¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of ME. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” JESUS ~ Matthew 5:11-12

I attended a meeting where I observed a brother in CHRIST accused of things which I know not be true. He was accused, attacked, and called guilty of heinous things. I watched his heart rate rise ~ expectantly so ~ as his accuser spewed one hateful statement after another in the spirit of doing what was right for that situation.  I sat helplessly as I longed to shield him from this satanic attack. I was wrecked with emotions as I wanted to flee, scream, defend, or return the attack. Nevertheless, it was not I who was not on trial, but I sure felt the hurt, betrayal, and venom.

All the while, this gracious brother, who clearly did none of these horrific things spoken of him, sat quietly.  I watched the sweat build, his heart race, and his face redden ~ all in silence. The few times he spoke it was merely for clarification. I am so proud of my friend honoring the LORD in those painful moments. These are the encounters which prove our faith!

During the melee, I relived every painful meeting I’ve had over the years while I was accused of so many things I would never and could never have done. I remember the embarrassment, the deep emotional pain, and the scarring of my soul that followed. All the while, those who had done their worst moved on in glee.

In the quiet darkness, I would ponder all the things that were said of me. Then, these things would take root! They caused bitterness and resentment to grow in my spirit. I became frustrated, angry, and coarse with others. I had allowed these evils to make me into what my accuser had said. At one point, I even said, “Goodbye” to my loving SAVIOR.

WOW! All this, because I allowed some bitter, cruel, mean, cantankerous fool to set the direction of my heart. PRAISE GOD! HE walked through that with me. In fact, HE carried me through all that. JESUS had nothing to do with that garbage; however, HE bent down and walked through it with ME. HE reminded me that HE knows who I am. HE reminded me that HE loves me through it all!

If you are going through the fire, then remember to stand firm in CHRIST as you walk with HIM! Rejoice! Great is your reward in heaven!

JESUS sees!

JESUS knows!

JESUS cares!