There are many preachers who will take our crown if we let them. Do you remember how the old prophet lied to the young prophet, resulting in the death of the young prophet?

We always are to venerate our parents in the Lord, and also our natural parents and family. But the Lord Jesus brings a sword. There are times when we have to hold onto what God has given us in spite of what anyone says. If we do not, someone may succeed in taking our crown without realizing what he or she is doing.

Many active "Christians" have never died to their adamic personality, it appears. They are imitators, just as Absalom desired to imitate the Divine appointment of King David; as Korah desired to imitate the Divine appointment of Moses and Aaron. They are religious people acting in the flesh. They profess faith in the blood atonement. They may have spoken in tongues, prophesied, and performed mighty works in the name of the Lord Jesus. They are stars. They, like their father, Satan, desire to be preeminent in the Kingdom of God.

But Christ does not know them because their first personality is still alive. They are religious people, the deadliest enemy of Christ and God. Satan is in them and because of their envy they will seek to kill the true people of the Lord, those whom God has called.

They are the members of the synagogue of Satan. They refer to themselves as Jews, that is, as God's people. To all appearances, and in their own eyes, they are of the elect. But they are of Satan.

How can you tell when seeming Christians are of Satan? You can recognize them because they slander and accuse the true saints, just as Satan, their master does.

Whenever you hear someone slandering a Christian you know Satan is in that person.

The Pharisees who accused Jesus were of the accuser, Satan.

Such self-filled believers, and there are millions of them, will tear down the true saint from the right hand of God if they can. They are envious of God's people because they can see God is with them. The Satan-filled look for the faults of the Lord's sheep, and when they find them they publish them. They slander and gossip.

Satan hopes the elect will respond with anger, will fight back. If the saints do respond with anger they give Satan opportunity to accuse them before the Lord. Those who attempt to defend themselves against their accusers place in jeopardy their own position at the right hand of God.

If we will commit our way to the Lord, making sure we are pleasing Him, and ignore the synagogue of Satan, God will bring forth our righteousness as the light and our judgment as the noonday. Jesus did not respond to His accusers. He trusted in God to vindicate Him.

To be continued.