“Reputation-Murder” is the literal translation of the German word Rufmord. In German, the word gives a powerful picture of the intentional destruction of a name, the slanderous accusations with the intent to kill a person’s honor. Rufmord happens more often than you think, and when it does, the person’s integrity is difficult (if not impossible) to recover. His good name and character may never be completely cleared in public.

Beware! Rufmord is precisely what the enemy of the soul dishes out to the believer. The Bible calls him “the accuser of the brethren”. He hauls accusations about us to the throne of God, makes loved ones slander one another, and what’s more, he whispers these lies to our own hearts, deep into the farthest places of our soul. Eventually, we believe the lies and forget to trade them for God’s Words and our identity in Christ. We question our worth, doubt our calling, and may even slowly quench the Spirit. The hot fire that once was shut up in our bones is now less than a smoldering wick and we may be in grave danger of losing our zeal completely. This ought not to be, dear brothers and sisters. The good news is that the Lord gave us weapons in this war against our very identity. Two of these weapons are the Word of God and the fear of the LORD

We must have God’s truth planted deep within in us, read His Word daily, immerse ourselves in the pages of Scriptures and the Good News that Christ has covered us. We have to bathe in the stories of all those who have been accused by the enemy (and often by their actions) and were acquitted by God.

We think too highly of ourselves. Our own estimation of us makes for an easy target; it’s easily changed and taken down. Our defense is in our greatest fear, our fear of God. It’s only this fear which swallows up all other fears. The greater our awe and fear of Him who made us – the One who made the stars and created all things for Himself, the I AM, the One who died for us and acquitted us in the highest court – the more we grow in humility and love. Love, humility, and the fear of God are the fibers of the shield which provides us the protection, even from the fiery darts of Rufmord.

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
–Matthew 10:28

^{(Heidi Viars, February 2024)}