One of Satan’s names is, “The Accuser of the Brethren.” For most of my life, I let him have nearly full reign over me. I did not stand up for myself, and I took certain accusations to heart, nearly causing me to abandon the work the Lord gave me to do.
An article that I wrote a few years ago, is still found on KindlingTruth. It is entitled, “I Repent.” This article has been getting some attention lately, so I think now is the time to address this matter more fully. I have somewhat, but not fully, because I was afraid. I was afraid to speak about some of the slurs against me, thinking I would just cause more of the same to come my way.
I am not afraid anymore, and lest this same old foe (The Accuser) think he can attack me again, I will this time stand my ground.
One of the last series of articles that I wrote on KindlingTruth was entitled, The Problem with Kings – We are The Four Horsemen.
This looked at the 4 horsemen of Revelation from a perspective that made some people really angry. The perspective was from that of the Christian culture collectively in the West, and the focus was on how false religious leaders cause problems in the faith.
Accusations resulted. People already hated that I preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven that comes to the heart, healing us from sin in a real way. These two messages paired together created the accusation.
I was Jezebel. I was condemning the true servants of God, and I was preaching another gospel–a gospel of works–and therefore I would be judged according to my works and not grace. Jesus searches the heart, and there is “none righteous, no, not one.” How dare I say that Jesus changes the heart? How dare I speak out against the corruptions of the beloved leaders?
Another rumor was circulating about me at the time, one that I have never addressed. This is one that I still don’t feel comfortable addressing, but I will get an opportunity to speak about the opposite, true doctrine of which I truly believe when discussing the letter to the church of Sardis. There is a time for all things. The Accuser only gets so much time. Thank God!
I was also dealing with some personal changes, and big ones, so there was a lot going on at once. I was vulnerable, and The Enemy attacked.
I began to accuse myself, thinking that these people might be right. Maybe I was deceived. So, I gave up. For a time. Being a sometimes extreme person, I began to think that all public ministry was vain. This is not true. There are many faithful pastors, teachers, and those with online ministries of all sorts. More fodder for The Accuser.
My sin issues didn’t help, either. I had an ongoing struggle with feeling angry and approaching things in the wrong spirit. I did not know what spirit I was of, or so I told myself. I recently realized something. It is such a corruption of the human nature, and I have done this too, so I get it, when the person pointing out the corruption is the problem. It’s that love all, tolerate all, and judge not mindset–which is the actual Jezebel mindset–that was accusing me.
Now, we should rebuke in love and meekness. We should handle things privately when dealing with those who are of the faith. I have needed Jesus to work on my heart concerning this, for sure. Thank God for His mercy. He can help us overcome The Accuser, and more on that in a bit.
Because of these things, I quit KindlingTruth. However, my conscience would not let me deny the Lord’s work. I had another blog that I had started, The Lord Alone (or Jesus Alone). Originally, this was to be about overcoming narcissism and narcissistic abuse. I continued with that topic for a while, then found it more complex than I thought, and got away from it almost entirely.
I also decided to go through the old KindlingTruth articles and republish the good ones. I never finished that. Maybe I should. It was a shame to Jesus to abandon it, because His work in me is no shame, and I should have stood my ground. There was a lot of good, gospel-focused teaching by God’s grace.
In addition to republishing some old articles to The Lord Alone, I also covered some of the Proverbs and Parables, then it came time to tackle the letters to the Churches of Revelation, which was what I believe I was being prepared for all the time, because of a prayer that was responded to in demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit.
It could be better, for sure. I always feel like the Lord deserves better, but I do what I can. I also know that the interpretation is not set in stone, or I don’t see it that way at least, as I mentioned in the Method of Interpretation chapter. This is one interpretation, and I do think the things are true in any case, and this book and discussion allows me to share the basics of the things the Jesus has taught me.
Now, that I’m getting closer to finishing it, it is no surprise if The Accuser is at it again. My “last works are more than the first.” “I gave her space to repent, and she repented not.” Right? I do repent. I repent of allowing The Accuser to stand in my way.
He is so good at what he does, and he even works in us sometimes. This is not good. I have also had some major failings. Jesus does indeed search the heart, and sometimes this is a difficult and painful process. Sometimes he allows our sin to take hold, so that we can see it more clearly, turn to Him, repent, and be healed.
The Accuser loves when this happens, especially if you believe in a transformative gospel. “Aha! Aha! We got you now, you hypocrite and liar!.” It reminds of Psalm 22. “He trusted in the Lord, that he would deliver Him. Let Him deliver him, seeing He delights in Him.” While we hang on the cross, dying to self in a humiliating manner, The Accuser gloats over us.
We should not participate with him. Do not accuse your brethren and do not slander them. I consider myself also.
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and rulers of darkness in high places.” We who are of the faith in truth should be faithful to one another. Remember what Jesus said. If you have an issue with your brother, go to him alone. Lord willing, he hears you. Many times, people don’t go directly to the person. They go to others, and this leads to slander sometimes because we might be misperceiving things, then we pass our misperceptions off as truth. If we are of the faith, then there is no truly malicious slander, but we can still become slanderers.
“Devil” means slanderer. He knows how to tempt us. He can put ideas in our minds that are false, and turn us against one another. Don’t. Give. Him. A. Foothold. Go to your brother or sister. Be brave, and trust that the Lord will foster repentance, forgiveness, and healing. The Slanderer and Accuser fosters blame shifting and lying, unforgiveness, resentment, fear, and evil spirits that make one go mad if they refuse the Holy Ghost. We must be honest.
If they do not hear, then you can bring in others, but bring in others who can actually witness your interactions, lest The Accuser and Slanderer get another foothold. If there are none, then “cast your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you.” If the issue continues, then they can be considered unbelievers. That’s a hard truth. How can we say that we are of the faith if the love of Jesus is not in us, convicting us of sin, causing us to see the truth, and repent?
Yet, I do say that The Accuser and Slanderer is very deceptive and good at what he does. We should not be ignorant of his devices, as Paul the Apostle wrote. We can repent if we have given him a foothold in our lives, and we can be all the more faithful and stronger for it! Our brethren will forgive, even, 7 times 70, because we know how easy it can be to fall for the ways of the enemy, having done so ourselves.
One day, The Accuser is to be cast out, and “woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, for the devil is come unto you, having great wrath, for he knows that he has but a short time.”
Let’s resist him now, and we will resist him later. The words of Truth will defend us. Don’t let him kill, steal, and destroy–especially among the household of the faith.
Jesus Alone 