Lest They Trample Them Under Foot

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs,
nor cast your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet,
and turn and tear you in pieces.”
Matthew 7:6

This is a very hard saying, who can receive it? Most believers, after they have experienced the glory of the new birth and have enjoyed the presence of the Lord in their daily lives, they want with all their hearts for others to experience the same.

One day a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked him what he should do to gain eternal life. Jesus pointed out the law to him, but the man said he’s already been keeping it. Then Jesus said something very hard:

"''One thing you lack: Go your way,
sell whatever you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, take up the cross, and follow me.’
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful,
for he had great possessions.”
Mark 10:21-22

The thing that has always struck me about this passage is that when the young man turned around and walked away, the Lord did not chase after him. He let him go. Now if one of us had been there, would we not have run after that young man saying to him, “Wait, wait, you don’t understand, let me explain it better to you, you don’t ever lose with the Lord, you’ll not give away anything but that you’ll receive so much more in return.” But Jesus didn’t say this did he? He let him go. Without a word or a plea, he let him go. And this to me is one of the scariest passages in the Bible.

Does that suggest that YOU have to sell everything you have in order to follow Christ? No, it doesn’t. Jesus put his finger on the very thing that was holding this young man back, his riches. The Lord will put his finger on anything in your life that you value more than him. To follow Jesus requires total surrender. But let it be known up front, you don’t lose with the Lord. Obedience brings blessing that you can’t even imagine now. That young man had no idea what he forfeited.

So what are we saying here? We’re bringing forth the principle of “letting go.” Perhaps that’s harder for us than even what was asked of the rich young man, because we can’t rest till our loved ones are saved. We can't let go. But think about it. If you’ve approached them with the Gospel and they have not responded, what more do you think you can do to change the situation? In your heart of hearts you know that you can do no more. Except for prayer, because prayer changes things if we're patient.

Yet you keep trying. Why? Do you think yourself the Holy Spirit? The basis for every person’s born-again experience is wrought solely by the Holy Spirit. So you need to let them go and let the Lord deal with them. Any more arguing that you do will drive them further away. The absolute worst thing you can do is nag. Mom, Dad, they’ve heard it. Husband, wife, they’ve heard it, stop arguing. Maybe you need to find that out for yourself - your nagging will not change anything, but it might make it worse. Let it go. Leave it in God’s hands. Don’t be talking about the Lord all the time with unbelievers, it will only push them further away. When one nags, it causes the passage to come true:

“…lest they trample them under their feet,
and turn and tear you in pieces.”

Take this message to the Lord and ask him to confirm it to you, because the very thought of ceasing to try to reach them will make you feel guilty, so you need to hear it from the Lord himself that you must stop. That guilt at the thought of it, my friend, stems from your subconscious belief that their conversion depends on YOU. You think that if you stop, they won’t hear it anywhere else. Friend, that’s not right. The Lord is the only one who knows HOW TO REACH each individual, and you may be PREVENTING that from happening because your nagging has so turned them off.

The one thing you CAN do is pray. Don’t react to this suggestion negatively, there is great power in prayer.

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man AVAILS MUCH.”
James 5:16

When you pray fervently, it affects things in the supernatural realm. Pray for guidance in prayer. Seek the Lord on this subject. You might want to add fasting to your prayer, because that’s a mighty tool also. Anything BUT nagging.

Above all, wait patiently. The answers may be a long time in coming, but if you wait patiently you will see the answers to your prayers. Ask the Lord to give you a confirmation that your loved ones will be saved. Then you can pray with confidence, knowing that God is faithful.

I remember hearing the true story of one of the great evangelists. He was on his deathbed and a nurse heard him praying, "Lord I thank you for the grace you've given me to persevere in prayer all these years for those on my prayer list." Incredibly, when this man died - not a single one on his prayer list had come to the Lord! But when THEY died, every single one of them was saved. Never underestimate the power of prayer!