READ: Proverbs 6:16-19
“Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and and deceive not with thy lips.“ – Proverbs 24:28
To slander is “to utter maliciously untrue statements about someone”. It also means “to defame, vilify , misrepresent, and denigrate another”. In other words, to slander is to lie.
Slander is destructive, and usually irreversible. It is difficult to erase from the minds of people the impressions and feelings that are conveyed by slanderous publications and stories.
The slanderous rumours of wicked people contribute to an unfortunate image of many well-meaning pastors. There are many people who will not go to Heaven because they can no longer receive from certain men of God. They cannot even stand the sight of some pastors because of all the negative stories and slander that is spread about God’s people.
Peter the apostle began his ministry with a slanderous story surrounding him. It was rumoured that he had stolen the body of Christ from the tomb, and was claiming that Jesus had actually risen from the dead. The people saw Peter as a grave looter and a liar. Do you realize that this story alone could keep many people from believing in Peter’s message of the risen Christ? They regarded him as an unemployed fisherman and a charlatan who was capitalizing on other people’s insecurities and making a business out of the church. Such is the effect of slanderous poison, even today.
Do not be a destroyer. Satan is the one who comes to destroy . Make sure there is no poison in your tongue.