6 mins read

We all dislike the devil; he is considered wicked and seeks to destroy anything good and in harmony. We denounce him wherever we can and have painted him in some of the most hideous-looking pictures since we began to discover him.  In some climes, we claim to hate him so much that we kill any animal that has been associated with him and sometimes excommunicate people we have adjudged to be in alliance with him from our communities.

Somehow, we fail to ask what his nature is. Are we his advocates? Do we hate him so much that we are blinded to his mode of operation? The proverbial “throwing the baby and the bath water”. Have we closed our eyes to some of his subtle nature and forgotten that we are actually doing his bidding even though we claim to hate him.

Ignorance is a weapon used by masters and very experienced warriors. They set up decoys and flashlights to confuse adversaries while they defeat them in broad daylight. This method is subtle and requires patience, tact and experience to fully deploy. It takes full advantage of the weakness and strength of the opponent.

After the fall of man, we see the first true nature of the devil play out! It was very subtle, almost unnoticeable and could even be defended because what was said was factual and verifiable. Adam was asked why he ate the fruit, and his response displayed clearly Adam’s new nature, ”Slander”!

“It was this woman that you brought to me that gave me fruit to eat. When Eve was asked the same question, she responded, “It was the serpent that deceived me and made me eat the fruit”!  The only person who didn’t answer was the snake.

Slander is not just about telling lies – it is also about exposing verifiable facts in a way that distorts the image of another for the purpose of judgment or punishment. Usually, the aim is to distort the image of one while poisoning the mind of one another.

Adam’s response deflected the responsibility of eating the fruit from himself to Eve, so if God were to punish anyone, Eve should be blamed. “Eve gave me the fruit, Eve related with the snake, Eve ate it, since she is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh which you made, I had to stick with her all the way. It was not my fault; I was doing what I ought to do, stick with the woman you gave me”. Eve was painted as the fall guy. God was not spared either.  Logically, Adam was right! But his objective was to excuse himself from any blame while claiming the victim.  That was the same thing Eve did. The serpent deceived me and made me do it. If not for the serpent, I would not have done it – I am not to blame!

What played out was the nature of the devil, exposing wrongs for the sole purpose of judgment or character assassination. The devil is also called the accuser not because he fabricates lies and false stories about people and events. In fact, whenever the devil goes to God with an accusation, be sure that it is true with compelling evidence.

When the prophet Jeremiah stood before God, the devil was there to oppose his access to God because he still had on him the garment of iniquity. I wonder who was disturbing God day and night about the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah? The devil did the same thing with Job, trying to poison the mind of God towards Job so that if he fell, he would ask for judgment for Job to die.  A significant attribute of the devil is to expose sin (errors) for judgment!

To our present day, how many times have we played that same role in our lives? Someone did something that could have slipped away without harming anyone but brought it to light so that punishment would be meted out. How often have we “innocently”  in conversations made someone look bad to make ourselves look good?

Rumour spreads quickly! Two people could have an argument, and one person rushes to report, stating all the “facts” but delivering them to make the other person look guilty. I believe this is one of the greatest destroyers of communities. You have an issue with your friend or partner, and you feel bad about it but cannot get through or maybe not humble enough to let go of your ego.  People are watching, questions are being asked and pressured to make a press statement. You narrate the story to people who care to listen, and they leave feeling you have been victimized while disliking the other party. You feel justified because you have convinced some people of your side of the story. You will dislike your friend or partner more because of the need to keep up the narrative you have started. The people you told your story will unlikely meet your friend. However, within them, an opinion has been formed. The fabric of the community has been distorted on the altar of slander. Silent judgment has been passed while you feel good because the pressure has shifted from you to another.

That is what destroys families, homes, and relationships because we expose ourselves for the purpose of judgment and character assassination. That is the number one nature of the devil, distorting harmony!

On the other hand, God, in the Old Testament found a way to cover sins to suspend judgment. Love covers a multitude of sins. Adam could not have said “God, please forgive me, I was put in charge of the garden; I messed up. I should have stopped Eve from eating the fruit, and I should not have eaten it. However, since we are here, let me take the punishment for Eve and the serpent, let them go, punish me instead” because he now has a new nature. What he could not have said was the nature of God, which is love, covering wrongs and forgiveness. At that point, it was clear that a new spirit had taken over Adam and Eve; they did not have the nature of God (Love) again. The nature of God is love. Love covers, shields, encourages, seeks reconciliation and unity.

How often have we slandered a person to justify our actions? We fill our hearts with hate towards another, and even when we try to speak well of them, it is with a tint of sarcasm, full of innuendos and ambiguous statements with room for multiple interpretations. Deception! We take advantage of the itchy ears and ignorance of people shielding so that we can continue to pour out our false narrative while we assassinate characters.

This happens when people struggle for favours, promotion, wanting to fit in or to create excitement. We cover it all up with a smile and sometimes kisses of betrayal like Judas while deep inside our hearts lies sinister plots.  Some might argue I never do that for favours, but do you do that to make someone else feel inferior to you? Something as simple as a chore falling through the cracks, when the story is being narrated, what will be said is, “That is how he/she is always allowing things to fall through and never taking responsibility”. What that sentence has done is to distort the image and value of that person. If such a person has low self-esteem, the person will be held in the bondage of trying to make up for eroded value – a feat that cannot be achieved. That person will forever be in bondage, except through external intervention.

The end game of the slanderous act is to keep people in bondage, diminish value and never allow them to blossom into their true selves. One cannot be a slanderous person and have a positive self-image. Nobody trusts a slanderous person because they have no allegiance to anyone except themselves. They are never consistent in their devotion to anyone unless it puts them in the spotlight. Is that not why the devil wanted to be like God? I wonder what he told 1/3 of the angels in heaven to convince them to rebel against God. He must have turned their hearts against God by the same act of slander. These fallen angels are in eternal bondage and have been trapped by his words.

Beware of anyone who talks ill of someone else without taking responsibility for their role and not seeking peace. If the conversation about a 3rd party is not to learn a valuable lesson in love or the conversation leaves another looking bad, state clearly that it is not right, and find a way to expose the flaws of the person reporting and advise on ways to mend the relationship, seeking peace. Never take sides, no matter who it is.

When next you speak, ask yourself, am I playing the devil’s advocate?