When Your Character is Under Attack

“Now who is there to hurt you if you become enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness [though it is not certain that you will], you are still blessed [happy, to be admired and favored by God]. Do not be afraid of their intimidating threats, nor be troubled or disturbed [by their opposition]. But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect. And see to it that your conscience is entirely clear, so that every time you are slandered or falsely accused, those who attack or disparage your good behavior in Christ will be shamed [by their own words]. For it is better that you suffer [unjustly] for doing what is right, if that should be God’s will, than [to suffer justly] for doing wrong.” (1 Peter 3:14-17, AMP)

When I’m angry at someone, the last thing I want to hear is that I need to be the bigger person. I think that’s a normal response to being told to take the high road when you’d rather slum it on the low one.

And there will be times when it almost pains you to take the high road. Because the person that’s hurt you has hit you so close to home that your heart breaks. Or because someone you love or trusted is the one who did the damage. 

But if we live righteous lives that honor God, and we are enthusiastic for what is good and pleasing to Him, then how can people hurt you? If you put your stock into the eternal, rather than the temporal, fleeting satisfaction of the flesh, then you will live a more peaceful life.

The fact is that when we place our energy and our focus on the Lord and those things that delight Him, even if we should suffer for His sake, we will still be blessed. I’m not trying to insinuate that being put on trial or having your character attacked is not a hard or gut-wrenching feeling. I have been there, and I know just how much those seasons of life stink. But in being set apart by Christ and being claimed as His own, we should not fear the intimidation or threats of a world that we are only temporary residents of. 

So when we feel our character being questioned as Christians or we are being slandered and falsely accused, we can stand strong in the Godly lives we lead, according to His Word which is the final authority in holiness and righteousness. And in living by that standard, we should endeavor to know it better and better, thus knowing our Savior better and better. 

In the end, when others slander us or try to take us down and tarnish the faith by which we live, we should have a strong defense of that faith, having internalized and consumed the Word of God. Living by scripture not only means living in a God-honoring way, but also understanding it to where we can stand for it when the world comes to undermine it. 

And they ultimately will when they realize they cannot shake you or destroy your faith by simply slandering or falsely accusing the righteous. Why? Because nothing makes a non-believer bent on disproving the Gospel more upset than discovering that a Christian has a strong defense of their faith and cannot be shaken. As a fallible person, an attack on my character or a full-scale take down of my reputation might hurt me to the point of possibly bottoming out. But building my hope and confidence in an eternal and all-powerful God means that when people come for me, they cannot touch the spiritual joy and peace I carry in my heart because I am hidden away in Christ.

That will cause some to wonder: how could they make it through? How could they be so under attack and yet maintain themselves? The answer is that living righteously and intentioning oneself to live in a way that honors God means that the world can come at us with some of their nastiest tactics, but nothing sticks. Living righteously means living above board and letting your Godliness speak for itself. Living with a clear conscience means that anyone trying to disparage you can try, but they may find that nothing sticks to you in the long run.

And even if we are shamed for living a Christian lifestyle, we should consider it an honor to go through any trial in Jesus’ name. Why? Because shame on account of our Savior, if it is in His will for us to suffer, is still better than living outside of God’s grace. We could count absolutely everything in this life as a loss, because without Jesus to pay the price for our sin and to make a way for us to live freely in His love for us, everything is worthless. It will all count for nothing at the end of our lives without Jesus to make it mean something. 

So if you find yourself walking through a trial today– if someone has attacked your character, falsely accused you of something, or started rumors– remember that living righteously and in accordance with scripture doesn’t only keep you above board, but it also gives you a faith where you don’t have to fear tomorrow. You can stand firmly confident in the fact that God is standing with you through that trial and He is showing you something through it that you never could have learned without it.