Evil Infiltrators
“This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”
Galatians 2:4-5
I have often preached upon the three general categories of our relationships with others. However, I felt that it might be beneficial to offer up a few thoughts here in written form, for ease of reference. That being said, I want to clarify that these categories are dealing with the longevity (length of time) of particular relationships. They do not deal with the specific nature and/or function of various relations. They are not supposed to. No, they are simple observations made to help us understand and answer the various questions we ask when certain relationships change and develop over time. Questions like: “Why don’t we get along like we used to?”, “How did we drift apart?”, “Why would God call them to serve so far away?”, “Why can’t we seem to get along anymore?”, and the list goes on for what seems like ad infinitum (forever).
Unfortunately, not all relationships in this life are meant to endure. Not everyone is supposed to grow up with, live next to, and have weekly coffee dates with their childhood BFF (Best Friend Forever). It just doesn’t always work that way. But the big question is why? Why can’t every relationship in this life endure? The simple answer is that they just aren’t meant to. Which leads us full circle back to our general categories of relationships. There are three, namely, Seasonal Soldiers, Evil Infiltrators, and Permanent Dwellers.
The Childhood BFF example is obviously an example of a Permanent Dweller. This is the easiest category to comprehend, so I will deal with it first. There are people that God brings into your life that are meant to stay. They are supposed to be there for the long haul. (Granted sometimes we put a stick of dynamite in that intention…) A common example would be marriage. God designs for spouses to be permanent dwellers one with another – literally. Another example would be the 9.5 tribes that inherited the promised land – east of the Jordan. They walked together, fought together, and then dwelt together.
However, 2.5 tribes didn’t stay east of the Jordan. It was never their intention. For the Tribes of Rueben, Gad, and Half of the tribe of Manasseh, the west side of the Jordan was their permanent place of residence. They fulfilled the role of Seasonal Soldier. They were meant to walk with the other tribes for a season. They fought together, for a season. But once that season ended, they left. Neither was wrong. No one committed a grave sin. No. They both were doing righteously and receiving their inheritance, but they were just separated. This isn’t a bad thing. And sometimes, it can be something praiseworthy. We all have people that we love, pray for, bless, and hope for their prosperity – we just hope that it’s over there, you know, away from us.
The last category is that of the Evil Infiltrators. Like in our verse provided, they are those who bring ill intentions and/or negative consequences into our life and ministry. Not every evil infiltrator desires to be worthy of this category or moniker. Sometimes they may not be an E.I. for other people but for some reason, they just happen to be one in our life and ministry. Or worse still, we happen to be an Evil Infiltrator for them. Oftentimes, an evil infiltrator may just be a seasonal soldier that was prevented, by self or others, from leaving at the appropriate time. Thank God for everyone that has been brought in and out of your life. Thank God for the ones that stay and the ones that leave. Because, as the author of Ecclesiastes tells us, “God has made everything beautiful in its time.”