Categories
Character Development Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

Who is the Accuser?

Who is the accuser? 

Satan is the accuser. How does he work? Through people. Which people? Predominantly the people of the church. Let’s be sure we are not his tool.

The church is in perilous times. The church is in challenging times. The Church as a body of believers has never had such opportunity for growth and never been so vulnerable to attack — because the two necessarily go hand-in-hand.

God is sifting

Are we going to grow in person and congregation, making way for new believers in Yeshua Jesus? OR are we going to implode from within? 

GOD is sifting the wheat from the chaff. Each of us is both: wheat and chaff as we are both flesh and spirit. Sanctification (1Corinthians 1:30) is the process of growth from being led by our own thoughts and intents to being led of the Spirit’s. Also, just as we are one body in Christ, so the congregation — local and international — is being separated or sifted: the wheat from the chaff. 

Individuals and Congregations

How is GOD separating the wheat from the chaff? He allows the accuser to operate; how we respond will expose our chaff or our wheat. Our individual and corporate response to the accuser’s meddling reveals what in us is either godly or not. Then we choose whom we will serve… We can recognise our corruption and repent or we can allow it to take over and accuse.

Self-righteousness v Righteousness

Who is the accuser? Satan. He is prowling around, seeking whom he may devour. (1Peter 5:8) How does he devour? Through accusation. If you are accusing, are you not his handmade?

I have discovered, through my own journey of failed good intentions, that there is a very fine line between what is righteous in GOD’s eyes and what is purely righteous in my own; the latter is self-righteousness. Self-righteousness wreaks havoc in its self-imposed exercise of judgement and condemnation. It sees evil in everyone but itself, and looks to spiritualise actions and motives of others. It is key in Jesus’ proverbial: ‘seeing the log in the other’s eye rather than spotting the plank in his/her own.’

I’m being blunt because I’m seeing the accuser operate. I’m seeing him infiltrate churches and individuals. I’m seeing him devouring congregates and congregations by putting thoughts into peoples’ hearts and minds — good people, sincere believers — who are feeling justified to attack others (usually covertly rather than directly because the devil is, after all, a coward). When accusations are behind backs and behind doors, you can be sure the enemy is at hand.

What is to be done to combat the accuser

First, please note I am grossly over-simplifying matters for the purpose of this short post. The devil devours in many ways and accusation is just one of them. But accusation is the epitome of condemnation and remember, 

“There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8) Therefore, if one is condemning, one is not operating in the spirit of love or Christ.

Remember, you shall be known for your fruits:) The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, faithfulness and self control. (Galatians 5:22)

Open discourse doesn’t allow the enemy to get into congregations. Face-to-face confrontation, however difficult, is the (messy) way to avoid gossip and back-biting. But most of all, love, trust and mutual respect are keys to ensuring godly relationship persists and the enemy does not get a foothold.

Jezebel spirit

Jezebel was Ahab’s self-serving wife (read 1 Kings 16 – 21 for the full story), the sort of person from whom the character of Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth might have been derived. 

Today we have teaching about the Jezebel spirit of control that operates through other people. I’ve had that spirit and I’ve seen it in operation through others. Jezebel, in the spiritual sense, is a sense of manipulation and control that seeks to “get its own way at any cost”. BUT it is all-too-easily given as a label to anyone who doesn’t agree with the accuser (which tells me it’s likely operating more in the accuser than in the ‘accusee’). 

We need to remember Christ died and saved the believer. If one is truly demonised by any spirit (and theologically, I recognise there are many who will weigh in on the debate as to whether a believer can or cannot be possessed by anything ungodly) he or she needs love, sound teaching, deliverance and more love. Condemnation, accusation, and gossip are not on that list of “how to help a person oppressed by demons”.

Does anyone really believe a sister or brother in Christ deserves to be hurled onto the street and devoured by dogs as Jezebel was as GOD’s response to her evil intent? Does anyone really believe someone who declares love for Jesus is motivated to destroy anyone or anything that gets in his or her way? Because that is was the accusation implies.

Beware a spirit of accusation

Rather, I think we need to be wary of any accusation that we may carry. We are responsible for our hearts and out of our heart speaks truth or lies. Accusing someone else of lying, deceit, or evil intent is a very dangerous thing to do. Sadly I’ve seen it done all-too-quickly and all-too-easily. Yes, many do so out of fear of the power of that evil spirit, and in that sense, exposure of it is intended for good. But fear is also a tool of the enemy, the remedy for which is GOD’s “perfect love [which] casts out fear. (1John 4:18)

I am not condemning

I am not condemning anyone through the writing of this post. I am warning. If your heart is convicted through the reading of this post, we both can praise GOD. For through conviction comes repentance. And after repentance, comes the reparation: the apology to the falsely accused and their forgiveness in return.

Through conviction, apology, and forgiveness, the enemy is thwarted and the real accuser, the real Jezebel, the real evil is thwarted.

Please GOD

The enemy must not be given a foothold in our hearts, even if our hearts are well-intended. Please GOD expose this accuser of falsehoods in our own hearts and teach us to love one another well, by your gracious spirit.

Amen.

Categories
Politics and Society today

Church Under Fire: Times are Divisive

Love One Another

It’s vitally important the people of God stick together, love one another and seek to respect, enjoy, love, honour and trust one another.

Words are limiting. We often hear or read what a fellow believer says and shun them because we don’t agree. Arguing is pointless. But what about finding out what they mean… in case there is a truth in it you never saw before?

Support One Another

We who know Jesus are under attack. We who seek to stand in the gap for those not yet aware of the saving grace of Jesus are under attack. The first point of attack is division.

Character of Jesus, Character of the Believer

Righteousness and Love are the two-pronged character of God, the Father of Creation and humanity. He gives love and offers righteousness. But we can’t have one without the other. Society through humanism is offering love. We must also stand for righteousness and not be confused by the permissive love of society. Love without righteousness creates weakness.

Love and Righteousness

Righteousness without love is harsh and brutal. For centuries the Christian movement has had this error. Consider the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition as examples. “Turn to Christ or die” and in some cases “Turn to Christ and we’ll kill you anyway” were echoed throughout countries in Europe and even into the Middle East – Jerusalem in particular.

But we cannot er to the other extreme — Love without Righteousness.

So often in society, an era moves to one extreme, only then to attempt to resolve through swinging to the other. This, I believe, is what has happened in recent years with some factions of Christianity. Some portions, in the name of love, are accepting behaviours and choices in the name of Love that are unrighteous… Some of these folk even becoming angry and reject those who continue to stand for the love and righteousness of God. Bitter division is not of the LORD. It is self-righteousness.

Matthew 24:12 says, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

And in Mark 13:22 we read, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Hold Fast

We must hold fast to our faith but also to our principles in this world of sin and shame, so that the light, love and righteousness of the LORD stands firm, in us and through us. True love is sharing the full truth of the Gospel. There are certain standards that must be upheld, not in our own strength but through the power of God in us.

Division in the Body of Yeshua is wrong. We must overcome, rather than assume the worst and turn from one another. Remember, one way for the Truth of Jesus to be seen by the world is through our love for one another.

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)

Let us not allow pettiness and misunderstandings, or differences of opinion divide us. Let us learn from one another in a spirit of humility, and embrace the common ground. Jesus is our Saviour. Father is our Creator. The Holy Spirit is our source of connection and power from the Father through Jesus. Let us rejoice together and be glad, for the glory of the LORD is risen upon us. We have much to be thankful for and much to express to show it:)

“Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11)

Amen.

Categories
Reflections and Poetry

Facing old Giants – reflection on giving away your Right of Way (Sacrifice)

Do you notice that every now and then something happens to us to stir our emotional pot? And how do we deal with it?Do we succumb to the temptation to overheat, or do we keep our cool?

I find that there are situations in my life that keep playing – like a CD stuck on the same tune, rather than moving on to the next – and I’ve learned to accept these replays as a test. I can gauge my growth by my response relative to the last time I experienced a similar thing.

Right now what I seem to be aware of is the temptation to demand justice or respect when I’ve been treated (or decide I’ve been treated) unreasonably.

Jesus never justified himself and never defended himself. Some loved him, some despised him, some betrayed him. He never overheated at the way he was treated.

I’m learning to focus less on myself and more on relating successfully with others. My family, to begin with, are very dear to me. And yet, they are the folks I most quickly react to – in the negative – if I feel it is justified. But there’s the rub! We are not to be door matts, but neither are we to be easily provoked,

Love… “Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5 KJV)

Often the LORD was provoked to anger (see Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, Samuel, Kings…) but justifiable anger over the sin of mankind is quite different from reacting to a minor – probably unintentional – slight by a loved one.

Oh, let us love one another and our families and friends. Let us not overheat at disruption or a display of rudeness, but let us share our disquiet in a way that is gentle, using it as an encouragement to grow closer rather than to break apart. Let us run our race with grace and forgiveness, always deferring to one another.

Let us take the high ground, and defer to the other. And let this graciousness begin with me:)