Do you have enemies? Do you despise them? Do you wish they would perish forever and ever? Nowadays, anyone who doesn’t necessarily like what we do is a hater. Don’t get me wrong, some people are really haters, they would love to see us miserable and watch us fail in everything we do; but then again I think the word “hater” is often blown out of proportion. For some people, a critical evaluation of their work is considered as hate. Some people want others to praise their work without first critically evaluating it, without knowing that a negative evaluation can motivate us to become better. It can motivate us to improve and tweak what others initially thought as “not good enough”.

But what if the so called “haters” or enemies, or whatever you call it, were there for a reason? What if those enemies were jerks because God made them jerks? Let me explain.

People who eventually get called by God are not different from murderers or thieves. Of course, a person who is called by God will eventually become way different from a person who doesn’t know Christ; but we were all the same before being called by God. But we could still be the same way as murderers or thieves if it wasn’t for the grace of God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3: 23

God didn’t call you because you acted better than anybody or because you were a “good person”. He called you because He chose to call you. Period. It’s all God’s Sovereign Choice.

Romans 9:11-12 says “But before Esau and Isaac were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to His own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son”.

“What is Jesus without Judas? Judas was no mistake. He was handpicked and selected. No One helped Christ reach His goal like Judas. ~T.D Jakes

What if Judas’ purpose on this earth was solely to betray Christ? You know how we all have a purpose on this earth? Maybe that enemy of yours was born to be your Judas? No wonder why Jesus tells us “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good.” Matthew 5:44

We all know the story of Pharaoh in Exodus and how his country was severely punished because of his hardened heart and disobedience. God sent all types of plagues: the plague of blood, the plague of frogs, the plague of livestock, I mean the list goes on and on. Pharaoh was probably the most stubborn person in the Bible; after all the miracles Moses was performing in front of him, Pharaoh would say that he believed in God so that God could end the plague; but after that his heart would be hardened again. But was Pharaoh really that stubborn, that he wouldn’t listen after all the miracles God was doing? I think the answer is no. Pharaoh was stubborn the way he was stubborn because God had hardened his heart. “For by now I could have stretched my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.” Exodus 9:15 God had the power to wipe Pharaoh and his people off this earth, there is no doubt about that! So couldn’t he have had the power to change his heart as well? Absolutely. But He chose not to change His heart. Why?

Yes, I had the power to change his heart, “But I have raised Pharaoh up for this very purpose, that I might show you My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Exodus 9:16  It is not that Pharaoh couldn’t be changed by God’s grace; It’s that the “Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart…” Exodus 9:12

God will do anything to show His glory. And sometimes, His glory is manifested in ways that we would never expect. Remember when the disciples asked Jesus why a man was born blind? They asked, “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.” John 9:3 Jesus’ absolutely lovely response was “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3

What an amazing God we serve. Hallelujah! A God full of wisdom and humility. Lord, thank You for a chance to serve You. God uses disabilities, human diseases, and our weaknesses to show His glory. God will use everything and anything to show His glory.

Now that we understand that God hardens whomever he wills (Romans 9:18), the question becomes why does God still blame us for our hardened hearts? Listen close to Paul’s answer: “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.” Romans 9:19-23

Let’s be clear. Not every Judas’s heart is hardened by God. Many, many times our hearts are hardened by our sinful nature. Let’s not blame God for being wicked. God is holy and sovereign. In creation, He made us like Him without sin, but we insisted to be Him for we wanted His knowledge, so we ate the forbidden fruit. Therefore sin entered the world.

Thank God that He still chooses to look past our mistakes and sin.

But the thing is, it doesn’t matter how your Judas’s heart got hardened. If it’s God who hardened his heart, he will use him to show His glory as we saw earlier! If your Judas’s heart is hardened by his unloving, jealous sinful nature, God will use him to promote you! Either way we win. If God gets the glory, I win big! If I get promoted because of my Judas’s own sin, I win too.

Oh my God! To God be the glory. To God be the glory. To God be the glory! 

Thank You God for all the Judases in my life! “Leave my Judas alone. I need him in my life. He is my mysterious friend, the one who aids me without even knowing it. When you encounter a Judas in your life, remember that it is his actions that carry out the purpose of God in your life!” ~ T.D Jakes

Glory to God.

Lord, where do we go from here? How do we stay back and let Your glory be manifested in our lives?

Psalm 4:4 “In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” Selah

Relentlessly pray for your Judas because he may take you further than where a loving friend ever could.

Dear heavenly Father, what a privilege to be in Your presence again. Nothing satisfies our soul like Your presence. Nothing is supposed to satisfy our soul like You do. Please, please, purify our hearts so that there won’t be any root of jealousy or hate. The two greatest commandment that You gave us are all about love. Give us Your love. May Your love reign in our hearts now and forever. Please, always remind us that every person in our paths is there for a reason. Blessed be Your name, that You will make everything work for our good even though we don’t deserve it and never will deserve it. Thank You Lord for Jesus and the cross. We don’t deserve it but You always take us back. Blessed be Your name. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray that Your name be glorified in all we do. Amen!!