Accusation…or Discernment?
Accusation can be masked as discernment.
Did you know Satan is the accuser of the brethren?
Did you know that sometimes we join him in the accusing?
Knowing the difference between having true discernment in a situation and indulging in Satan's accusations towards God’s people can be tricky.
Sometimes, we can mistake true discernment with accusation (and feel guilty for seeing what God is showing us) –For example, I can see something is off in a person or situation and then brush it off because I don’t want to “judge” – but God has laid it in my hands to either say something or pray about it. True discernment from God is not always something we want to see, but it is a gift, and we should be obedient to what He would have us do with it when He reveals it to us.
On the other hand, we can also mistake accusation and judgment with discernment, typically causing harm. The key here is to know the difference, because not all of our perceived “discernment” comes from God, especially when it accuses another brother or sister continually. The keyword here is “continually.” Discernment is also not for the purpose of keeping you isolated from others. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people isolating themselves from the body of Christ because of their own relational issues, and they arrogantly believe it is because they have ‘discernment.’ It is quite sad to see.
If your “discernment” is causing you to feel anger, resentment, fear, anxiety, depression, obsession, bitterness, rage, or spiritual pride, it may be that this isn’t purely discernment, but a complex mix of judgments, past traumas, unforgiveness, and unfounded accusations towards another person.
We have to keep in mind that in the Church, Satan will not always attack by means of “outside” the camp. Sometimes, he will attack on the inside, to divide and to conquer.
Keep in mind, too, that Satan comes as an angel of light. Therefore, we can mistake accusations from Satan with discernment from God. If we aren’t diligent, Satan can lure God’s people to look at each other with contempt, mistrust, and even jealousy.
What happens when we take the bait of Satan to accuse our brothers and sisters is that it begins to heap sin upon sin with slander, gossip, and malice. Twisting, manipulating, and hurting.
Satan will whisper in someone’s ear to plant seeds in their mind, ”look at him/her… they are so _______.” Or, “They don’t like you.” Or, “She/He isn’t a real Christian.” Or, “Look at this person succeeding, they don’t deserve that. That should be you.” Or, “You’re better than them.” Or, “You could do that better, preach that better, etc.” Or, “they are trying to hurt you, undermine you, take from you….” “They are probably talking about you.” “They are trying to push you out.” “You are appreciated by them.”
These are often misunderstood accusations, not discernment.
Satan can make a good case against anyone. This is why we must remain diligent.
If we are picking up on something within another person, first, we need to ask ourselves, is this discernment? Or an accusation born out of my own stuff?
Here are 3 ways we can sort through the differences:
1. Godly Discernment isn’t attached to how this person is affecting your ego in any way. If you are “discerning” something that is primarily about how it affects you, looking good, or YOU being in control, and YOU having success… that may be more about you getting hooked into accusations based on other things of the flesh.
2. If God is giving you discernment about a situation, he will also back it up with evidence.
3. Accusation or judgment will often find its power in paranoia and assumptions. If that is all the evidence you have—are stories or theories in your mind… that could be from the enemy. Discernment will provide you with clarity and specifics… accusation will be more muddy and based on “could-be’s,”
We must respond to Satan’s accusations towards our brothers and sisters with scripture:
1. Our battle is not flesh and blood. Always keep this in mind. Your truest enemy is not a person. It is the unseen principalities, lies, and cosmic forces that are very powerful. But God is powerful over all of them. (Eph. 6:12) Some people work to do the devil’s bidding and have hurt us… but keep in mind that flesh and blood are not the truest form of your enemy. Satan, the kingdom of darkness, lies, sin, and death… those are your enemies.
2. God fights our battles. (Exodus 14:14) The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. He knows if people are speaking ill of you. He knows if there are plans plotted against you. He knows if someone is corrupt. He knows if people are harboring resentment or gossiping or trying to undermine you or hurt you in any way. He knows the plots and plans of mans heart even before they know it. He is sovereign. We can rest in that.
3. There is no human relationship that is absent from “seeing” something within that person. We must remember that none of us has a glorified body and has not been 100% sanctified. I tell people all the time, if you hang around someone long enough, you will see their weaknesses and the parts of them that are not favorable. This will be true of every single human being on the face of the earth. We also must tolerate each other and be patient with one another in our weaknesses. Just because we “see” the not-so-great things about our brothers and sisters doesn’t mean we need to withhold love, community, and affection for one another.
4. In some cases, Go to that person directly and just ask them, talk to them. I cant tell you how many times I thought I was discerning something and was just being paranoid… and realizing that after having an honest conversation with that person. Go to them. Find out. Yeah, you will have to risk being wrong… or being vulnerable… but do it. It could solve that anxst in your heart pretty quickly.
To conclude: Discernment is there to protect and edify. It is not a spiritual gift to feel superior to everyone else, nor is it given to us to accuse with.
We are to address sin, if that is the case, but often, God simply wants us to pray into that situation.
Now, there are legitimate times to step away in a relationship (Titus 3 tell us when it is time to step away), but that decision should not be made in haste.
There is a time to distance and to go separate ways, but make sure it’s from God and not our enemy, causing unholy division.
Some division is holy – to be separate – to not associate with ungodliness. Jesus even said he came to bring a sword to divide bone from marrow. That is a holy separation. But unholy division is when we have given our ear to Satan and have joined him in accusing our brothers and sisters. Be on guard.
If you are struggling right now with suspicion of another brother or sister, ask yourself:
Is this true discernment? Or is this Satan accusing them in my ear?
Why are we talking about this concerning addiction recovery? Because recovery is about learning how to live again. It is about learning healthy ways of thinking and relating to others. Many people fall into these traps repeatedly… but there is another way. We must be diligent in remaining humble enough not to get swept up in an ego-based accusation parade towards others, because ultimately, that keeps us from self-reflection and intimacy.
You are not created to be alone, seeing the sins in everyone else. You are created to be connected to the Body of Christ, suffering with one another, showing grace, and not abandoning each other in the fight against sin.
Be encouraged.