Silas
Beloved of All
Your pain in being slandered so publicly is understandable, and the added hurt when people who claim to follow Christ believe those lies makes it even heavier. It is right to bring this to Jesus and ask Him to be the one who defends you.
Scripture shows that faith is not just an idea we hold, but what gives substance to our hope and provides evidence for what we cannot yet see. It describes what faith does in a person's life. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and it was by faith that people like Abel were declared righteous and accepted by God, and by faith Enoch walked with God. God looks at faith itself, and when that faith is genuine He counts it as righteousness, just as He did with Abraham when Abraham believed the promise of the Messiah to come.
That same faith, when it is real, will show itself in how we live. Works cannot create faith and cannot take its place, but true faith will produce works. There must be a conformity between what we say we believe and how we live, because faith provokes action. If someone says they have faith but there is no evidence in their life, that kind of faith is dead and cannot save. A living faith in a living Lord will be seen in obedience and in a changed life. Your desire not to waver in your walk with Christ is itself a sign that God is at work in you, and the way that walk is proven is by continuing to trust and obey Him even while you are being spoken against.
It helps to remember that having faith does not guarantee that we will be spared from suffering, slander, or even death. Many who are listed as examples of faith died still trusting God without having received all that was promised in their lifetime. They looked forward to the Messiah, and God honored their trust. In the same way, others who had the same faith suffered torture and hardship for their faith. Faith is not a guarantee of an easy life, a healthy body, or that everyone will believe the truth about us. The trying or proving of our faith is not for God to find out what is in us, for He already knows, but for us to see what is real and to be strengthened.
Persecution and false accusation have followed the people of God from the beginning, and history shows that persecution never destroys the true church. It separates what is superficial from what is genuine, and in those who truly belong to Christ, faith grows exceedingly and love for one another abounds. That close fellowship and growing faith often come precisely through hardship. It is not that we would ask for persecution, but God can use even this painful slander to deepen your faith, increase your patience, and draw you closer to other believers who will stand with you in truth and love.
The enemy will try to use affliction to move you away from steadfast trust in Jesus. That is a real concern, and Scripture warns us not to be moved from our faith by affliction or by the schemes of the evil one. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, and what is lacking in our faith is made complete as we stay rooted in Scripture. The Holy Spirit is not received by our own efforts or by keeping a set of rules, but by hearing with faith as a gift from God. Every good work God does in us comes through believing faith in Jesus Christ and His grace. Even great men and women of faith have had moments when their faith wavered, so if you feel shaken at times, it does not mean you have failed. God gives faith as a gift, sometimes a special measure of faith for a particular trial, and He is able to sustain you through this one.
So keep looking to Jesus Himself to be your vindication. He knows the truth when others believe a lie, and He is the one who declares the righteous accepted. Leave the work of exposing lies and defending your name in His hands and in His timing, and focus on keeping your own walk faithful. Let your faith be shown in quiet obedience, in love, in forgiveness where possible, and in continued trust in His word.
I pray for you now. Lord Jesus, You see what is being said and done against this dear one, and You know the truth completely. I ask that You would vindicate in Your perfect way and time, that lies would be exposed and that those who have believed them would come to see the truth. Protect this heart from bitterness and from being moved away from You by this affliction. Strengthen faith as a gift from You, make it living and active, the substance of hope and the evidence of what is not yet seen. Let it produce a steady walk and a life that conforms to trust in You. Cause faith to grow exceedingly and love to abound, and give patience in this trial. Feed this soul through Your word, perfect what is lacking in faith, and keep this one from wavering, standing firm in faith in Jesus Christ alone, for Your glory. Amen.
Scripture shows that faith is not just an idea we hold, but what gives substance to our hope and provides evidence for what we cannot yet see. It describes what faith does in a person's life. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and it was by faith that people like Abel were declared righteous and accepted by God, and by faith Enoch walked with God. God looks at faith itself, and when that faith is genuine He counts it as righteousness, just as He did with Abraham when Abraham believed the promise of the Messiah to come.
That same faith, when it is real, will show itself in how we live. Works cannot create faith and cannot take its place, but true faith will produce works. There must be a conformity between what we say we believe and how we live, because faith provokes action. If someone says they have faith but there is no evidence in their life, that kind of faith is dead and cannot save. A living faith in a living Lord will be seen in obedience and in a changed life. Your desire not to waver in your walk with Christ is itself a sign that God is at work in you, and the way that walk is proven is by continuing to trust and obey Him even while you are being spoken against.
It helps to remember that having faith does not guarantee that we will be spared from suffering, slander, or even death. Many who are listed as examples of faith died still trusting God without having received all that was promised in their lifetime. They looked forward to the Messiah, and God honored their trust. In the same way, others who had the same faith suffered torture and hardship for their faith. Faith is not a guarantee of an easy life, a healthy body, or that everyone will believe the truth about us. The trying or proving of our faith is not for God to find out what is in us, for He already knows, but for us to see what is real and to be strengthened.
Persecution and false accusation have followed the people of God from the beginning, and history shows that persecution never destroys the true church. It separates what is superficial from what is genuine, and in those who truly belong to Christ, faith grows exceedingly and love for one another abounds. That close fellowship and growing faith often come precisely through hardship. It is not that we would ask for persecution, but God can use even this painful slander to deepen your faith, increase your patience, and draw you closer to other believers who will stand with you in truth and love.
The enemy will try to use affliction to move you away from steadfast trust in Jesus. That is a real concern, and Scripture warns us not to be moved from our faith by affliction or by the schemes of the evil one. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, and what is lacking in our faith is made complete as we stay rooted in Scripture. The Holy Spirit is not received by our own efforts or by keeping a set of rules, but by hearing with faith as a gift from God. Every good work God does in us comes through believing faith in Jesus Christ and His grace. Even great men and women of faith have had moments when their faith wavered, so if you feel shaken at times, it does not mean you have failed. God gives faith as a gift, sometimes a special measure of faith for a particular trial, and He is able to sustain you through this one.
So keep looking to Jesus Himself to be your vindication. He knows the truth when others believe a lie, and He is the one who declares the righteous accepted. Leave the work of exposing lies and defending your name in His hands and in His timing, and focus on keeping your own walk faithful. Let your faith be shown in quiet obedience, in love, in forgiveness where possible, and in continued trust in His word.
I pray for you now. Lord Jesus, You see what is being said and done against this dear one, and You know the truth completely. I ask that You would vindicate in Your perfect way and time, that lies would be exposed and that those who have believed them would come to see the truth. Protect this heart from bitterness and from being moved away from You by this affliction. Strengthen faith as a gift from You, make it living and active, the substance of hope and the evidence of what is not yet seen. Let it produce a steady walk and a life that conforms to trust in You. Cause faith to grow exceedingly and love to abound, and give patience in this trial. Feed this soul through Your word, perfect what is lacking in faith, and keep this one from wavering, standing firm in faith in Jesus Christ alone, for Your glory. Amen.
