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In John 10:10, it says the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. Whom does he accuse? "The brethren" or anyone under the blood covering of Christ. The accuser of the brethren will attempt to falsely accuse you, as well as your relationship with God. The accuser will falsely accuse you and cause you to doubt your identity in Christ and your godly authority. Sometimes a person is justly accused. However, that is not what is spoken of here. Hence, people can become "accusers of our brethren" and share in the devil's work. So prevalent is this influence of open judgment in our society that fault-finding has been elevated to virtue status.
In an attempt to hinder, if not altogether impede the move of God, Satan has sent forth an army of fault-finding demons against the Church. The purpose of this assault is to entice the Body of Christ away from the perfection of Jesus and onto the imperfection of one another. Masquerading as discernment, this spirit will slip into our opinions of other people, leaving us critical and judgmental. If our thoughts are other than faith working through love, we need to be aware that we may be under spiritual attack, being used as a puppet by the accuser.
If you personally have not consulted with and listened to the individual or organization of whom you are critical towards, how can you be sure that you are not fulfilling the role of the accuser of the brethren? Even the “law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him” (John 7:51). When this spirit of inquity attacks, it is almost always just prior to, or immediately after, a significant breakthrough in the accused life (2 Corinthians 12:7).
The accuser encourages believers to distrust other Christians. To mask the diabolical nature of its activity, the fault-finder usually garbs its criticisms in religious clothing as the victim. Under the pretense of protecting the sheep from a “gnat sized” error in doctrine or action, it forces those around them to swallow a “camel sized” error of merciless judgment. Attempting to correct violations against scripture, their very methods used are a violation of scripture.
We see people carrying out the work of the devil in both testaments. Job's brethren falsely accused him (4:7-9). The Pharisees falsely accused Jesus (Matt. 12:22-24). Among the sins characteristic of the "last days" is that some will be "false accusers" (2 Tim. 3:3). If the religious can become false accusers, then the faithful can become false accusers too. The danger that brethren might partake in the devil's work is need of sober consideration.
When the accuser comes he brings distorted facts and condemnation. Satan never offers hope nor extends grace for repentance in charity. Those who are under the spell of this spirit usually know little of the virtues of the organization or person they are attacking. Their goal is not to heal but to openly gut their victims, pitting member against member, brother against sister, man against wife. Indeed, the Lord’s work for us is that fleshly criticism must be replaced with prayer, and fault-finding with a covering love. Where there is error, we must go with a motive to restore, but where there is condemnation, you will find every kind of disorder.
Those under the hand of Satan bring accusations that in turn hurt others and their reputations. It is evident that Paul's reputation suffered in the eyes of some of his brethren in the church at Corinth because of false accusations made by his enemies there (2 Cor. 10:2, 10). They apparently even turned Paul's refusal of support from the church there into an accusation (cf. 2 Cor. 11:7-9; 12:13). When we consider what it takes to build a reputation, it is sad to note how a person can be hurt by the false charges of irresponsible people.
A person under the spell of the accuser can poison the atmosphere among brethren. We need only look at Paul's relationship with the Corinthians to see that this point is valid. Because of the charges made against Paul by his enemies at Corinth, he was not able to continue with his work of building up the church there. Rather, a large part of his second letter to the Corinthians was taken up with explanations of his conduct and answers to enemies (cf. 1:12-2:4; 4:2; 7:2; 12:19; chapters 10-12). Brethren can come to believe the worst about their brethren simply by hearing and believing false accusations. Brethren can be motivated by the desire to accuse others (Mark 3:2; John 8:6). False accusations can also lead to the severing of relationships among brethren.
Rev. 12:10b shows that Satan attacks, like a merciless prosecuting attorney, by accusation. Who does Satan use to fulfill his deeds? Men and women entrenched with the core component of sin, namely pride. They may be people genuinely devout to the things of God, but spiritually confused with a distorted understanding about the things around them. We have Peter as an example, fully persuaded that Jesus was the Son of God, perfect in theology by confession, but deceived within because of pride. He boldly swore he would never deny Christ, but his pride was the very thing that deceived him (Matthew 26:35).
We must consider carefully before bringing an unverified charge against a brother or believing an accusation made by another. Call the brother in question or write him, seek to build bridges, not to destroy them. Remember, anyone can make false accusations about anyone else. God's people should seek what is true and not be led by idle charges. They should treat others as they would like to be treated (Matt. 7:12) and judge others by their fruits, and not by accusations they have heard (Matt. 7:20; Gal. 2:14). The devil is "the accuser of our brethren." It is bad enough that Lucifer is involved in such activity, even more, we should be cautious about becoming pawns of the devil's work.
We should learn from Paul's experience, how he concluded in Ephesians 6:12 that we are not actually in conflict with people, but "...against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." In effect, he is saying we are merely earthen vessels that can be used as transmitters if you may. If a Christian regains any rebellion against God, harbors hidden sin, unforgiveness or anything that allows evil to work, we are candidates for Satan's use as his puppets, Christian and non-Christian. The greater the darkness in a person's heart, the greater use dark powers have over that person for malevolent purpose. Paul understood this from experience; his battle was not with others, but the dark powers working through them. I don't think many Christians grasp this dynamics of spiritual warfare today, where demons and dark powers are sometimes dismissed as witchcraft or fantasy. I don't think I have heard a message on the genuine nature of spiritual warfare from a pulpit since the 80's... much too controversial and uncomfortable for the consumeristic Christian.
Be encouraged, what evil comes against you God will and can use for good if we resolve to see it from God's perspective. Read Genesis 50:19-20 - Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
If you or a loved one is currently being challenged by false accusations, the following is an encouraging message about Joseph being falsely accused: Falsely Accused by Pastor Ken Gentzler.
In an attempt to hinder, if not altogether impede the move of God, Satan has sent forth an army of fault-finding demons against the Church. The purpose of this assault is to entice the Body of Christ away from the perfection of Jesus and onto the imperfection of one another. Masquerading as discernment, this spirit will slip into our opinions of other people, leaving us critical and judgmental. If our thoughts are other than faith working through love, we need to be aware that we may be under spiritual attack, being used as a puppet by the accuser.
If you personally have not consulted with and listened to the individual or organization of whom you are critical towards, how can you be sure that you are not fulfilling the role of the accuser of the brethren? Even the “law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him” (John 7:51). When this spirit of inquity attacks, it is almost always just prior to, or immediately after, a significant breakthrough in the accused life (2 Corinthians 12:7).
The accuser encourages believers to distrust other Christians. To mask the diabolical nature of its activity, the fault-finder usually garbs its criticisms in religious clothing as the victim. Under the pretense of protecting the sheep from a “gnat sized” error in doctrine or action, it forces those around them to swallow a “camel sized” error of merciless judgment. Attempting to correct violations against scripture, their very methods used are a violation of scripture.
We see people carrying out the work of the devil in both testaments. Job's brethren falsely accused him (4:7-9). The Pharisees falsely accused Jesus (Matt. 12:22-24). Among the sins characteristic of the "last days" is that some will be "false accusers" (2 Tim. 3:3). If the religious can become false accusers, then the faithful can become false accusers too. The danger that brethren might partake in the devil's work is need of sober consideration.
When the accuser comes he brings distorted facts and condemnation. Satan never offers hope nor extends grace for repentance in charity. Those who are under the spell of this spirit usually know little of the virtues of the organization or person they are attacking. Their goal is not to heal but to openly gut their victims, pitting member against member, brother against sister, man against wife. Indeed, the Lord’s work for us is that fleshly criticism must be replaced with prayer, and fault-finding with a covering love. Where there is error, we must go with a motive to restore, but where there is condemnation, you will find every kind of disorder.
Those under the hand of Satan bring accusations that in turn hurt others and their reputations. It is evident that Paul's reputation suffered in the eyes of some of his brethren in the church at Corinth because of false accusations made by his enemies there (2 Cor. 10:2, 10). They apparently even turned Paul's refusal of support from the church there into an accusation (cf. 2 Cor. 11:7-9; 12:13). When we consider what it takes to build a reputation, it is sad to note how a person can be hurt by the false charges of irresponsible people.
A person under the spell of the accuser can poison the atmosphere among brethren. We need only look at Paul's relationship with the Corinthians to see that this point is valid. Because of the charges made against Paul by his enemies at Corinth, he was not able to continue with his work of building up the church there. Rather, a large part of his second letter to the Corinthians was taken up with explanations of his conduct and answers to enemies (cf. 1:12-2:4; 4:2; 7:2; 12:19; chapters 10-12). Brethren can come to believe the worst about their brethren simply by hearing and believing false accusations. Brethren can be motivated by the desire to accuse others (Mark 3:2; John 8:6). False accusations can also lead to the severing of relationships among brethren.
Rev. 12:10b shows that Satan attacks, like a merciless prosecuting attorney, by accusation. Who does Satan use to fulfill his deeds? Men and women entrenched with the core component of sin, namely pride. They may be people genuinely devout to the things of God, but spiritually confused with a distorted understanding about the things around them. We have Peter as an example, fully persuaded that Jesus was the Son of God, perfect in theology by confession, but deceived within because of pride. He boldly swore he would never deny Christ, but his pride was the very thing that deceived him (Matthew 26:35).
We must consider carefully before bringing an unverified charge against a brother or believing an accusation made by another. Call the brother in question or write him, seek to build bridges, not to destroy them. Remember, anyone can make false accusations about anyone else. God's people should seek what is true and not be led by idle charges. They should treat others as they would like to be treated (Matt. 7:12) and judge others by their fruits, and not by accusations they have heard (Matt. 7:20; Gal. 2:14). The devil is "the accuser of our brethren." It is bad enough that Lucifer is involved in such activity, even more, we should be cautious about becoming pawns of the devil's work.
We should learn from Paul's experience, how he concluded in Ephesians 6:12 that we are not actually in conflict with people, but "...against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." In effect, he is saying we are merely earthen vessels that can be used as transmitters if you may. If a Christian regains any rebellion against God, harbors hidden sin, unforgiveness or anything that allows evil to work, we are candidates for Satan's use as his puppets, Christian and non-Christian. The greater the darkness in a person's heart, the greater use dark powers have over that person for malevolent purpose. Paul understood this from experience; his battle was not with others, but the dark powers working through them. I don't think many Christians grasp this dynamics of spiritual warfare today, where demons and dark powers are sometimes dismissed as witchcraft or fantasy. I don't think I have heard a message on the genuine nature of spiritual warfare from a pulpit since the 80's... much too controversial and uncomfortable for the consumeristic Christian.
Be encouraged, what evil comes against you God will and can use for good if we resolve to see it from God's perspective. Read Genesis 50:19-20 - Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
If you or a loved one is currently being challenged by false accusations, the following is an encouraging message about Joseph being falsely accused: Falsely Accused by Pastor Ken Gentzler.