February 25, 2008

February 25, 2008

Revelation 12:10 makes an astonishing statement regarding Satan and what he is; “…the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” There has never been a time in human history before now when accusations, innuendos and conjecture were the first source of accepted truth. Speculation is acknowledged as the first option for discovery. The Pharisees used false accusations in an attempt to trap Jesus, “…looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (Matthew 12:10 NIV) There is only one place for accusations to come from. We read the origin in Revelations 12:10. Satan is the accuser of the brethren.

Jesus made the position of the Pharisees very plain in John 8:44, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” When you accuse someone of something you are joining yourself to the father of lies. God did not appoint you to be an accuser. God called you to bear the burdens of the weak.

You should expect to suffer accusations in this life. People will attack you when you excel. Prosperity produces it own brand of suffering at the hands of people who feel entitled to what you have without paying the personal price of work and patience to have it. Even in the realms of Christianity, leaders will be targeted for accusations. Acts 23:12 reveals what Paul endured, “The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.” Conspiracy is to accusation, what gasoline is to fire. Every evil falsehood needs an accelerant to spread. Be careful that you do not get caught up in being God’s police force to take down those who are doing wrong. Are you greater than God? Should you really assume that you could step into a divine role as judge and executioner?

Each of us has an obligation according to 1 Peter 2:12 that we, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” But even in doing so we are not exempt from the accusation of the jealous. Nor are we free from the unwarranted scrutiny of a tainted personal perspective. It’s called perspective because it your view of what is seen. Our perspective is filtered through our memory of past experiences to form an opinion. Once we form an opinion we then make a value judgment, followed by a criteria of acceptance that we measure relationships with. Finally, we open our mouth to apply the accelerant that commences the process of character assassination; we make the accusation!

I can hear you screaming at the monitor, “But what if it’s true?” Okay, what did Jesus do with the woman caught in the very act of adultery? John 8:7 gives us His response, “…He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” What? She is guilty-this is no accusation. Jesus said He did not come to condemn the world, but to give it life. Are you speaking life or death over someone today by the accusations that are coming from you? John 8:10-11 takes the whole scenario even further, “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” So now, lets go back to your question, “What if it’s true?” Even then you have the power to choose freedom and life over someone rather than punishment and death. You can stone them if you want to but remember the requirement that has to be met; “he that is without sin must cast the first stone.”

Proverbs 17:5 shocks us into examining our attitudes about accusing others, true or false, by stating, “and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.” Isaiah 5:20 warns us to be careful with the accusations by declaring, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Remember this; accusations are the tool of equalization used by those who suffer with an inferior self-image or a spirit of entitlement. Sometimes when you isolate yourself from evildoers the result will be accusations, according to 1 Peter 4:4, “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.”

Matthew 5:10-12 gives you this promise, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”