Accusations
I have had my faith tested by harsh accusations on several occasions in my life. I have been called a heretic. I have been judged as disobedient to God, and told I was unusable for His purpose. Each instance was deeply painful, provoking an immediate, desperate need to examine my heart and seek God’s forgiveness.
In hindsight, I realized that while these accusations may have been spoken from a place of human error (old school would say – out of their flesh and feelings – but), my intense reaction was rooted in my desire to please God. This led me to a critical lesson: regardless of the accuser’s motive, our first response should always be self-examination. We must follow David’s example in Psalm 139, asking God to “examine me and know my heart…see if there is any bad thing in me.”
In Each instance… I really wanted to throw up! Cry….fall to the floor and ask God…. IS IT ME!? DID I SIN BEFORE YOU? (I wasn’t sure but I knew that Sin – Had to Go! …I said…) God, I’M SOO SORRY. CLEANSE ME Cleanse MY HEART! OMG I’M SOO SORRY GOD!
I think for me … being accused of something – THAT horrific – cut me to my core. In that moment – it was not IF it was true – it was that someone thought those things about me and I wondered if those were God’s thoughts as well. This needed to be fixed first – then chewed on later (for life adjustments and course corrections).
I realized that someone will always be there to accuse you. (Even Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10).
“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth- the one who accuses them before our God day and night.”
What truly matters is your/our response. If your first instinct isn’t repentance, it may be a sign of pride, which is why we are told to guard our hearts above all else. True conversion involves more than simply inviting Jesus in; it requires repentance—a conscious turning away from the sins that separated us from God. It is for these sins that Christ died to redeem us through His grace, as highlighted in Romans 5:8:
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
By the way – Yes. I chose to forgive those who spoke so harshly towards me. Motives did not matter. The damage of harm was done and the onus was on me – to forgive – and restore as needed.
I hope my story can help someone else who has faced the same.
AM