When Deception Is Revealed

When trying to restore a relationshipthat ended suddenly and took me by total surprise, I found myself being harassed by someone who had not been a part of the eleven year relationship that he was committing on. It was the persons brother. Who until the end of my relationship was not apart of our lives and could not care less of what his brother and I was going through. I had been the one who put forth the effort to reestablish the relationship between these brothers, and have now discovered that it is one of the greatest mistakes that I have ever made. He is arrogant, rude, threatening, violent and I believe a spouse abuser. Why? Because he took my arm and told me I was going to listen to what he had to say. When I managed to get myself free he began chasing me around the apartment, outside into the parking lot and tried to shove me in my car before hitting me. He threatened me repeatedly until I gabbed my cell phone to record him and call 911. Having been the object of domestic violence before in mt earlier years these signs became loud and clear to me. There are some sibling relationship that should not be reestablished, I believe that you can love them, prayfor them but keep them at arms length -- do not allow them into your inner circle or life. And by all means do not subject your loved ones and family to their uncontrollable outburst of anger.

I was having a conversation with the person that I was trying to restore a relationship with when his brother jumped in and began to call me every name under the sun. He attacked my personal faith, my God and my family. He made comments that he had no knowledge about, and all the while the person that I was having the conversation with could not stop him or calm him down. It was then I understand why my relationship with this person had ended as abruptly as it had. I now understood the thought pattern that had taken over someone who was once gentle and loving and had now become arrogant and self-centered. It was his brothers influences. His thoughts and actions were being portrayed through someone that I had once admired. However, I cannot truly put all the blame on the brother because this person had a choice in the matter and after the police arrived stood my the side of his brother, and afterwards avoided me.

It was at this time that I gained the understanding that his brother had been calling him everyday filling his thoughts with deceptions, arrogance and self-centered actions. The brother had not been apart of his life for over 40 years and now thought that he knew everything. He was telling the person I cared about to walk away from me, his daughter and anything that would take his attention away from himself. This is what he had done all his life being self-seeking and not letting anything or anyone close to him and now that he is all alone he plays on my friends desire and love to establish a relationship with him. My friend does not see this yet, but I did take the advice of one of his brothers rants. I got my Bible and I went to church and ask others to agree in prayer with me for these influences to be removed from my friend, in Jesus name. But, then I came to the understanding through contact with the person I once admired that it was his will, and God would not go against his will. I do however, pray that when the day comes and it will that he will be able to truthfully reflect the events of that day and repent. I cannot say that I will be able to pick that relationship back up because I was truly devastated by it. But, I can only trust that if that arises that my heavenly Father will have healed those deep emotions of betrayal, hurt, and broken trust.

It is true that I am not physically strong enough to take on his brother, nor do I have a desire to get into a physical confrontation with him. Because we war not against flesh and blood but against spirits and principalities. But, I do know the One who can open and close doors that I could not even imagine and His name is Jesus. I do know that when I pray He hears and He answers me. I do not fully understand what the future holds for this individual but I do know that my friend is not one of its holdings, but at the same time must let it go and let my heavenly Father deal with situation and my friends current will. I do pray for this individual to see the truth of his actions, thoughts and beliefs and that he too gets on his knees and repents for the things he said to me and about me. He thinks that being an alcoholic is a blessing of God, when it is the deliverance from the alcohol that is the blessing. What a twisted mind.This person attended seminary and then choose to follow the ways of the world. I have often come across some that I cannot gain their thought conceptions and have wondered if this is what the scripture is speaking of when the written word states that when we won't turn from our own ways that God gives us over to our own desires and a debased mind? It is a scary thought and one that I pray stays close to my heart when I want to continue to walk in a path that is not for me and does not line up to the written word, wisdom and knowledge of God. I do not ever want to be separated from my heavenly Father in this manner, or in fact any manner. And, I do not ever want to hear the words from my heavenly Father or my Lord Jesus, "I never knew you." Not that our heavenly Father does not know each of us and is willing to forgive us when we ask, but that we have not taken the time to get to know Him, and love Him because He first loved us.

Grace affords us the opportunity to get to know Him and receive mercy in our times of need for strength and to overcome situations, trials and tribulations. But we must understand that what is hidden for a moment of time will be revealed if we will but seek the truth of the situation especially when we see major characteristic changes in those that we care about. Although we may not physically be able to help them, we are not without a weapon that is greater than anything we can do within ourselves -- it is the word of God and when we give it back to Him (God) it will not return to Him (God) void. But in order to give it back to Him (God) we must know what it is. And in my friends brother's rant to me, he told me exactly what to do to remove the deception from my friends life and have his (my friends) eyes enlightened to the truth -- for I do know the word of God and have set forth the plan of action to reclaim my friend better than he was when our relationship ended, but I have come to understand that the events changed a lot of things between us and my friend will now have to earn the trust that was once given freely. Let all glory, honor and praise be unto God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. For my moment of discomfort with his brother became a revelation to set in action a door for the truth to be revealed and all things restored-at least if my friend repents and ask Jesus to become his Lord and Savior again for at this time he does not want anything to do with God or His word. It is amazing to me how many people actually feel that way and then complain about the path that their life is taking. God's principles and words are given to guide us, provide us with wisdom that the choices we make will be made with sound judgment and protect us from greater heartaches in our lives. However, most people see them as taking the fun out of life and putting road blocks in our paths to the things we think we desire only to discover that it was truly not what we were searching for at all.

As I was seeking truth and instruction in the written word, the Lord God gave me my answer in the Book of Ezekiel, in which I have read before but have not visited for sometime. The Lords answer: Ezekiel 12:26-28; "Again, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Son of man, look the house of Israel is saying, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.' Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done.' says the Lord God.'"

The knowledge that I have acquired from this event in my life concerning mankind is that things are not always as they appear to be, and we truly do not know all there is to know about another. We must not only listen to their words-but we must pay attention to their actions. We can indeed deceive our self just as others can deceive us. Be truthful with yourself-look with open and clear vision, listen and hear whether there are inconsistencies in what you are being told, and ask your heavenly Father in Jesus name to guide your path with wisdom revealed through the Holy Spirit. And, then follow the direction that the Spirit is guiding you.