Latest / Couples’ Journey Podcast Channel / Do You Promise Not to Tell? — Par 3: Rey's Story of Betrayal & Grace
Transcript
- 0:00Hey everyone, welcome back to the Couples Journey blog series podcast.
- 0:04We're on part three of the series, Do You Promise Not to Tell?
- 0:07Today, Rey will share his personal journey, a story of brokenness,
- 0:12betrayal, and ultimately, God's relentless grace.
- 0:16Rey's reflection is about confronting betrayal, embracing vulnerability,
- 0:21and trusting God's sovereignty even in the hardest seasons.
- 0:24May this encourage you, wherever you may be on your journey and in your marriage. Here's Rey.
- 0:31In the years I spent away from God and through the tough season of witnessing
- 0:36family relationship break apart, I believe God allowed me to deeply harbor hate,
- 0:42especially toward lies and betrayal.
- 0:45Those painful experiences caused me to build tough walls around my heart to
- 0:51protect myself from similar hurt in the future.
- 0:55At first, those walls seemed to shield me from the pain and further destruction,
- 1:00but my separation from God led me down the path that weren't pleasing to Him.
- 1:05When I finally surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and learned about the great
- 1:10betrayal mankind committed against Him, I realized there was no other choice
- 1:15but to submit everything to Him.
- 1:18I thought my struggles with lies and betrayal had ended.
- 1:23Then came a season when Annie, my wife, and I found ourselves in the midst of
- 1:29those same wounds coming from a different people we least expected.
- 1:35Despite God revealing warnings to me through dreams, the situation still took its toll.
- 1:42It pushed me to a point of vulnerability, and I saw Annie hurt more deeply than
- 1:49I had ever seen her before.
- 1:50As the sequence of lies and betrayals unfolded one after another,
- 1:56from the day Annie and I committed ourselves to our marriage to God,
- 2:01we knew He would do a lot of work in us.
- 2:04We had been shaped by years of wrong perception and survival mode mentality,
- 2:10but with Christ, it's always about total surrender.
- 2:14Whenever our shortcomings are brought to light, Even in the toughest circumstances,
- 2:20we choose to sit down and have a conversation.
- 2:23It's not natural for us. It's only by God's grace that we find the courage.
- 2:30We're accountable to Him, and we don't want to fall into Satan's trap of hypocrisy.
- 2:37This kind of situation is something we never thought would happen among believers of Christ.
- 2:42Sadly, it's not just us experiencing betrayal.
- 2:47Many ministers and teachers are facing it today.
- 2:50Betrayals and lies bring a different layer of pain when they happen in the community
- 2:55of people who claim to be believers and followers of Christ.
- 3:00Well, even Jesus himself endured betrayal.
- 3:04Who are we to complain? This took me back to Jesus' message to his disciple at the start of Luke 12.
- 3:11He was surrounded by a huge crowd, and his main warning was about hypocrisy,
- 3:17pretending to be something we're not on the outside.
- 3:21Jesus made it clear that what is hidden, words spoken in private,
- 3:27secret kept in a quiet place, won't stay hidden forever.
- 3:31One day, everything will be revealed in the light.
- 3:35Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together,
- 3:41that they were stepping on one another,
- 3:44He began saying to His disciples, First of all, beware of the leaven of the
- 3:50Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- 3:53But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
- 4:01Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light,
- 4:06and what you have whispered in the inner room will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
- 4:13Luke 12, 1-3 God sees and knows everything, even what's done in secret.
- 4:20So, Jesus is reminding us to live with integrity and sincerity,
- 4:25because nothing is truly hidden from Him.
- 4:28It's a gentle call to be real, because at the end of the day,
- 4:32the truth will come out and we'll be held accountable.
- 4:37These seasons of betrayal and brokenness are some of the hardest to endure,
- 4:42especially when targeted by other schemes and secrets.
- 4:46So, what can we do? My wife and I turned to God, seeking His wisdom through prayers.
- 4:54This particular trial brought us a new level of pain, so profound that it shattered
- 5:00us and pushed us to trust Him even more.
- 5:04It's my word against someone else's. But we cling to Paul's word in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 10.
- 5:13Therefore, I am well content with weakness, with insults, with distress,
- 5:20with persecution, with difficulties, for Christ's sake.
- 5:24For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- 5:28When we are restored by God, He always has a purpose.
- 5:32Whatever that may be, above all, we are called to live honestly.
- 5:37And wholeheartedly before Him. In those moments when the world's brokenness,
- 5:43Satan's scheme, and our fleshly weaknesses threaten to distract us,
- 5:48I hold fast to Isaiah 55, verse 8.
- 5:53For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
- 6:00Before we close, we want to invite you to engage with us and support the Couples
- 6:05Journey blog series podcast. By following this channel, leaving comments,
- 6:09and sharing episodes with your family and friends, you're helping us in our
- 6:13mission to transform marriages today.
- 6:15Your support encourages more couples to seek God's guidance and grow stronger together.
- 6:20Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we can make a difference.
- 6:25Here's the final part of today's episode.
- 6:30Such an honest reflection. Betrayal and brokenness are painful,
- 6:34but believers are called to live with integrity and sincerity before God,
- 6:39knowing that nothing is hidden from Him.
- 6:41When we face trials like these, our response must be to turn to Him in prayer,
- 6:46trusting that His purpose extends even through our weakest moments.
- 6:50Remember, God's grace is sufficient. His strength shines brightest when we are most vulnerable.
- 6:57As we close, I pray that you will find comfort in His truth and courage to remain
- 7:01honest in every situation.
- 7:04May his peace guard your heart and mind and may you walk forward with the confidence
- 7:09that in him, all things are working together for good.
- 7:13Join us tomorrow. It will be Annie's turn in sharing her personal reflections on this series.
- 7:18Thanks for tuning in and may God bless you and your marriage.