The Saboteur Never Comes With Fangs and Horns

Sermon outline

Some relationships carry assignments to drain you and derail your calling, so with God's wisdom recognise the ungrateful taker, the rebellious transgressor and the spiritual saboteur, set boundaries, and stop standing in the way of God's process in their lives.

1. Recap: the persistent fool and the wicked manipulator

   Some people carry hidden assignments for your life: they drain your resources, rob your peace and derail your purpose, even when you feel strangely drawn to them. The persistent fool keeps returning to the sin Christ delivered him from, like a dog to its vomit; unlike the broken, who let God make them whole, he wants to stay the same and expects a new result. The wicked manipulator works by subtlety, spinning a web of flattery and lies until you are trapped.

   “We cannot be the fool, but rather, we must be the broken working towards that restoration.”

   • Proverbs 4:1-27
   • Proverbs 26:11

2. Type three: the ungrateful taker

   The leech has two daughters, Give and Give. The ungrateful taker takes with entitlement and no intention of giving back, sees your generosity as an obligation, and leaves you emptier the more you pour in. In church they consume the anointing and drain the leaders while remaining untransformed, yet nobody can truly experience Jesus and stay untransformed. Pointing provision at them without discernment cheapens what God entrusted to you; the most valuable thing you can give them is the word.

   Illustration: God would not even let Israel hoard manna, as if it were Black Friday at Pick n Pay with free bread for whoever carries the most loaves. And there is the friend who borrows a thousand rand, never pays it back and comes again for more. If someone asks you for resources, help once, then bring it to the pastors so the person can also be discipled; nearly always the asking stops.

   “They come to you with arms wide open, but with hearts wide shut.”

   • Proverbs 30:15-16
   • Exodus 16:16-20
   • Matthew 7:6
   • 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

3. Type four: the rebellious transgressor

   If anyone will not work, let him not eat. The rebellious transgressor never takes responsibility, always blames someone else, and expects provision without participation. God established sowing and reaping to instruct, discipline and correct us, so sometimes the kindest answer is a Holy Ghost no. The prodigal came to himself because nobody fed him in the pig pen, and Jonah did not change in the storm or the water but only in the belly of the fish.

   Illustration: His three strike rule: when he helps someone he asks only that they come on Sunday, attend a cell and come to prayer meetings. Strike one, he hears the excuse; strike two, they make him the excuse; strike three, he draws the line. It is like rowing a boat while the other person sits with the oar in front of them.

   “Your refusal is not cruelty. It is stepping out of the way so they can surrender to God's plan.”

   • 2 Thessalonians 3:10-15
   • Galatians 6:7
   • Luke 15:17
   • Jonah 1:11-2:10

4. Type five: the spiritual saboteur

   Do not be unequally yoked, for what fellowship has light with darkness. The saboteur threatens your very spiritual existence, and never arrives with fangs and horns: he is beautiful, warm and full of flattery, or an attractive romantic interest, eroding your convictions one compromise at a time with questions that introduce the lie. He infiltrates your relationships, mocks the one taking you to church, and weaves himself into your affections, as Delilah did with Samson.

   Illustration: Saturday night you drive halfway across Durban and get home at one in the morning smelling like a distillery, and on Sunday you cannot identify with the house that used to bring you joy. Or think of Oros: at the right mix everyone wants what you have, but let Delilah dilute it and it tastes like dishwater.

   “The saboteur never sees you with fangs and with horns and with a devil-like demeanor. They come in subtly.”

   • 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
   • Judges 16:16
   • Galatians 5:7-9

5. Let the word govern and set healthy boundaries

   Not every person who seeks your help is sent by the Lord; those God sends, He sends so you can meet the need and share the gospel, not so they can inject poison into you. Not every job, move or relationship is the right one. People looking for a prophet often just do not want to obey the word, yet we have a more sure word of prophecy. The enemy works by oppression through relationships, pressing until it feels normal, so identify where the pressure began and sever it. Love everybody, but every relationship carries boundaries and an expectation of reciprocation.

   Illustration: When the pressure has been there long enough it is like the enemy's foot on your head, and it starts to feel normal.

   “The anointing on your life, the calling on your life, God's blessing, his favor and everything, is far more important than burning that bridge.”

   • 2 Peter 1:19

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