Enduring False Accusations and Slander
Many years ago, the devil raised witchcraft crusade against me wherever I go to preach the gospel. Evil revivalist and their agents would accuse me of immorality to discredit my person. This disturbed me so much as I always tried to defend myself. But later, God spoke to me and advised me not to bother because people talk always. My part is to make sure that I am not guilty of whatever people are accusing me of. Thanks to God that time and truth vindicated me. Up until today, some people, including some close friends, still believed that I was complicit. What is important always is the truth because it always prevails.
Some people can persuade a whole church to believe some wicked lies against you, including the pastor. Your part is to make sure whatever they are alleging against you is not true. If they allege that you stole, let it be only a lie against you. If they said that you committed immorality, let it not be true. If they allege that you are a witch, wizard, sinner, husband snatcher, armed robber, occultist, fraudster, confusionist, etc., let all be lies before God and man. God may not stop them from accusing you but they cannot stop God from blessing, promoting or delivering you at the appointed time, am a living witness.
God’s Deliverance Amidst Persecution
Envious enemies may be able to instigate a rebellion against you, charge you to court and imprison you. But they cannot stop God from releasing you, positioning and delivering you to rise above all your enemies. Prophets may prophesy about your problem, troubles and do many bad things against you, but none can stop God when He comes to deliver you from any bondage.
When Jesus wrote to the church in Smyrna and asked them not to fear, He wanted them to rise above their tribulations, sufferings and problems fearlessly. In this life, troubles, sufferings and challenges are unavoidable and it is normal that believers must pass through them.
‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us’ (2 Timothy 2:11-12).
When it is obvious that you must pass through the Red Sea or face any giant like Goliath, then there is no need to listen to even God’s prophets trying to persuade you to avoid your battle. God is able to deliver you before you get into a burning fire or lion’s den but if God decides to deliver you right inside a burning fire or in the den of lions, do not be afraid.
‘And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth’ (Hebrews 11:32-38).
The Evil Opposition of Corrupt Leaders
The church in Smyrna was a suffering church and Jesus commended them. It did not matter whether the world condemned them, the Jews cursed them or they are cast in prison by persecutors. At the time they received the letter, the storm of persecution was beating fiercely on them because they dared to defy their pagan rulers. They persevered to the end in the midst of poverty.
Though Smyrna was a wealthy city, where buying, selling and getting gain was the all-absorbing occupation, true believers refused to compromise in their businesses. They were poor because of their Christian stance against sin, idolatry and evil ways of doing business in their days. Their unbelieving relatives, friends and rich people around them despised, slandered and insulted them but they stood their grounds and maintained their faith. The government of their day accused them of sedition and disloyalty because of their persistent refusal to offer sacrifices to the emperor. The society denounced them as haters of human race for standing aloof from corrupt practices, popular games, festivals and social gatherings, which frequently involved sacrifices to idols. The Jews also persecuted them regarding them as a sect. Ironically, Jesus saw compromised Jews and backslidden believers as evil people, blasphemers, slanderers, synagogues of Satan and evil assemble of backsliders.
Jesus refers to many church leaders who have given up on God and followed Satan for evil powers as generation of vipers because they are capable of doing so much evil to their members. They love to speak evil of anointed ministers of God. If you ever get closer to them, discover their secrets and try to help to restore them, they will bite you and afflict you with serpentine venom. Indeed, they are serpents and generation of vipers.
‘But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’ (Matthew 3:7).
‘O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh’ (Matthew 12:34).
‘Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?’ (Matthew 23:33).
‘Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it’ (John 8:44).
‘Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?’ (Acts 13:7-10).
They are the sons of the devil because in times of receiving evil powers, they made the devil their father. They went into covenant with the devil because they coveted the things of this world from the gods of this world and got it with the condition to be a murderer like their father. They were not told the whole truth. The devil deceived them and anointed them to deceive others, their followers and those who discover their secrets and threaten to oppose them. With evil powers, they manipulate governments, leaders, governors and their deputies, Presidents and people in authority to get whatever they want. They get lands, buildings, money and every good thing with curses on them.
‘In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother’ (1 John 3:10).
The good news is Christ’s promise of deliverance from the devil and his agents. Only Jesus can deliver you today.