betrayal Archives - As It Is in Heaven

July 11, 2022July 11, 2022

Don’t Execute Order 66 – Spiritual Betrayal and Why We Shouldn’t Do It

We’ve all seen it in the media – whether in books, movies, or television – our protagonist(s) are reaching the climax of their saga only to be betrayed by one (or more) closest to them. Let me show a couple of notable examples.

Order 66

Boromir from The Fellowship of the Ring

In both examples, we see someone or a group of people, who helped out our heroes for most of their time and even built a trusting relationship with them, only to have them turn at a crucial moment.

June 24, 2021June 25, 2021

A Closer Look: Solomon, the King Who Broke God’s Covenant

King Solomon, Solomon, Covenant, Israelites, God, Promise

Perhaps many of us might have heard of the wealthiest and the wisest king of Israel: Solomon. But what else do we know about him besides these renowned qualities? Let’s take a closer look at who King Solomon really was, and why he played such an important role in the history of Israel, God’s chosen nation.

June 21, 2021December 23, 2021

The Great Deception: How and Where Satan Works

how satan works, God's church, deception, lies, Satan

When many people, religious or not, think about Satan, they often think of something like this: a red demon with horns and a pitchfork, trying to obviously tempt others to sin, to live and take in all the worldly pleasures and wealth, disregarding the consequences.

May 17, 2021May 17, 2021

Why Is God So Angry in the Bible?

God's wrath, God's anger, faith, love, betrayal, obedience, disobedience

Why does God seem so angry in the Old Testament? And why does He always destroy the Israelites, the very people He created and chose? Why doesn’t He just forgive them? Isn’t He the God of love?

I’ve grown up hearing these questions my whole life when it comes to God. Things like this made me believe in the idea that there was the wrath of God versus the peace of Jesus. These ideas grew into assumptions that God was the one who was always full of anger and wrath, while Jesus was our friend, brought peace, and never acted out in anger…or at least not as intensely as God did.

April 26, 2021October 10, 2021

Why Did God Create Satan…Or Did He?

did god create satan, lucifer, God's will, Bible

Have you ever created something?

It could’ve been a sculpture, a table, a painting, or another invention of some kind. How did you feel once it was completed? Maybe you were happy, proud even, to see your finished product. Now imagine that your creation, the thing you spent endless hours of work on, pouring all of your effort into, was then damaged, or destroyed by someone…on purpose. All of that hard work and dedication to make this beautiful creation…ruined. What kinds of feelings or thoughts would go through your mind?

In the Bible, we see that all of God’s creations that were originally made to be precious and good have become damaged, corrupted. This was all because of a deep betrayal. Who betrayed God and damaged His creation? Satan.

April 6, 2021April 6, 2021

Is God Able to Trust Everyone?

Trust. What does this word mean to you? Do you give your trust easily? Or does it take a lot of time and effort for you to even start thinking about trusting someone new? When we think about the ones we trust the most, think about what has led you to give it. Usually it has something to do with time. You’ve known them since childhood or their friendship has weathered the test of time. Or maybe they’ve proven that they are reliable again and again and will be there when we need them. For those that do have our trust, we could probably all agree that these people are the ones we would be okay sharing our important information or vulnerable feelings with. We trust these people to safeguard our secrets and the things we hold closest to the heart.

April 1, 2021April 3, 2021

Are You Living Up to God’s Standards?

God's standards, God, relationship, faith, knowledge

If we think about relationships, do you think it’s possible to have a successful relationship without having any standards? Maybe in a romantic relationship, you want to be with someone who lives a certain lifestyle that matches yours. Maybe in a friendship, you make an effort to keep friends who are positive and encouraging instead of gossipy or cynical.

Even if we don’t want to admit it, we all have standards and expectations for our relationships. And we should. Having standards is a way of ensuring you can trust the other person while also protecting your own heart. But let’s also think about when you have clear or set standards in a relationship, but the other party constantly breaks or ignores them. How would you react? Even when you sincerely love a person, you set standards that you hold them to and usually they do the same for us. For any of us who say we’re in a relationship with God, should we expect God to be any different?