Being falsely accused is nothing new to the people of God. Throughout the Bible there is story after story of God's chosen servants being misrepresented. It seems like simply disagreeing with a position is a trap to being labeled and slandered. Though, in many ways we feel trapped by the false accusations levied against us, we are not. May we never forget our citizenship is in heaven, not earth, and we represent God, which often stands in opposition to those who exalt the things of this world.

David wrote about these things, as he was frequently pursued and slandered. We read in Psalm 140:4-5, "Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men, Who have purposed to make my steps stumble. The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; They have set traps for me." In Psalm 141:8-9, "But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity." He again said in 142:3, "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me." David knew what it was like to be put in situations in which his adversaries wanted to trap him. Jeremiah knew what this felt like as we read in Jeremiah 18:18,22, "Then they said, "Come let us devise plans against Jeremiah...Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words...For they have dug a pit to take me, And hidden snares for my feet."

It is easy to become disillusioned and frustrated confronting the steady attacks of others. But Jesus warned us that this was to be the case, in Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." When it seems like the enemies of God have the upper hand, may we remember the words in Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,". Yes, unfortunately not only will we, the followers of God, continue to be maligned and misrepresented, but we should come to expect this, not be shocked when this is how those who don't believe in Him treat us. But we must remember that as God's representatives, we must not get into the trenches and sling mud back at them, but as we read in Ephesians 4:15, we are to speak the truth in love. May we carry ourselves in such a way, as we read in 1 Peter 3:15-16, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed." We, the children of God, must never forget who we are. We are no longer children of this world. If we forget this we need to spend more time in His Word and less time on social media.