weather person. Not an opportunist. Someone that is not likely to change once in power. Power. Not likely to change. Number four, sincere and real. Sincere and real. A man that is real. Too many fake men around. Someone that is sincere. Someone that is real. Not a pretender. Number five, divinely approved of. Yes, divinely approved of. Sometimes by divine revelation, or at least confirmed after praying sufficiently about the person. After praying sufficiently about a person. Number six, not an unforgiving person. Not an unforgiving person. Not an unforgiving person. I'm talking about these qualities. It has to do with when you are choosing your inner cycle. Not an unforgiving person. Number seven, someone that has a soft spot for you. Someone that has a soft spot for you. You have to be aware of anyone that is repeatedly mean to you. As you are joining in life, you will observe that certain people are repeatedly mean to you in particular. That person evidently does not have a soft spot for you. Number eight, has a record of integrity. Someone that has a record of integrity. Without integrity, let them be friends, but not your inner cycle. They stand by you. No, they stand by their convictions. Men and women stand by their convictions. They stand by their values. They stand by their principles. They stand by their decisions. They stand by their choices. They stand by their vows. They stand by their promises. Not a cheap person. Cheap man, a cheap woman that come easily misled or someone that can also easily sell out. And number nine, not an extremely covetous or envious person. Not an extremely covetous. There are people that can do anything for money. Extremely covetous or envious person. Someone that is not likely to sell out. Someone that is not likely to be bought over. Those are the people that should be in your inner cycle. And lastly, number 10, not a fetish Christian. A fetish Christian is more dangerous than a native doctor. A fetish Christian is more dangerous than a native doctor. As a supposed Christian that still seeks fetish things, charms, rituals, and works with magicians and herbalists is more dangerous than a native doctor. So these are the 10 criteria that you should have in mind King who you should have in your own inner cycle. And I told you, your inner cycle is dynamic. You are not bound to anybody. So when you notice one or two of them are suddenly changing, God will help you in Jesus name. I hope you, you've learned something today. Praise hear the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.