Betrayed With A Kiss

Betrayed With A Kiss

I have noticed something troubling in the lives of many people around me. On one hand they will declare with full confidence that they believe a certain thing and stand firmly on one side of an issue. They side with someone completely. Then, before long, they change their mind entirely. They say they no longer agree, they are not on that side anymore, and they no longer think the person was right. Later they swing back again, agreeing once more, only to flip yet again. This happens on all kinds of subjects in their life.

One minute they are your closest friend. The next minute they treat you as an enemy. Then they return as your friend, and soon after become your enemy once more. One moment they fully agree with you. The next they strongly disagree. Then they agree again, and the cycle repeats. They are like a wave tossed back and forth by the wind, never settling in one direction.

For example, I once had a person come into my office and say, “In my 50 years of being in the church, you are my favorite preacher.” Only two weeks later they left the church unannounced and disappeared completely. Another time, an elderly woman came up to me in the church, hugged me warmly, kissed me on the cheek, and said, “I love you so much.” She never returned the next week and never came back again. I later learned she was upset with something I had taught. In that moment I felt betrayed with a kiss, the same way Judas betrayed Jesus.

I have seen people come to the church who became my biggest fans. They called themselves my best friends and greatest supporters. They offered constant encouragement and said I was the greatest thing that ever happened to them. They agreed with everything I taught. Then, down the road, they suddenly turned. I became their enemy. They declared I was wrong and positioned themselves as my greatest discourager. Later they would apologize and hop back on board, only to jump off again when the mood changed.

I have not changed. I am the exact same person I was when they first met me. I hold the exact same views. I am not preaching anything different from what they once agreed with. It is they who have changed. From time to time any of us may adjust a minor point, but overall my message and my stand have remained steady. What I preach, they once embraced wholeheartedly. Over time they came to disagree with it angrily, only to turn around, apologize, and agree again.

This same shifting spirit was even seen in the days of Jesus. As He came down the road into Jerusalem, the crowds welcomed Him with palm branches, waving them with great excitement and shouting their support. They hailed Him as King and poured out their praise. Yet only a week later, those very same people turned and screamed for His crucifixion. Their loyalty lasted only as long as the moment felt right. When the winds shifted, so did their hearts.

What is this person actually doing? What kind of mind produces such constant shifting? The Bible gives a clear and sobering answer. It says such a person is unstable in all their ways. The same pattern appears at home. They get along with family one day and clash the next. They agree, then disagree, then agree again. They repeat this at work with colleagues, with friends, with family members, and in the church. It touches every relationship and every area of life.

This is what Scripture calls double-mindedness. In the book of James we read that the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. The original word means “two-souled,” a heart pulled in two opposing directions at once. Without a single-hearted trust in the Lord, the person rides every changing wind of emotion, opinion, and circumstance. They lack the firm foundation that comes from anchoring the soul in Christ.

This is not harmless fickleness. It is a spiritual condition that fractures relationships and steals personal peace. James later urges, “Purify your hearts, you double-minded.” The invitation is clear. Come to wholeness. Fix your eyes on the unchanging Savior and allow Him to make you steadfast.

If you see this pattern in your own life as you read these words, I pray you will recognize it and turn toward true stability. Let the Lord root you deeply so you no longer drift with every tide. And if you have walked faithfully while others swirl around you, take quiet encouragement. Your consistency is a testimony to the steadfastness God desires for all His people.

May the Lord grant each of us the grace to be single-minded, rooted, and immovable in every season.