Dealing with Personal Attacks
Psalm 7:1
"O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:"
If you ever get heavily involved in the work of the LORD, you will have to deal with personal attacks. Personal attacks are never pleasant to go through, but they are a great way for God to reveal your weaknesses to you. I can testify from personal experience that personal attacks can make you a stronger Christian if you deal with them properly.
This psalm comes from a time in David's life when he was attacked by a man named Cush. We don't know what this man did, but we know from the title of this psalm that Cush attacked David with words. David was not a novice when it came to personal attacks. Saul attacked David without a cause. In fact, David had many personal enemies for no reason at all. Yet, he dealt with the personal attacks in a proper manner. This psalm shows us how he dealt with personal attacks.
First, when personal attacks come your way, you must trust in God. The verse above shows us that David immediately put his trust in the LORD. Most people want to trust man to be their defense when they need to put their trust in God. God is the only One Who can deal with your situation and help both sides. When you need to dump on someone when under personal attack, God is the One on Whom you should unload. God knows what you face, and He can help you through your situation.
Second, ask God to reveal where you have done wrong when you are under personal attack. Sometimes there may be something that you have done that has caused this attack. At other times there is something that God needs to change in you that the personal attack can reveal. I have learned my weaknesses more when I'm under personal attack than I have in any other time in life. The pressure of the situation revealed my weaknesses to me, and the pressure of the situation will reveal your weaknesses to you. Ask God to show you what you need to change when you are under personal attack.
Third, let God deal with those who are attacking you. Christian, God can deal with them better than you can. Retaliation may seem to be gratifying, but it will only cause the situation to get worse. When God deals with those who are attacking you, then He will vindicate you. Don't lower yourself to the level of those who have attacked you. Let God deal with them so that you can go to bed at night with a clear conscience.
Fourth, don't be afraid to ask God to end the attack. In verse 9 David said, "Oh let the wickedness come to an end;..." God can end the attacks if you ask Him. When you try to end them, you will act in the flesh; therefore, you must let God determine when's the best time to end the attack.
Finally, let me warn you not to become involved in personal attacks. Oftentimes you can get caught between two people whom you love, and if you're not careful you will take sides. Let me caution you to stay out of the attack business. There are plenty of other things you can do than to get involved in personal attacks. You may get involved and one day find out you are on the wrong side.
Personal attacks are a part of life. Unfortunately, they are also a part of the Christian life. Deal with them properly, and you will find yourself a better Christian for them. The ultimate goal of anything that you go through is to become a better Christian. Let God make you a better Christian because of your personal attacks.