Wednesday: When Someone Uses Your Setback Against You

More Than Happy Detoured

Philippians 1:15-17 (ESV) — “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.”

There are people who will see your hard season as their opportunity. You get sidelined and a colleague starts angling for your accounts. You take a hit to your reputation and someone you trusted uses the moment to advance their own standing. It is one of the most bitter experiences in leadership, watching others profit from your difficulty.

Paul names this plainly. While he sat in chains, certain preachers in Rome saw their moment and tried to build themselves up at his expense. He was not naive about it. He saw the rivalry clearly, understood the selfish ambition, and recognized that some of these people were actively trying to make his imprisonment harder.

Notice what he did not do. H…