1. Serious concern: Take heed (Gal 6:11): Most of Apostle Paul’s epistles were written by amanuenses. Paul would dictate and someone would write. In Romans 16:22, the amanuensis was Tertius. For the Corinthian church which had many problems, Paul took the time to greet them and used an amanuensis to write to them. However, in the case of his epistle to the Galatians, he wrote with his “own hand” (Gal 6:11) because of the urgency of the situation. The people’s salvation was being impacted. They were being led astray and made use of by the false teachers and their false gospels.

Anyone can be made used of. The higher a position one holds in church, the greater the potential that one will be made used of by others. Thus, steps to protect ourselves must be taken so that we will be discerning, and not be made used of by others. Example: The counsellor must ensure that he is not being made used of by one party to take that party’s side. Thus, one counselling guideline is to listen to what both parties have to say, especially when the person who shared the problem with the counsellor is a party to the problem.

2. Stealthy concern: Those who make use of others are subtle (Gal 6:12): “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh” (Gal 6:12) means that they wanted to be seen as spiritual, godly people so as to win followers and supporters. They would leave out details that would put them in a bad light and embellish details to make the other party look worse. Example: The Sanhedrin Council made use of Pilate to kill Jesus. They even confessed that Caesar was the king so that Jesus (though innocent) could be crucified. Likewise, they made use of the mob to kill Stephen so that the authorities could not trace the killers individually.

Be cautious with people who praise you (i.e. flattery) or do things for you in order to make use of you for their own agenda. We must be aware of such culprits around us, avoid them and not become their victim. Matthew 10:16: “…be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

3. Selfish concern: Those who make use of others do not care about others (Gal 6:13): They do it for their selfish purposes. Example: They get the praise when you foolishly submit to their praises or good deeds. Their top agenda is I, me and myself. This was the case with Peter when he selfishly told Jesus not to go to the cross. He was made used of by his own selfish desires no matter how noble his request seemed. This is a subtle, man-centered transgression. Take heed to protect ourselves. Study and know God’s Word so that we can be discerning.