THE ACCUSING TONGUE

The Accusing Tongue

The accuser of our brothers,

who accuses them before our God day

and night, has been hurled down.

Revelation 12:10







Things were going badly for Job. He had lost his

children, his health, and his wealth. To add insult to

injury, his insensitive, well-meaning friends accused

him of pride, covetousness, and a host of other character failings (Job 22). Although they came to sympathize with him, these three miserable comforters spent the majority of the time trying to convince Job he was responsible for his own woes. Such an accusation was more than this innocent victim of satanic circumstances could bear. Job knew he was an upright man who walked in complete integrity.




Wracked with physical pain, he was also forced to

bear the pain of false accusations. Have you ever charged someone with wrong-doing before you established evidence of his guilt?




When you do so, you fall into the same pattern as

Satan, the official accuser of God’s children.

Emotional and spiritual maturity dictate that you

must seek first to understand rather than making an

accusation. Look at the example God set in the

Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve blew it. He

could have easily said,“Adam and Eve, you ungrateful sinners, I should never have trusted you in My garden!” God’s non-accusatory style in confronting Adam and Eve about their trespass provides a powerful model for those of us who tend to accuse before obtaining all the facts of the matter.




Then the LORD God called to Adam and said

to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I

heard Your voice in the garden, and I was

afraid because I was naked; and I hid

myself.” And He said, “Who told you that

you were naked? Have you eaten from the

tree of which I commanded you that you

should not eat?” (Genesis 3:9-11).




I could not help but note that God already knew

the answer to each of the three questions He asked

Adam. Notwithstanding, He gave Adam an opportunity to explain his behavior. Asking a clarifying question and listening to the response are key steps in overcoming an accusing tongue. I repeat, ask, and listen.




Has anyone ever accused you falsely? Have your

motives been called into question when you knew

they were pure? How should you respond to such

injustice? Well, the first step is to ask God’s guidance as to whether to proclaim your innocence and the best way to do so. If the lie has affected someone, you might explain to that person that the accusation is simply not true. You have no control over whether or not he will believe you. Also, if you are not certain who the perpetrator is, do not waste your energy trying to find the source of the lie. Know that all lies originate with Satan. Period.




I have had people make comments about another

person’s incompetence or shortcomings and then

falsely attribute their statement to me to give it credibility. When I have opportunity to refute an accusation, I will do so. If not, I simply ask God to bring the truth to light. I cannot afford to divert my mental energies away from worthwhile projects to chase feathers that have been loosed to the wind. God is my vindicator, and He will do a much better job than I ever could do in seeing that justice is done.




Today’s Affirmation:

With God’s help, today I will tune my

ears to wisdom and concentrate on

understanding. I will cry out for

insight and understanding. I will

search for them as I would for lost

money or hidden treasure