Rise Above the Betrayal: Discernment Changes Your Direction

Today is Monday, July 13, and it is time to get the week started with purpose.

When you are walking in discernment and understand what has been called of you, your responsibility is not to look down on the people who betrayed you, deceived you, or stabbed you in the back.

Your responsibility is to rise above the mindset that their actions tried to place you in.

Betrayal can make you bitter if you allow it. Deception can cause you to question your value, your judgment, and even your purpose. But discernment teaches you that everything revealed to you was not meant to destroy you. Some things were exposed so you could stop carrying people, habits, and relationships that were never designed to travel with you into your next season.

You do not have to become negative because someone treated you negatively.

You do not have to become dishonest because someone lied to you.

You do not have to seek revenge because someone attempted to damage your name, your confidence, or your character.

Growth is demonstrated by how you respond after the truth has been revealed.

There comes a point in your journey when you must stop asking, “Why did they do this to me?” and begin asking, “What is this experience teaching me about myself, my boundaries, and my future?”

Discernment is not hatred.

Discernment is awareness.

It is the ability to recognize what is genuine, what is deceptive, what is productive, and what is distracting you from your assignment.

Sometimes Yahweh allows the mask to fall because you kept ignoring what your spirit had already recognized. You were trying to preserve the relationship while the truth was trying to preserve you.

Do not use your elevation as an opportunity to look down on anyone. Use it as evidence that negativity did not defeat you.

Your victory is not found in watching someone else fail.

Your victory is found in becoming stronger, wiser, more disciplined, and more intentional because of what you survived.

Your mindset must become greater than the pressure surrounding you.

That is the foundation of PMA by T.O.P.—Thoughts Over Pressure.

Pressure may reveal who betrayed you, but your thoughts determine whether that betrayal becomes a prison or a platform.

You can remain emotionally trapped in what happened, or you can use the experience as material to build a wiser version of yourself.

Be the architect of your dreams.

Be the architect of your mindset.

Be the architect of your legacy.

Architects do not build without a plan. They study the foundation, examine the weaknesses, make adjustments, and create something capable of standing through pressure.

You must do the same with your life.

Examine your foundation.

Strengthen your boundaries.

Protect your peace.

Evaluate who has access to you.

And continue building.

Do not allow another person’s lack of character to cause you to abandon your own. Continue walking with integrity. Continue treating people with respect. Continue moving with wisdom. Just understand that forgiveness does not require unlimited access, and love does not require you to ignore repeated disrespect.

This Monday, make the decision to rise above everything that attempted to pull you beneath your purpose.

You do not need to prove that they were wrong.

Your growth will speak.

Your discipline will speak.

Your peace will speak.

Your legacy will speak.

Walk in discernment without arrogance. Walk in confidence without bitterness. Walk in purpose without constantly looking behind you.

The people who tried to break you may have been part of the pressure, but they do not get to become the authors of your story.

Take back the pen.

Redesign the blueprint.

Build from wisdom.

And continue toward the T.O.P.

PMA by T.O.P. — Thoughts Over Pressure

Be the architect of your dreams, your mindset, and your legacy.

— Marcus E. Shipp, MHR