No More Self-HateSmakprov

Yesterday I told you that self-hate, condemnation, shame, self-harm, intrusive thoughts, and suicidal tendencies DO NOT COME FROM GOD.

Today I want to ask you a meaningful and related question. When you speak hate against yourself, whose voice are you believing?

Today’s reading in Revelation 12:9-10 explains that the Devil is the accuser of the brethren, who accuses us before God day and night, much as he accused Job in the Bible.

Did you know the title “devil” is from the Greek word diabolos, which in its verb form means “defaming” or “slandering?”

In other words, every time we speak hate to ourselves, we are assuming the role of that diabolical defaming slanderer. We are acting as the enemy of our very souls!

But please don’t get too shocked when I say that. Jesus said to Peter at one point, “get behind me Satan,” when Peter was thinking more about earthly things than godly ones (Matthew 16:23). So we are not alone when we take on the role of the accuser himself.

But if you are prone to slandering yourself and playing the role of the accuser of the brethren in your own life, THERE IS VERY GOOD NEWS (as there tends to be every time Jesus is involved).

God speaks VERY clearly on this in Romans 8:33-34, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” In other words, Jesus defends us, even when we accuse ourselves!

Several times in Scripture, we see Jesus playing the role of the defender of the accused. In Luke 7, Jesus defended the woman of ill-repute who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears in the home of Simon the Pharisee. As we saw earlier, Jesus defended the woman caught in the act of adultery in John 8. Elsewhere in Scripture, we know that He sat with tax collectors and sinners and ministered to Samaritans and Gentiles.

So when you are railing accusations against yourself or condemning yourself, remember that Jesus stands before God, making intercession for you. Jesus defends you, even when you are the one doing the accusing. He is our literal, eternal defender!