Could you be “a little devil”?

The Fall holydays of God remind us the end of this world order as we know it is about to come about.  In the lifetimes of so many of you, we’re going to see Satan bound and a new ruler – Jesus the Christ, Yeshua the Messiah – will be on a throne in Jerusalem ruling the world. Yeshua will bring blessing and bring the best out of people.  Satan, the present ruler of this age, likes to fling dirt and dung and dig up the worst about each one. He’s the Accuser of the Brethren.

So why do I ask if you –or I – could at times be “a little devil”?  Sometimes we even use that term as a cute label for someone but when we understand it, we’ll want to be as far as possible from this label.

Why? Because “devil” comes from the Greek word “diabolos” meaning “slanderer, accuser” (Strong’s 1228).  So “devil” means “accuser”.  Now combine that with the name “Satan” – which means “Adversary, Enemy”.  Put it all together and we get: Satan the Devil = our Enemy the Accuser and Slanderer.

So “a little devil” is an accuser, just like Satan is.  So of course we want nothing to do with being “a little devil” or in any way identifying with that.

By our actions and words we are either working as a tool of Satan – or we’re blessing people and praying for people and working for God.  Which is it for you?  For whom do you work? Whose child are you and I? Are we a child of God, or a child of the Devil (John 8:44)?  

Or maybe we’re like James 3:9-10 mentions that sometimes we bless with our mouth and sometimes we curse and slander.  Which is it? Which heart do we have – a loving and blessing heart, or a cruel gossipy and slandering heart that ruins reputations? 

Remember that Satan is the accuser of our brethren (Revelation 12:10).   

Revelation 12:10 – “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come,’ for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”

Click on “Continue reading” to finish this pithy blog showing if you and I are “little devils” or do we bring blessing?

Anytime we spread gossip, we become an accuser.  That means we’re working for The Accuser.  When we accuse, gossip, slander, malign and ruin reputations – we are, at that moment, literally a “little devil” – an accuser.  

Anytime we listen to gossip, or read gossip, or participate in gossip in any way – that’s being someone aiding and abetting the sin of separating friends, spreading discord and spreading malice.  Is that what you want to be?  Of course not.  So let’s stop participating in these sins.

When you’re checking out at the local pharmacy, do you reach for the Enquirer or any other gossip rag?  Sure, our actions have consequences and people will talk, people will take videos, people will snap pictures, and people will accuse.  But let’s not, as children of God participate in that.

What are we to do instead?  We are to become more and more like our Father and Savior.  What does Abba, our God and our dear Heavenly Daddy do?  Read the last 10 verses or so of Matthew 5 where our Father is described.  Besides that passage, we know that our Father and Christ are completely different from Satan’s ways and attitudes. He tells us to bless – and not curse.  He tells us to forgive and not hold grudges.  And now in this age of social media, we can spread dirt and filth about people all over the world within seconds, to thousands and thousands of people.  Email, Facebook, Twitter and other social media can become tools, if we allow it, of gossip and slander and mudslinging on steroids. 

But let it not be so among us, God’s people.

With God:

** Our sins He remembers no more.  Do you and I do that?

** God’s love covers transgression, but Satan’s mindset would expose everything they can about someone’s transgressions.

** We’re taught that a person with true agape love “keeps no record of wrongs”

** Yeshua was known as “a friend of sinners”.  Are you?  Really?

** God casts our sins as far as the east is from the west when we come to Him.   Do we copy that?  Do we strive to keep other people’s old sins far away – or do we relish in going over the lurid details over and over - - and whispering to others all we possibly know.

** Yeshua takes on himself the wrath, the accusations and our sins when we accept him as Savior.

** YHVH is kind to the just and the unjust. He sends rain and sunshine even to evil people according to Matthew 5.  Do we show kindness to all people, regardless of what they’ve done to us?  “There, but by the grace of God, go I.”  You know that phrase. 

** Our heavenly father rejoices over sinners who repent, like the father of the prodigal son (Luke             15). He put on a party for this horribly reprobate son who came home.  Would you have done so?  Do you let someone repent and come back home – with you and everyone else celebrating? Do you welcome them back into your fellowship like 2 Corinthians 2 says to do?  Or do you and I keep the old sins fresh and alive in people’s minds?   

Folks, let me be clear.  If we keep other people’s old sins alive -- that’s working for The Devil.

If we spread gossip, that’s not just working for the devil, it’s being a little devil.

If we have no problem spreading trash about anyone, that’s what The Accuser does and we’re acting just like him.  Even pastors could preach sermons about letting the past be past – and still be guilty themselves of spreading trashy gossip about forgiven sinners.  Shame on them. Shame on those who listen to them.

Do you like listening to gossip and slander?  Do you stop and take it all in?  That’s aiding and abetting the little Devil who’s telling you all that slop. What we should be doing is telling that Little Devil talking to you to shut up! 

God tells us to think on these things:

Philippians 4:8 –“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”

Does that describe what you and I listen to and think about?

Children of God, though we are sojourners on this planet awaiting a better kingdom to come, we are to “honor all…honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).  The king when that was written was Nero – not a bastion of morality and goodness, but Peter says, “HONOR the king”.  We as children of the Blessed God should not be posting trash about our leaders on our Facebook pages. I don’t like a lot of our leaders too – but we’re told to PRAY FOR them in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. 

The Day of Atonement is coming up. Are we part of THAT mentality and program or part of the Devil’s accusing mentality?  Our Redeemer is coming soon – and he’ll stand ready to redeem the whole world if they will accept him. Let’s believe that God can and does change people. Let’s believe that in Christ even the worst of sinners can become a New Creation in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 -- “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Who is more guilty? The person who committed sins long ago and has repented of them – or the little Devil (accuser) who is spreading the juicy tidbits right now?  DON’T be a little Devil.

Since we’re all part of the process of redemption, we need to never forget how much each of us has been forgiven – and so we have no basis to draw any attention to someone else’s sins, especially if you suspect they have deeply repented of those sins, and have long been forgiven by Holy God.  Let God deal with them but you and I are to “honor all” with respect and kindness.

 Yes, I believe we’d all have to admit that too many times we all have been a little Devil at times.  It’s time we repent of that, give up the slanderous gossip, quit listening to it, quit participating in it, quit supporting it – and turn instead into becoming more like true children of God act like:  finding the good in people. Finding ways to bless and forgive.  Finding ways to talk about everyone in positive ways.  Finding ways to pray for and ask blessings for our enemies and those who curse and slander us. 

Yep, I’ve got to grow in all of that too.  And probably so do you. As we come to the Day of Atonement – and all being forgiven and brought back to their Redeemer – let’s be practicing God’s way now and stop being a little devil.