10/16/2026
WHEN DID WE BECOME SO COMFORTABLE WITH ACCUSATION?
Something has been weighing heavily on my heart today, and I believe it's worth sharing.
I'm noticing more and more how easily we, even as believers, can drift from the heart of Christ in the things we say, the judgments we make, and especially the things we choose to share publicly.
And I say WE intentionally. Because none of us is beyond drifting. None of us has arrived. We are all being sanctified, and we all need the Holy Spirit continually examining and refining our hearts.
But I wonder if we've become so accustomed to expressing our opinions, defending our positions, and responding from our emotions that we've forgotten to ask a very important question.
Does what I'm about to say actually reflect the heart of Jesus?
I see people publicly questioning the motives of others, making assumptions about someone's relationship with God, dismissing another person's testimony, or using their platforms to express grievances against people who have hurt them.
And I find myself wondering, how do we know what's truly in another person's heart?
We don't.
We may see someone's actions. We may disagree with their theology. We may even recognize fruit that needs addressing. And Scripture absolutely calls us to exercise discernment.
But discernment is not permission to assign motives we cannot know.
There's a difference between testing what someone teaches and putting their heart on trial.
And there's a difference between speaking truth and speaking from an unhealed wound.
Revelation 12:10 identifies Satan as the accuser of our brothers and sisters, accusing them before God day and night.
That should cause us to examine our own words very carefully.
Because while correction is biblical, condemnation, slander, and bitterness are not the heart of the ministry Christ has entrusted to us.
Galatians 6:1 tells us that when someone is caught in sin, those who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently, while watching themselves.
Restore. Gently.
Not publicly humiliate.
Not speculate about motives.
Not gather agreement around our grievances.
Not use spiritual language to justify resentment.
And certainly not confuse our emotional responses with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:26–27 warns us about allowing anger to give the devil a foothold. Just a few verses later, we're instructed to put away bitterness, rage, anger, slander, and malice, and to forgive one another as God forgave us in Christ.
That's not a suggestion to ignore wrongdoing. Forgiveness doesn't mean that trust is automatically restored or that boundaries aren't necessary.
But it does mean we are called to something greater than continually rehearsing the wrongs committed against us.
And this becomes especially important when God has entrusted us with a voice that others listen to.
Influence is a responsibility, not simply an opportunity to be heard.
When we press send, we're not just sharing a thought. We may be shaping how someone else understands forgiveness, grace, repentance, relationships, and even the character of God.
That's something I take very seriously.
Do I get hurt? Absolutely.
Do I experience frustration, disappointment, and moments when my own heart needs correcting? Of course.
But I've learned that not every emotion deserves a public platform. Not every offense requires a response. And not every thought that feels justified has been surrendered to the Lord.
Sometimes the most important thing we can do before pressing send is stop and invite the Holy Spirit to examine what's motivating us.
Because being right about someone's behaviour doesn't automatically mean we're right in how we respond to it.
Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).
James 1:19–20 reminds us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
And James 3:1 reminds those who teach that they will be judged more strictly.
These are sobering instructions, especially for those of us who lead, teach, minister, or have people looking to us for spiritual wisdom.
We are not called to become the loudest voices in the room.
We are called to become more like Christ.
And sometimes that means correcting someone in love. Sometimes it means extending forgiveness. Sometimes it means having a difficult private conversation. And sometimes it means choosing silence while God continues His work in our own hearts.
I keep coming back to this:
Am I helping people see Jesus more clearly, or am I inviting them to see someone else through the lens of my own hurt?
That's a question worth asking every single day.
Because the enemy is the Accuser.
Jesus is our Advocate (1 John 2:1).
And as His followers, we have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).
May we never become so consumed with defending ourselves, proving a point, or exposing someone else's shortcomings that we lose sight of the very heart of the One we claim to represent.
Lord, begin with me.
Search my heart. Correct what needs correcting. Heal what needs healing. And teach me to use whatever influence You've entrusted to me in a way that honours You.
Less accusation. More restoration.
Less assumption. More discernment.
Less reaction. More surrender.
Less of us. More of Jesus.