Gtcotr/ss110815
One of the most destructive behaviors known to mankind is slander.
I
do not say this because I am about to be slandered any more than the rest of
you who are listening today, but rather because slander is such a powerful tool
of satan and is most often used in his attempts to derail both the work and the
will of God.
The
devil cannot destroy anything including your marriage, your family, your
financial strength, your Church, your community, your school or your nation,
unless he can find at least one person to work with him.
And
furthermore, the devil cannot rob you of your love, joy, peace, patience,
gentleness, goodness, faith, humility or self control unless he can get you to
work with him.
Today
we are going to learn how to stop the devil in his tracks and render him
incapable of causing any more trouble through you.
In
order to accomplish this we must:
1.
Learn
to recognize the devil and understand his goals.
2.
Then
we must create a habit of resistance and overcome his temptations.
First Lesson: The Top Seven Primary Goals of the Devil
·
The
number one goal of the devil is to separate
·
The
top seven areas of separation are listed in priority …
·
The Devil Wants to Separate You from:
1.
God
2.
Your Parents
3.
Your Family
4.
Your Spouse
5.
Your Children
6.
Your Church
7.
Your Calling
How
is the devil going to try and accomplish these separations?
·
Remember
the devil can do nothing unless he finds someone and leads them or deceives
them into siding with and working for him.
·
The devil will most often attempt to accomplish his goals of
separation through the power of slander.
·
It
has been his primary tool of choice since the very beginning.
Notice
in Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more
cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to
the woman, "Has God indeed said, ’You shall not eat of every tree of the
garden’?"
2 And the woman said to the
serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 "but of the fruit of
the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ’You shall
not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’"
4 Then the serpent said to
the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 "For God knows that in
the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil."
The
devil’s goal was to separate Eve from God and from her husband and from the
future God had planned for her. What tactic did the devil use? He slandered
God.
According
to the dictionary slander is the act of saying something false or malicious
that damages somebody’s reputation.
However
according to God slander occurs when one person accuses, defames, infers or
otherwise creates suspicion or doubt about the reputation or character of
another person. This slander has nothing to do with how the listener perceives
but rather is based on the actions of the representative of the devil. When
it’s said, when it’s inferred, it’s slander. Some of these acts have been
better labeled in more familiar terms as:
·
Gossip
(Idle conversation about others)
·
Being
Busybodies (Nosy; Overly opinionated about others)
·
Tale
Bearing (Telling things you have no business sharing)
·
Tattle
Telling (Stirring strife or trying to get others in trouble)
·
Hearsay
(Sharing second hand stories)
·
Starting
or Repeating Rumors (Perpetuating unfounded information)
I
realize that someone might imagine I have used the terms “Slanderer” and
“Devil” interchangeably today. Hmmm … perhaps we should turn now to the New Testament
Gospel of John:
John 6:70 Jesus answered
them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"
John 8:44 “You are of your
father the devil, and the desires of
your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not
stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he
speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
The
Greek word translated “devil” is “diabolos”
We
don’t want the devil in our lives or to control our lives nor do we want to be
found working as a representative of the devil in some attempt to separate
people from God, their family, Church or calling. Nonetheless, the devil cannot
do his work unless he can find someone who will work with him and he is trying
his best to recruit you to work for him every day …
1 Timothy 3:11 Likewise their
wives must be reverent, not slanderers
The Greek word “diabolos” has in its root
meaning “to accuse, slander or defame”. Satan is even called “the accuser of
the brethren in Revelation 12:10. Revelation 12:9 calls him diabolos …
2 Timothy 3:3 unloving,
unforgiving, slanderers
Titus 2:3 the older women
likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers
What can we do to insure we aren’t deceived,
tricked or otherwise led astray and begin working for the devil? The devil is
not only trying to get you to slander others … he is trying to get others to
slander you!
1 Peter 5
8 Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil
9 Resist him, steadfast in
the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood
in the world.
Everyone
experiences the same temptations to separate others and to be separated from
others.
James 4:7 Therefore submit to
God. Resist the devil
I
want to encourage each of us during this special
family holiday season to be especially sensitive to the goals and
deceptions of the devil and to not allow any gossip, no tale bearing, tattling
or stirring the pot, not one critical or judgmental remark, and no repeating
hearsay or rumors which could in anyway tempt the listener to think one
negative thought about or lose any respect for another family member, a friend
or even those old enemies who are usually roasted for family dinner. May you have
the strength and presence of mind to resist every attempt of the devil to make
you negative or to be drawn into conversations which promote his goals.
Let’s
renew our pledge to submit ourselves, and especially our tongues and attitudes
… even the rolling of our eyes, to God this holiday season and resist “diabolos.” Let’s commit ourselves to respect God and respect others whom God has placed in
our lives.
And,
if you hear any slander being spoken … resist commenting and stand fast in the
faith knowing that God is not in the slandering business and neither are we!
Happy
Holidays … and by that I mean Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year!!!
Let’s
pray and commit ourselves and this season to God!
