The Fellowship of the Criticized

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he defended himself against bogus accusations. These false teachers complained about Paul:

• "He's not a real apostle."
• "He is fickle."
• "He appearance is deplorable."
• "His speech is contemptible." 
• "He can't get churches to financially support him."
• "He doesn't carry letters of recommendation."
• "It is obvious God is not blessing him because of all the suffering he endures."
• "He is holding you back."
• "He's bossy."
• "He's crazy."
• "God doesn't speak through him."
• "He doesn't love you."
• "He is cheating you."
• "He doesn't have the authority to tell you what to do."

These enemies of Paul were probably the Judaizers who stalked him throughout his travels. They tried to inject law into the gospel and that's always a bad combination. 

Since Paul, the greatest missionary of all time, had critics, we should not be surprised when people complain about us also.

The Weapons of our Victory, Part 1

How do we overcome Satan and his incessant condemnation of us?

Revelation 12:11 tells us, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the testimony."

• Satan tells us we are "no good." God tells us "we are forgiven."
• Satan tells us we are "guilty." God declares us "righteous, washed in the blood of the Lamb."
• Satan says we are "worthless." But God says, "We have purchased with a price. Thus we are valuable in His sight."

So the next time a little thought whispers in your head thoughts of condemnation. Don't accept it and don't argue with it. Instead look to Jesus and the cross. Put your faith in the  "blood of the Lamb."

The Tactics of our Enemy, Part 2

• Through temptation Satan makes sin seem better than it is.
• Through condemnation Satan makes us feel worse than we are.

Job 1-2 and Zechariah 3 show the devil accusing God's people. Notice Job and the High Priest Joshua were both righteous men, but that doesn't deter the enemy. He whispers his lies (Rev. 12:10).

• You are garbage
• You are worthless
• You should just kill yourself
• You are guilty
• You don't deserve to go to church, cause you are a big fat hypocrite!

Don't listen to the devil, because a discouraged believer is a defeated Christian. In tomorrow's post we'll talk about how to overcome the devil's accusations.