READ: 2 Timothy 4:9-18
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” – Psalm 41:9
Though Judas walked and ministered with Jesus for three years, he eventually betrayed Him for a small amount of money. Betrayal is a part of ministry. It is also a part of life. If you are yet to experience betrayal, I can assure you that you will. The disturbing thing about betrayal is that it is done by people who are supposedly close to you.
I have experienced wickedness from people who have lifted themselves up to fight and oppose me. There are times when my ministry and very existence have become a source of work for such wicked individuals; their work being fighting, slandering and opposing. Without my existence, I think some people may not even have a job to do!
If you are not resolute in ministry, you could easily decide to leave these harassments behind and move on to a more peaceful existence in some secular job.
The fact that someone may one day betray you, may make it very difficult for you to happily interact and flow with the people. Observe the ministries of great men of God. You will discover that they have all had their fair share of traitors. All this contributes to the burden and difficulty of ministry. These experiences are all part of the ministry. It is burdensome to lead people because they can abandon you at any time.
However, God wants us to share the burden of caring for His people. God wants us to be shepherds!