Betrayed - Joni Lamb

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

"Get your knife out of my back!" I wanted to scream.

This was one of my close friends, someone I supported, encouraged and loved. I was lied to, treated like a fool. I was devastated when I opened my heart and was hurt—betrayed.

The only thing worse than the pain of betrayal is the anger, hurt, and bitterness we ignorantly carry in the aftermath. Unforgiveness hangs on our spirit like a heavy chain dragging behind us, weighing us down and keeping us from our God given purpose.

Each painful hurt is a heavy anchor, making it hard to hold our head up and impossible to break free.

How do I overcome this? How can I ever forgive these things? The answer was simple. Choose to love and forgive. It was my choice. I could carry the pain or let it go, and I needed to move into the peace of God's tomorrow—leave the pain of the devil's spear behind.

Sound simple? Of course not. It’s downright hard. But with God… Oh, with God, all things are possible!

You see, God will do the work, all we need to do is choose to say yes. The miracle begins when we say, "Today I choose to love those that have hurt me. Today I choose to forgive." When we reach inside of ourselves and ask God to enable us to love and forgive, amazing things happen. After all, God is love.

In the beginning, it won't be easy. We might pray through gritted teeth and shake our fists in the air. Philippians tells us, He that has begun a good work in you will complete it! Soon you'll find your fist isn't shaking any more, your teeth aren't clenched—but more importantly, the anger and hurt are gone.

God will take the chains from your back, lift you high, and put you back on the right track.

Make your heart right. Pray. Then, choose to love and forgive in every way.


Joni Lamb is co-founder and vice president, along with her husband, President and CEO Marcus Lamb, of Daystar Television Network, the fastest growing Christian network in the world. She is executive producer and host of “JONI,” a talk show addressing relevant Godly issues for today’s complex problems, and co-hosts “Celebration” with Marcus. She released her debut book, “Surrender All,” in late 2008. In addition, she is full-time wife to Marcus and mom to three children, which she considers her foremost and greatest accomplishment.




Publisher: WaterBrook Press
ISBN-10: 1400073758
ISBN-13: 978-1400073757