One of the hardest things to understand is being talked about while you are trying to do right.
It would make sense if slander only came when a person was living recklessly, hurting people, or walking in open rebellion. But in “Slander Part 4 | Holiness Cannot Protect You From Slander,” Bishop Omar Thibeaux teaches a sobering truth: holiness does not exempt you from slander. Goodness does not exempt you from slander. Trying to live right does not mean everyone will tell the truth about you.
Sometimes, the closer a person gets to God, the more of a threat they become to the kingdom of darkness.
This sermon continues the series “Slander | The Sin of Character Assassination” and returns to Jasher 31:52–64, where Laban sends a distorted report to Esau about Jacob. Laban tells the story in a way that makes Jacob look wicked and makes himself look innocent. He claims that Jacob came to him with nothing, that he made Jacob great, that Jacob left secretly, kidnapped his daughters, stole his goods, and fled with wealth.
Bishop points out that Laban left out his own deception, manipulation, and jealousy. He also left out the fact that God was the one who blessed Jacob.
The Danger of a Distorted Report
That is the danger of slander. It often sounds believable because it may contain fragments of a story, but those fragments are arranged in a way that damages someone’s name.
When Esau heard Laban’s report, his anger was kindled again. The text says he remembered his hatred. In other words, the hatred had settled, but slander brought it back to life.
This is why Bishop reminds the church that slander is not harmless conversation. It can take a person who was at peace and make them burn with anger again. One distorted report can reopen a wound, restart an old conflict, and shift the way someone sees another person.
Slander is not just speech. It is influence.
Holiness Does Not Stop People From Talking
The message then moves into the main lesson: holiness cannot protect you from slander.
That truth is difficult because many believers assume that if they do their best to walk uprightly, people will recognize their heart. Scripture shows us that this is not always the case.
Yahshua Jesus came eating and drinking, and people accused Him of being a glutton, a winebibber, and a friend of sinners. John the Baptist came with the opposite lifestyle, fasting and living in deep separation, and people still said he had a devil.
The issue was not really Jesus’ eating and drinking. It was not really John’s fasting. The problem was the heart of the people speaking.
Some people are going to talk no matter what you do.
If you are quiet, they will talk. Once you speak, they may still talk. When you are generous, they may question your motive. After you set boundaries, they may call you proud. While you serve, they may criticize how you serve. The point Bishop makes is clear: holiness itself is no shield from slander.
When Doing Right Brings More Attack
This can be especially confusing for new believers or people who are newly committed to walking with God. Bishop describes how strange it can feel to be talked about more after getting serious with God than when you were living in sin.
A person may say, “I stopped doing what I used to do. I am trying to live right. I am praying. I am serving. I am loving people. Why am I being talked about more now?”
In the natural, that may not make sense. Spiritually, it does.
Before a person becomes a threat to the enemy’s kingdom, the enemy may not fight them the same way. But once someone begins walking with God, praying, witnessing, serving, loving, giving, bringing family to truth, and tearing down the devil’s influence, the attack can intensify.
Bishop compares it to sports. When a player is dangerous enough to change the game, the other team draws up a plan to stop them. They double-team that player because they respect the threat.
In the same way, when the enemy sees a believer becoming dangerous to his kingdom, slander may become one of the strategies used to slow them down.
Do Not Let Every Comment Stick
The message is not only about the pain of being talked about. It is also about learning how to process the attack correctly.
Bishop warns that if we let every comment stick, we become wounded. We cannot run like we used to. We cannot fly like we used to. Momentum is lost because we are carrying the weight of what people said.
So the instruction is simple but powerful: let it roll off.
That does not mean slander does not hurt. False accusations are not easy to endure. Still, believers cannot afford to let every lie attach itself to the heart. Some things have to roll off like water. Certain accusations must be released to God. Other reports have to be answered by time, fruit, and faithfulness.
Serve God, Not People’s Opinions
Bishop shares from his own life and ministry, explaining how painful it can be to try to serve people and still be talked about. He did not set out wanting to be a pastor. His desire was to become a lawyer, and he even struggled with the calling when it first appeared in his spiritual gifts.
Then God gave him a vision about fishing for the souls of men. That vision changed the weight of his assignment.
This part of the sermon brings the message back to purpose. If a person is doing what they do for people, slander can make them quit. However, when the work is truly being done for God, a believer can keep serving even when people misunderstand, criticize, or lie.
The souls of men matter more than public approval.
Let Time Pass
One of the most encouraging reminders in the sermon is that time reveals truth.
Bishop references the quote that slanderers are not long-lived and that truth is the child of time. False reports may speak loudly at first, but truth has a way of showing up. It may not happen immediately. The timing may not be what we would choose. Yet eventually, what is real begins to appear.
Bishop connects that to Philadelphia’s own story. When the church began teaching the truth about who we are as Hebrews, people talked. Some said the church was over. Others said Bishop had lost it. Many believed the ministry would die.
But time passed.
Instead of dying, Philadelphia expanded. Dallas came. Atlanta came. Houston came. Detroit came. San Francisco came. More began to open. What people said was the end was not the end at all.
That is a word for anyone who has been lied on.
Buy a watch and let time pass.
Rejoice When God Is Still With You
Yahshua taught a different response to slander than the world teaches. In Matthew 5:11–12, He says blessed are those who are reviled, persecuted, and falsely spoken against for His sake. His instruction is not to become bitter. He does not tell believers to clap back at every accusation. Instead, He says to rejoice and be exceedingly glad because great is the reward in heaven.
That does not mean believers should never confront anything. Wisdom may require correction, boundaries, or direct conversation at times. Even then, the heart posture must remain clean.
Slander should never pull us into the same spirit as the person speaking it.
Joseph Was Slandered Into Position
Bishop then walks through biblical examples that show how God can use even slander in the path of purpose.
Joseph was slandered by Potiphar’s wife. She wanted something from him that he refused to give. When he would not sin against God, she accused him falsely, and Joseph ended up in prison.
On the surface, it looked like slander had ruined him. In reality, prison placed Joseph near the butler and the baker, which eventually connected him to Pharaoh. The lie that sent Joseph down became part of the road that brought him up.
That is how God works. He can take what was meant to bury someone and use it to position them.
David Was Attacked Because of the Anointing
David was also slandered and attacked because of the anointing on his life. Saul could not handle what God had placed in David. Instead of recognizing that David’s gift could strengthen the kingdom, Saul became jealous and insecure.
This example speaks to both sides of the issue. If someone slanders you because of the gift in you, stay humble and keep moving. At the same time, when God places someone near you who is gifted, do not become Saul. Do not compete with what you should be learning from. Never attack what God may have placed in your life to help you grow.
Sometimes God places greatness near us so we can learn how to carry greatness within us.
Haman’s Slander Could Not Stop God’s Plan
The sermon also points to Haman, who slandered an entire people because he was angry at Mordecai. Bishop uses this to speak about prejudice, racism, and the sin of judging a whole people because of one person.
Haman tried to destroy the Hebrews through slander, but God already had Esther in position. The very gallows meant for God’s people became the place of Haman’s judgment.
Once again, the message is clear: slander does not get the final word.
God does.
Keep Your Mouth Clean Too
This sermon is not only for people who have been slandered. It is also for anyone who has participated in slander.
Bishop repeatedly calls the church to examine both sides. We need thicker skin when people talk about us, but we also need self-control so we do not become the ones talking about others.
Slander is still sin. It still breaks the commandment against bearing false witness. It still damages relationships. It still divides the body.
Being wounded does not give us permission to wound others with our words.
Love Requires Discernment
The message becomes especially practical when Bishop talks about relationships. Sometimes the people who talk about you are people you helped, loved, served, or gave to. That can be some of the deepest pain.
Bishop explains that this can happen for different reasons. At times, the devil is working in the details. In other moments, the issue is simply that all of us are still flawed. There are also times when we give our hearts to the wrong people, or when people do not know how to receive love, help, or generosity correctly.
That part of the sermon is deeply pastoral. It helps people understand that love still requires discernment. Giving still requires wisdom. Being good to people does not mean everyone will receive it with the right heart.
Some people feel indebted, become uncomfortable under someone’s goodness, and eventually turn against the person who helped them. That is why we need God to guide not only how we speak, but also how we give, how we receive, and how we discern relationships.
God Can Protect Your Heart Through It
At its heart, “Slander Part 4 | Holiness Cannot Protect You From Slander” is a message about endurance, maturity, discernment, and trust.
Believers should not be shocked when slander comes. A wounded heart must learn not to let every lie stick. The church must not become a house where people tear one another down. Called people must keep serving God even when others misunderstand the assignment.
If they talked about Yahshua, they may talk about us.
But if God is for us, slander cannot stop us.
Let them talk, but do not let them turn you bitter. Let them lie, but do not let them make you quit. Let them misunderstand, but do not let them pull you out of character. Let time pass. Let truth appear. Let God vindicate.
Holiness may not protect you from slander, but God can protect your heart through it.
And in the end, truth will stand.
