Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:3-4, NKJV

Have you ever been falsely accused? I believe this may be one of the most difficult trials a person can face. In my experience, most of my trials are self-inflicted. I can often trace at least partial causation of many challenges I experience back to my own mistakes, weaknesses…and, in fact, sin.

But we know from Scripture (and our own experience) that trials arise from at least two other places: the fallen world we live in (Eph 2:2) and our spiritual enemy who seeks to “sift us like wheat” (Luke 22:31). Sometimes that sifting comes in the form of a false accusation that can cost us dearly.

Here at Christian Educators, unfortunately, we serve members facing allegations of wrongdoing fairly often. Sadly, sometimes the allegations are true. Other times we never really know. But many times, it becomes clear that the allegations are false. As an educator, you know that many students will falsely accuse their teacher, administrator, coach, or counselor out of fear or anger.

Where I live in California, as you certainly know (we’re kind of famous for them), we experience regular earthquakes. I find that false accusations are a lot like earthquakes. You don’t see them coming. You can’t prevent them. You certainly can’t control them. And they are deeply unsettling. It’s hard to explain how unnerving it is to have the earth move under your feet—something that is supposed to be the very definition of stable, secure, and solid is now trying to kill you. Earthquakes can have lingering emotional effects on us as a result. Likewise, false accusations cut deeply across our sense of justice and fairness. We are seen by others as guilty when we are not, bearing unjust stigma and shame. We may lose friends, jobs, and reputations all on the word of an accuser who gave in to darkness in a moment of temptation.

I was captivated by a story about a falsely accused pastor named Ganesh that I read recently in the book Lead with Prayer by Skoog, Greer, and Doolittle. Ganesh is an extraordinary church planter and rescuer of trafficked girls in Nepal. His work in several cities has been so effective that brothels have shut down and many of his rescued girls have become church planters themselves.

However, a leader who was jealous of Ganesh’s success paid a few girls to accuse him of abuse. As a result, donations dried up and his name was in the national news as an abuser. Due to this and other stresses, Ganesh began having heart problems. So he played the only string he had—prayer.

Ganesh followed Jesus’ example and went to a mountain to pray for a couple days. In these focused, intense days of prayer, God gave Ganesh something he calls “defiant joy.” It seems impossible to have joy in a moment like the one Ganesh experienced, but he had such assurance of God’s provision and redemption that he felt defiant joy well up in his soul. “Joy,” Ganesh says with a spark in his eyes, “is the Christian’s act of defiance in the face of tough times” (p. 75).

As a result of the subsequent investigation, the girls confessed to being paid to make the false accusations, the jealous leader wrote a public apology, and Ganesh’s name was cleared in the media. He was even given an award for his service. The news coverage led to greater public awareness of his work, and as a result “the government granted land rights to a low caste for the first time in 300 years.” This experience was a turning point for Ganesh—he now goes to that same mountain for a day of prayer every month.

Wow. When God does victory, He really does it. But notice that the first victory came in Ganesh’s heart as he surrendered to God and emerged with defiant joy. Let’s pray that we can emerge with defiant joy in the Lord when faced with the attempts of our enemy to sift us like wheat.

Lord, You say that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10). Fill us to overflow with defiant joy when the enemy seeks our destruction, as we surrender to You. We trust You to bring Your victory, in Your timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Copyright David Schmus.

David is the Executive Director of Christian Educators.