By[3] “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. [5] So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.” — Matthew 27:3, 5 NIV
Today, so many people battle with suicidal thoughts. The devil keeps speaking condemning words to such people, leaving them devastated and unwanted in themselves. But God didn’t create us to live like that. Romans 8:1 NIV tells us that,
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”
So anytime you experience condemning thoughts running through your mind, know that they’re of the devil. And since knowing the root of a problem makes it partly solved, you’ll figure out how to attack it accurately – by casting them down in the power of the Spirit.
Judas Iscariot didn’t know this. He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver – which might be a huge amount of money in those times. And he thought it was him that did it. Meanwhile, it’s clear in the Bible that the devil entered into him before he did that (see John 13:26-27). So Judas was still the usual guy. But everything he did from that time on was purely manipulated by the devil.
Some people are living like that today. They think they’re in control of themselves. Meanwhile, their whole lives are orchestrated by demons. They need deliverance and counselling too. However, the devil is not a fool. He knows these people need these things. So he keeps them away from the church so that they’ll not get help.
Look at Judas Iscariot’s life. When everyone was in the garden of Gethsemane to accompany Jesus to pray, he was somewhere gathering soldiers to arrest Jesus.
As a minister, be careful of the leaders who are fond of absenting themselves from leadership meetings consistently without any tangible excuses. It’s a sign that they’re drifting off from your spiritual authority. And that’s dangerous because it will affect them adversely but your team even more due to division.
When Judas came to his senses, he realised he had sinned. I guess by that time, while seeing Jesus condemned, he got delivered of spiritual blindness to see the wrong thing he had done days ago. He could have gone back to the eleven for an apology or counsel. But he didn’t. He just returned the money and went to hang himself.
Suicide is never the solution to remorse. Talk to the brethren about your issues. Don’t keep your struggle to yourself and suffer for nothing. God is with you. He’ll encourage and support you in all that you do. May He help you.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for the supplication of Your love through the Spirit and the presence of the brethren in our lives. In the name of Jesus, I pray for a sound mind in everything I’m involved in. Lead and guide me in the way everlasting. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2023 – 329
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