I Am Slandered and Mistreated Because of My Christian Faith
Be Joyful in That Day
Sakkie Parsons
I want to begin today with a question:
Have you ever been in a situation where people slandered you or simply didn’t like you—and therefore didn’t treat you well—because you took a stand based on your faith, a stand they didn’t agree with?
I ask because this has happened to me before.
Now, I want to share how I deal with such situations in my heart—because if we don’t understand what’s really going on, we can easily fall into discouragement.
To begin with, I must understand that satan does not like the way I live and will certainly try to do something about it.
Usually, he starts by using the people around you to slander you—because, you see, he knows the Word of our Lord just as well as many of us, and better than most.
He knows very well what the Bible says about the tongue. And when people gossip about you because of your stand in Christ, satan thinks he’s hitting two birds with one stone:
He gets them to sin, and if you respond negatively, he traps you too.
You see, he knows the Scriptures say:
James 1:26 (AMP)
If anyone thinks himself to be religious [scrupulously observant of the rituals of his faith], and does not control his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless (futile, barren).
James 3:5 (AMP)
In the same sense the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark!
James 3:6 (AMP)
And the tongue is [in itself] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell.
So do you see where slander and gossip really come from?
Do you see now where their tongues are, as it were, being fed from when they speak against you?
James 3:6 (AMP)
…the tongue… sets on fire the course of our life, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Now I want to show you something that always excites me deeply when this happens to me—and remember, this applies to all of the Lord’s children.
You have the Spirit of Jesus in you, and therefore, the way people treat you will often reflect how they treated Jesus when He stood for God’s principles.
They slandered Him too and called Him vile names.
Matthew 11:19 (AMP)
The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they say, ‘Look! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds [and by what she produces].
They even told lies about Him to put Him in a bad light.
Matthew 26:59 (AMP)
Now the chief priests and the entire Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) tried to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.
Mark 14:55–56 (AMP)
The chief priests and the entire Council were trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimonies were not consistent.
So, when people look down on you for who you are, for what you believe, and for what you stand for—rejoice and praise the Lord—because what’s happening to you also happened to your Savior.
Matthew 13:55–57 (AMP)
“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all this wisdom and power?” And they took offense at Him [they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority]. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”
Mark 6:4–5 (AMP)
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And He could not do a miracle there at all, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
You don’t need to feel bad when you don’t seem to make progress with certain people.
Remember what you just read: Even Jesus couldn’t do much in places where they didn’t believe in Him.
If people won’t accept you, believe you, or tolerate you because of the truth you proclaim and live by—be joyful and glad!
Matthew 5:11–12 (AMP)
“Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me. Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
To sum it all up:
Keep living according to the principles of Jesus, because:
Luke 6:22–23 (AMP)
Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life joy in God’s goodness] are you when people hate you, and exclude you from their fellowship, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of your association with the Son of Man.Be glad at such a time and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]…
Blessings,
Sakkie