A Costly Gift

When the Gift Becomes a Target

What do you do when betrayal comes at the cost of your anointing? When those you served alongside, who outwardly praised you as a blessing, secretly despised what God was doing through you.

It can be wounding to discover that those you trust “honor” you just enough to gain access, and once they’ve learned your flow, your language, your insight, they discard you. This isn't about imitation as flattery. It’s exploitation. 

People will go to great lengths, manipulation included, in their quest to uncover the "secret" behind your anointing. Not so they can honor it, but so they can replicate it, exploit it, and ultimately abuse it. All the while, you've done everything in your ability to show them you're just human. Your gifting isn't something you manufactured, it's a tool for the work of Christ to be accomplished. A concept you thought they could understand as confessed followers of Christ. You didn’t pursue a spotlight. You weren’t trying to climb ladders. But simply being authentic and possessing a quiet boldness for the Gospel drew attention you never bargained for. And in systems that reward performance over character, your authenticity became threatening.

Now what?

Now you're left to pick up the pieces.

To process the betrayal, the manipulation, the accusations, the insults, and the injustice you’ve endured throughout the absurdity. Meanwhile, they move on without repentance. In an institution built on taking rather than giving, you quickly become dispensable after they've extracted what they needed. But when you choose to walk away, refusing to continue to be used for their pleasure, or to partake in their hypocrisy you better be ready to encounter another type of warfare: the type that seeks to attribute the credit of your fruitful accomplishments to themselves, and discredit your character. This isn’t just about protecting reputation, it’s about rewriting the narrative so they stay blameless.

Character assassination can be a very effective form of retribution. Your name is smeared across social platforms to ensure you don't walk in your calling. Those who once esteemed you quickly disperse to distance themselves, unwilling to defend you. And those who hated you for you gifts and skills to begin with label you a fraud, not because you failed, but because you didn’t conform.

So, who will take responsibility for the wreckage? Certainly not the ones who orchestrated it all.

Not those who:

• Stripped you of your right to privacy and justice,

• Blocked your freedom to walk confidently in your calling,

• Forced you into isolation to limit the unwanted attention,

• Made it nearly impossible for you to return to the life you once knew.

  
  

No, they won’t own up to exposing you to harm. It's easier to absolve themselves by blaming you for being authentic, for fulfilling purpose, and for walking away from spaces that once benefited from your presence and contributions.

You became the problem, simply because you refused to be manipulated and to conform to a broken system that was in need of transformation it cried out for. You became the scapegoat for daring to be exactly who God made you to be.

Where is the justice in that?

But hear this, while they may never take responsibility for your healing... you can.

Jesus was betrayed not only by the religious and governing systems of the community, but also by those He drew near. He was utterly abandoned by the people He sacrificially served. The cost of His anointing far exceeds anything we could endure, yet His endurance gives us courage.

Thank God for Jesus, who understands human suffering. Thank God, who heals the brokenhearted and binds up every wound. Thank God, who shields us from what could have broken us. And thank God, who leads us through betrayal to fulfill His greater purpose.

Beloved, their mishandling of your gift doesn't disqualify you from your purpose. Your value is not diminished because of their mishandling. They may have tried to steal the credit, but they cannot replicate the source!

As He continues to work in and through you, may your life shed light in places untouched, revealing His glory through every scar and every wound turned into witness.