Slippery Snipes

S

(Psalm 15:1,3) O Lord, who shall [travel and reside with You]? He who ... does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor nor takes up a reproach against his friend.

O

Slander is one of the trademark practices of Satan, our adversary and accuser. That word means spying for the sake of finding excuses to accuse and oppose. Scripture also describes slander as being smooth and slippery. It's alluring. It's easy. It's like a delicious drink that glides gently through one's mouth. And it's wrong.

A (personal)

This harmful talk seems like trying to grip a greased handrail: it promises to promote justice and stability but ends up eventually toppling the slanderer (verse 5). When I'm tempted to slander or accuse or reproach someone--regardless of how truthful it seems at first--I'll try to imagine being that person's advocate instead. That'll probably move me to intercessory and effective prayer (1 John 3:22-24).

A (psychological)

In conjoint or family counseling, the clients have come to you probobably because of some grievance they have with each other. It's very important to join with each member of the family system. But te challenge is to empathize and to respect each perspective but to do that without colluding, without--perhaps because of countertransference. Doing that would be to participate in one person's accusations against another. Holding opposing perspectives and complaints in honesty and safety is the work of love, the path through this slippery slope.

P

Savior, thank You that even when my adversary fairly accused me, You still loved me and were my advocate. I would much prefer to be like You. Please help me to excel in advocating for all people in my life, especially those whom the adversary tries to bribe me to target. I don't want to be his messenger ... I want to be Yours.