How to Handle Being Falsely Accused

Andrew Brunson had spent 23 years quietly pastoring

a small church in Turkey when the police came for him. He and

his wife Noreen had built a life there, a little congregation

near the Aegean Sea and years of helping refugees who'd fled the

war in Syria. Then, in the crackdown that followed a failed

coup, Andrew was arrested and charged with terrorism and

espionage. The government said was tied to armed groups and

working against the country. There was no evidence for any of

it, not one email or recording, but the charges carried a

possible sentence of 35 years, which for a man in his fifties

meant the rest of his life. He was put in a cell built for

eight men that held more than 20. He lost 50 pounds. And here's

what he owned up to later. He didn't handle it well. He'd

assumed his faith would hold him steady and instead, he fell

apart. He couldn't sleep and he started to wonder whether God

was even there. For a while, he felt abandoned by the God he'd

given his life to serve. Two years went by like Then came a

hearing that could decide everything. One by one, people

Andrew had known. Some people from his own church stood up and

testified against him, repeating accusations they couldn't back

up. Andrew sat there and listened to it. And when they

finished, the judge turned to him and asked if he anything he

wanted to say to the people who had just lied about him. Bill

has said, but But

first, welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm

Bart Leger. If you've been accused of something you didn't

do, and you're chomping at the bit to set the record straight,

I want to show you a better way through it. I've prayed with

people who were falsely accused of something serious, and I've

watched them wrestle with the same question every time,

whether to fight it or let it go. Here's what I've learned from

them. Sometimes it's wise to defend yourself, and you should.

But often, defending yourself doesn't help and can pour fuel

on the fire, making you look guiltier to people who've

already made up their Here's why this one hurts so much. When

you're accused of something you did do, at least the guilt gives

you somewhere to put the pain. But a false accusation is

different. You know the truth, and you can't make anyone else

see it. Your whole body wants to fix it. To lay out the proof

until everyone sees what happened. Sometimes you can, and

sometimes the accusation sticks, no matter what you say. The

story takes on a life of its own, and you're left holding a truth

no one will accept. David knew that place. He wrote Psalm 7

while being hunted by someone spreading a lie that could get

him killed. Listen to Psalm 7, verses 1-5. I come to you for

protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors. Rescue

me. If you don't, they will maul me like a lion, tearing me to

pieces with no one to rescue me. O Lord my God, if I have done

wrong or am guilty of injustice, if I have betrayed a friend or

plundered my enemy without cause, then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the

dust. Look at the two things David does. Because together,

they're the way through. First, he runs to God as his refuge.

Save me. Protect me, he prays, instead of grabbing a sword and

clearing his own name by force. Second, he asks God to be his

judge. And I believe he means it both ways. He opens himself to

God. God, if I did do the thing they're saying, then let them

have me. He's so willing to have God as judge that he'll accept

the verdict even against himself. When you say, God, you be the

judge of this and of me. You stop having to control what

everyone thinks, and you come clean before the only judge

whose ruling finally matters. The accusation may still stick

with people, but your vindication was never theirs to

give. It's God's. Here's the balance. Sometimes, you should

defend yourself. If a word of truth can clear things up, then

speak it. But be careful. Because there's a point where it

stops being about the truth and starts being about your pride.

And past that point, you're just feeding the fire. Andrew Brunson

reached that point in a courtroom. Andrew looked at the

people who had testified against him and said that his faith had

taught him to forgive. So he forgave them. He had one chance

to speak, and he used it to forgive rather than fight. Then

he handed the whole thing to God. Months later, at his final

hearing, Andrew packed two bags. One in case they let him go home,

and one in case they sent him back to prison. The court found

him guilty, and in the same breath, released him for time

served. He flew home to the United States a free man. The

wounds hurt him deeply, and yet he chose forgiveness anyway.

Here's today's challenge. Bring the accusation to God the way

David did. Allow it if you can. Tell him the truth, and then

hand him the verdict. God, you be the judge of this, and you be

the judge of me. Ask him to search you. And if there's

anything to own, then own it. Then let go of the outcome you

can't control. And if you can get there, forgive the people

who accused you the way Brunson did, whether or not they admit

they were wrong, to keep the accusation from turning you

bitter. Father, you know the ones listening who are living

under an accusation that isn't true, unable to make anyone

believe them. Thank you that you are both their refuge and their

judge, that they can run to you and trust your verdict. Free

them from the exhausting job of controlling what everyone thinks.

Give them wisdom to know when to speak and when to say nothing,

and the grace to forgive the ones who lied about them. Be

their vindication in your time and your way. In Jesus' name,

amen. If Daily Devotions for Busy Lives has been an

encouragement to you, would you take a minute and leave a rating

and review? It helps more people find these devotions, and it

only takes a moment. I'd be so grateful. Thanks for joining me

on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, when you can't

clear your name, you can still hand the whole thing to God.

your refuge and your judge, and let Him keep your soul intact.

Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live

grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great

day.