(Jesus) Your Best Security

READ PSALM 64

Psalm 64:8-9 (NKJV)

⁸ So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. ⁹ All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing.

The most important thing you can do in life is make sure that your words and actions are pure and upright in the eyes of the Lord. I have been in a leadership role at my church for well over a decade and I can tell you that there have been times when people have disagreed with decisions I have made, things I have said, or actions that I needed to be take. It just goes with the territory when it comes to leadership.

A majority of those times the disagreement was worked through and all parties were able to come to a place of peace. However, there have been a few occasions when things got messy. The truth of what took place behind the scenes was hidden, and what was presented in public by the individuals involved was not. In those cases words were said against me that were meant to do damage, sour my reputation (or the church's) and make us all look like fools.

I remember someone emailing me a screen shot of a Yelp review of our church that read something like, "The church is full of great people. But the senior pastor is childish and immature and doesn't know how to handle serious matters."

Now, that was nearly a decade ago but I still remember how those words stung. And it especially hurt because the person who had posted it was someone I had gone out of my way to "help" behind the scenes. Don't get me wrong, I know I am not a perfect leader and I never will be. I have made many mistakes in my time as a senior pastor, and I will make more because I'm human, but there is one thing I can promise. It is my hearts desire to serve the Lord faithfully and truthfully, and I pray every day for the Lord to be close to me as I am close to Him, and because of that I would be above reproach, a man of character, and integrity in the eyes of the Lord.

I pray the same for you!

Here is the truth: You cannot control what others think and say about you. There will be times when it appears someone will spread a narrative about you that is not true. In those moments you need to trust the Lord and His Word. He promises to be your security! In Psalm 64 the Lord gives you an assurance that as long as you are upright, honest, and close to Him, he will protect you. He will SILENCE your enemies. (v. 8) And it will become clear that God is on your side. (v. 9)

Isaiah 54:17 says, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgement shall be condemned. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me," says the Lord!

If you are going through a difficult season of this right now and it feels like you are being attacked with words and allegations that aren't true...take heart, my friend. Do everything in your power to draw near to Jesus! Let Him handle it. Let Him be your shield. Let Him cause those who "speak against you" stumble over their own tongue.

In time God will reveal the truth. Patiently wait, my friend. Jesus is your best security!

Josh Huisman is the senior pastor of Crosswalk Church in Brentwood, TN.

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