While recovering from jet lag in the midst of my first visit to Rome, Italy, I was stunned by a report that Congressman Trent Franks has been asked to step down from office. I immediately began to pray with an awareness that “the accuser of the brethren” is at work to silence the voices of conscience on The Hill.
“Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down” (Rev. 12:10).
Unproven accusations are designed to bring strife, suspicion, division, hurt and harm to humanity. Such accusations not only hurt people’s reputations; they rend the fabric of the one blood/one human race community. (Acts 17:26).
This reminds me of the tragedy of Emmett Till, who was unjustly slaughtered due to an accusation that was proven to be false after his brutal murder.
Today in America, this same tactic is being played and replayed where public figures are constantly being accused of crime and/or impropriety and “tried” in the media.
As those who are professing guilt are appropriately stripped of or voluntarily abandon their seats of power, where is their path to redemption?
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24).
For those who stand accused and castrated without a trial, we must ask, where do they go to get their reputations, or in extreme cases such as Emmett Till, their lives back?
“does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” (John 7:51).
Maybe we should all pray about calling a “Ceasefire Come to Jesus Moment” and repent corporately. Have we considered what it takes to build a reputation, and how sad it is to note how a person can be hurt by the false charges of irresponsible or ruthless people?
Such accusations can poison the atmosphere among society. Unsuspecting people can come to believe the worst about their neighbors or community leaders simply by hearing and believing false accusations. Once the vicious cycle begins, people can be motivated by the desire to accuse others.
Even as a post-abortive secondary victim of abortion, I work very hard to remain in a position of repentance and forgiveness for those whom I hurt and for those who hurt me on my journey through life. A testimony should never seek only to expose a painful wrong, but to seek healing and reveal and discover how God can make things right for all parties involved.
Enemies of agape love and truth seek to have us accuse each other and cause strife and division. God’s law is the law of love, where people are led to repent, forgive and be healed; these are truths for life which are designed for us to follow. {eoa}
Alveda King is author of King Rules, founder of Alveda King Ministries and director of African American Outreach for Priests for Life. Her latest book is King Truths, releasing in January 2018.
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