September 13, 2022
by Eric Stillman
In Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus, he tells his readers that behind every opponent in this world is a spiritual enemy, the devil, who is trying to steal, kill, and destroy God’s good works (John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8). One of the classic books about the devil is Thomas Brooks’ Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices, which was published in 1652. Brooks discusses some of the strategies Satan uses to tempt and accuse believers. In last week’s Pulse, I shared four of the temptation strategies discussed by Brooks. This week, I will look at four accusation strategies.
...Keep Reading
Posted in: Evil Tags: temptation, accusation
July 16, 2013
by Eric Stillman
Lately I have found that when I am accused of wrongdoing, I have two potential responses competing in my mind. The first is to defend myself, to give all the reasons the accuser is wrong, and to point out all the way my accuser is just as guilty as I am. My second response is to not only agree with my accuser but to add to my accuser‘s list with all the other ways they neglected to mention in which I am guilty. The first response feels like the right way to go. After all, I am standing up for myself and declaring that I am not such a bad person after all, nor am I alone in being imperfect. The second response, however, is both humble and brutally honest about who I am. It is like the response given by the famous 18th century English evangelist George Whitefield upon receiving a vicious letter accusing him of wrongdoing:
‘œI thank you heartily for your letter. As for what you and my other enemies are saying against me, I know worse things about myself than you will ever say about me.
With love in Christ,
George Whitefield.‘...Keep Reading
Posted in: Grace Tags: Grace, accusation
