JUD-US

Apostle Kanya Stewart
Feb 16
3 min read

John 13:27: 27 As soon as _____ took the bread, Satan entered into him.

Fill in the blank.

This is a verse about Judas betraying his leader, his savior, his helper, his brethren, and future generations. But any one of our names can fit in this space.

I would never do what Judas did. How could Judas do that? We have all said or asked these things before but the truth is we have been Judases every day.

I’m thinking about Jesus and how he must feel betrayed. Like Judas, he called us. He pursued us. He shepherded us. Yet, for the shiny things, we betray him. We turn our backs against him. We close our ears to him. We turn our eyes away from him. We block our hearts towards him.

Once Judas gained respect, authority, access, encouragement, hope, strength, and support from and through Jesus, he wanted more and chose not to be satisfied nor grateful with Jesus. He became offended with Jesus because people were willing to support his ministry and offer their best to him; he wanted to block that … he wanted to have more for himself. Just as some of us do today, Judas firmly believed that his leader and his Lord should solely serve people and fulfill their needs, not the other way around. WRONG.

God has so often used our pastors to help us with regaining confidence, recovering from trauma, overcoming financial difficulty, or finding hope in letdowns. He has even used them to help us have an opportunity to experience a real father or mother figure when we didn’t have that, and to provide insight and guidance through the Holy Spirit, along with counseling to unite and strengthen our families. They are used by God to reveal opportunities and weaknesses to us in the spirit and natural, and even help us with knowing what steps to take in everything from school, career, and housing to medical care, legal matters, and vehicles. But more importantly, they help us learn how to find our place in God and stay there.

And after we gain all these things…. Here comes JUD-US.

How betrayed must God feel? How betrayed must our pastors feel? Or even the saints who have also supported us? But we don’t have to be like Judas. We can come clean, repent, apologize, and make real change.

How would or do you feel when your child breaks your heart and makes you feel like a vending machine? They ask, take, gain but they show no appreciation, respect or loyalty in return? As soon as they have what they want, they stop caring, stop communicating, stop trying, and stop being well-behaved? So why do we want our Lord and the one(s) he sent to feel like that?

Psalm 55:12-14: It is not an enemy who taunts me—I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.

Psalm 106:12-15: Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.

I leave you with some notes from a powerful message Chief Apostle Gunn preached around July 4, 2023, a time we historically celebrate freedom. I believe these words can help us be free from the ways of JUD-US.

Address your wrong. Don’t get along and go along with wrong.
Pray about you! When is the last time you prayed about your attitude?
Stop you from acting like a fool or like your flesh.
If you (truly) have the Holy Ghost, you will be willing to wait on God.
If you told God you would do it, do it. Speak up for the things of God.
Some demon powers are making you think that what they want is what you want. (But you don’t have to agree.)
We’ve too often humbled ourselves to the world and the things of the world but have failed to humble ourselves toward God and his Kingdom.
You can’t pray without humbling yourself. Don’t lie down and go to sleep without humbling yourself.
Tell God where you are envious, sinning, or even thinking of doing silly things. Tell God about the “want-tos” that you have that you know you shouldn’t have.
How are you violating you and robbing God of how he created you?
The devil is trying to give us an excuse to feel and think a certain way. But the devil is a liar.