I had the experience this week of once again being accused of being deceived. It is an interesting experience. I want to write about it, because this is driven by an unclean spirit at work and learning to discern and to stand in the truth is very important. From this accusation, I know one of several things to be true. The accuser is right and I am deceived. The accuser is deceived and I am in truth. We are both deceived. The one thing I know, is we both cannot be right.
How do I know that I am not deceived? It is a question of great importance. We both cannot be right. The principles of staying in the truth are simple. I follow the Word of God as fully as I know how. I submit myself to Godly leaders who follow the Word of God. I submit to correction that is based on the Word of God. Because the greatest commandment is to Love God and then to love others, every application of the Word of God in my life must be motivated by my Love for God. Every interaction into the lives of people around me must be motivated by love for them and must be an expression of God’s love for them. If I follow these principles, I can be certain that I am walking in the truth and not in deception. John understood the value of love and truth. “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ” (1 John 3:18–20, NIV)
Anytime I come under an accusation, no matter how mean-spirited it may seem, I examine my life. Am I submitted to authority? Yes. Can this authority speak into my life correction? Yes. Do I try to live according to the Word of God? Yes. Am I spending time with God in prayer? Yes. Am I confessing and repenting as God shows me the areas in my life to change? Yes.
Therefore, I am not deceived. I am walking in the truth. Now I can examine the accuser. By telling someone else that I “am deceived, misled and harming people”, the accuser is trying to destroy me and harm me. This accuser does not want to see me happy, joyful, full of life and succeeding. I think of Paul who said, “”If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. ” (1 Corinthians 3:17, NIV)” I know that I am God’s temple and this accuser is trying to destroy me. Those who falsely accuse will be destroyed by the very words they speak against another person.
Jesus said it another way. “”Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ” (Matthew 7:1–2, NIV) To speak out against another believer is to condemn and judge. To say that someone who is trying to follow Christ is deceived is a clear indication that the one speaking accusations is the one deceived.
The one who accused me was motivated not by love but by a spirit of jealousy, competition and division. Those spirits come from demons and from hell. If the motive was love, instead of accusing me to another, the accuser would have followed another Biblical principle. “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently” (Galatians 6:1, NIV) If the accuser was motivated by God’s love, the accuser would have come to me directly, and shared the concern over my deception.
By speaking about my deception to others, the accuser demonstrated disregard and dishonor for God. As a Christian I understand the outcome of this. “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ” (Matthew 12:36–37, NIV)
Therefore, I am empowered and motivated by love to pray that the accuser who needs to find freedom and love will experience the reality of God that will cause repentance and transformation. “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ” (Matthew 5:44, NIV)
