Character Killers

Hey everybody. I pray that everything is going well with you. Fine here, won't complain. God is good; and for me, that's not merely a cliche. Hope it isn't for you either.

Well, we've learned the importance of guarding up, because the cunning approaches of dangerous church folk can throw us off course. I'd be remissed if I didn't further warn you about what could happen when you do throw up your guard, though. Doesn't always happen, but it certainly has potential. And what's that? When you shut down the fakes, brace yourself for a bit of character assassination. It's a common ploy of the enemy.

Now, if the devil has no problem assaulting God's character, what makes us believe that his disciples—churchgoers—won't assault ours? Please know that they will. Satan did it with Eve in the Garden of Eden. He assaulted God's character and duped her into believing that God was holding out on her. God—the Holy One—suffers character assassination daily, and we should not think that we are above receiving the same.

So, what happens? It's simple We guard up and shut em down, but what follows is retaliation, an onslaught of slurs, slander and defamation. Politicians do it all the time. Election time is nothing more than mudslinging. It's crazy. If the public has enough dirt on the opponent, maybe the accuser will secure all the votes. Never about issues, but mostly about the dirt.

Trying to live righteously incites the character killer's effort to prove you live wickedly. They dig for evil in our lives to make them feel better about their lives. Think about it. If you're a crackhead, the character killer feels justified in being an alcoholic or vice versa. So, when you guard up—keeping nosy churchgoers at a distance—some feel they have the right to dig deeper. And digging for what? Not for the mere pleasure of digging, but they seek to destroy. In other words, "How dare YOU not tell ME what I want to know. I'll fix you."

Remember your gift? They hate on your gift right? So, if they can create reasonable doubt in the assembly, they know you'll have extreme difficulty in ministering your gift effectively. If people believe the character killer's accusation that you're cheating on your spouse, you'll never be able to exercise your gift in couples' ministry. And marriage counseling? Get real! Forget about it. Your reputation has been destroyed at the hands of character assassins. Their aim is to embarrass you. You had the nerve to guard up and shut em down, so now you'll pay the price. Believe me, I've seen it done, live and in color.

Stay focused. Continue to persevere in the Lord. God has your back. Not only does He have your back, He also has His disciples in the church who can see through all of their smokescreens. So, don't focus too hard on the negative, but simply know that it does happen. Focus more on Christ and the work that He has for you. You're gonna be all right. I believe that.

Blessings.

Stay tuned and stay prayerful

Your brother,
Sid