Misplaced loyalty
by David Cross
Jesus calls the spiritual ruler of this disobedient world the father of lies. Satan presides over all deception, in stark contrast to Jesus, who literally embodies absolute truth. The absence of truth is spiritually dark territory, ground that the enemy is able to empower for his purposes.
Some years ago, I was talking to a Christian woman who was struggling with a number of debilitating issues in her life. Unexpectedly, she said that she realised that God wanted her to share the details of serious abuse within the family that she had experienced as a child. She explained that she had never spoken about it before because keeping the secret of what had happened was seen by everyone in her family as a matter of essential loyalty.
Loyalty toward others is a very commendable behaviour unless it demands our turning from truth to lies, in order to remain loyal. The father of lies has always used misplaced loyalty to seduce people onto his pathway, away from the One who is the Way, the Truth, the Life. Speaking out the truth of serious sin within her family was a pivotal moment in the healing journey of this dear woman, as the enemy lost his opportunity to hold her in bondage to the consequences of what had happened and of the false loyalty that had kept it in the dark.
David Cross David is part of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries, with particular responsibility for the Ellel centres in Western Europe. He is married to Denise and they have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. David has been a civil engineer and ski-touring instructor in the Highlands of Scotland. He is passionate about the teaching and practice of the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus and has written several books: Soul Ties, Trapped by Control, God’s Covering, The Dangers of Alternative Ways to Healing(co-authored with John Berry), an A to Z Guide to the Healing Ministry, What`s Wrong with Human Rights? and, most recently, God`s Way out of Depression. You can follow a daily thought from David on Twitter: @dmcross62
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