Stop Talking About Other People

July 8, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.  

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. (James 4:11) 

There are three Greek words that dominate this verse.

First, there is katalaleo. This word appears five times in the whole New Testament, with three of those used in this verse alone!

This verse in the NIV uses the words “slander” and “speaks against.” Other translations render these same words:

  • criticize (NLT) 
  • accuse (AMPC) 
  • malign (AMPC) 
  • speak evil (NKJV) 
  • bad mouth (MSG) 

Literally translated katalaleo means “to talk down.” The word is only used in this verse and in 1 Peter 2:12 and 3:16, where worldlings are speaking against Christians. Paul uses the root word once in Romans 1:30, also to describe evil people as “backbiters.” 

This word is never used in a complementary way, whether talking about those calling themselves Christians or not. 

The second word is adelphos. This word is translated “brothers and sisters” three times in just this one verse. How sad that James has to put “slander” alongside “saints” when writing to the church! 

The third word is krinos or krino. This word for judge or judgment is used four times in this single verse. It means to sit in an elevated or authoritative position to make rulings or determinations about others. 

James says if we judge people, we are really judging the law; thereby, we judge the “only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy” (v. 12). 

His most convicting words are probably this: “When you judge the law, you are not keeping it.” 

The Bible has much to say to those who talk about others, and none of it is good. 

Talking about others…

(1) …Breaks the Mosaic law. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16). 

(2) …Violates the Golden Rule. So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12). 

(3) …Doesn’t honor the Great Commandment. One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31). 

(4) …Subjects me to judgment. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:1-2). 

(5) …Makes me a lawbreaker. If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For He who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker (James 2:8-11). 

The bottom line:

🛑 STOP TALKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE!! 🛑

You may also want to check out a couple of related posts:

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Links & Quotes

December 20, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

When people start throwing mud at you, your natural response is to throw the mud back at them or to run away so the mud can’t reach you. Instead of the natural fight-or-flight response, Jesus shows us a supernatural response. I talk about all sorts of attacks—gossip, slander, betrayal, and more—in my book When Sheep Bite as well as the supernatural, biblical response to these attacks.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“The minute you start talking about what you’re going to do if you lose, you have lost.” —George Schultz 

“A decent picture of good leadership: Air-traffic controllers have authority, but they use their authority to enable others to fly.” This is a thoughtful post, but as frequent visitors to my blog might expect, I prefer the term shepherd leader over servant leader.

This post recounts some of the stories people told of how Charles Spurgeon’s sermons led them from the bad news to the Good News. Spurgeon himself noted, “If you really long to save men’s souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth. The preaching of the wrath of God has come to be sneered at nowadays, and even good people are half-ashamed of it; a maudlin sentimentality about love and goodness has hushed, in great measure, plain gospel expostulations and warnings. But, if we expect souls to be saved, we must declare unflinchingly with all affectionate fidelity, the terrors of the Lord.”

“Men have not got tired of Christianity; they have never found enough Christianity to get tired of.” —G.K Chesterton 

“Advancing the Kingdom economy is not exactly a cakewalk. It’s hard work, like running a marathon, going to war against spiritual adversaries, cultivating a field, or embarking on a long and arduous journey. We may expect to encounter many obstacles and challenges along the way as we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. … We must neither run from these challenges nor give in to them. Instead, advancing the Kingdom economy requires that we face evil head-on, and determine to overcome it by good works of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17-19).” Check out the rest of T.M. Moore’s post Overcoming Evil.

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Unexpected Faithfulness

June 30, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Imagine you just preached a sermon that was so Holy Spirit-anointed that crowds of people turned to Jesus. This kind of activity made a big stir in town, and some supposedly religious people became quite jealous of the fruit of your ministry. In their jealousy, they begin slandering you to others in town, causing a huge backlash against your ministry. 

How would you respond? Would you give those jealous slanderers a piece of your mind? Would you give them some of their own medicine? Would you leave town?

The scenario I described isn’t make believe; it actually happened to Paul and Barnabas in the city of Iconium (Acts 14:1-2). In the very next verse, Luke describes Paul and Barnabas’ response: some biblical translations use the word “so” and some use the word “therefore” to indicate the natural connection—

“So Paul and Barnabas stayed on there for a long time, speaking freely and fearlessly and boldly in the Lord” (v. 3). 

They didn’t fight their slanderers nor did they flee from Iconium; they remained faithful to the task to which God had called them! 

Fighting and fleeing are natural responses. 

Faithfulness, however, is a supernatural response. 

God honored the faithfulness of Paul and Barnabas by demonstrating His own supernatural power through them: “[God] continued to bear testimony to the Word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be performed by their hands” (v. 3b). 

The scenario I described isn’t just something from long ago history, but it was a scene from my personal history too. In the Introduction of my book When Sheep Bite I wrote—

   I cannot pinpoint exactly what triggered their outburst or when their attacks started, but it seemed like almost overnight their teeth were bared. I was completely taken aback! I had assumed that seeing the new life and vitality in this pasture would be celebrated. When the exact opposite happened, I must admit that my knee-jerk reactions probably weren’t very Christlike. … 

     This was something I never imagined. I never saw anything like this in my home, nor had I experienced anything like this in my associate pastor’s role. In fact, even in the business world I had never seen people behave this egregiously. 

In the final chapter of my book I shared this thought, “Yes, fight-or-flight is our natural response, but with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can respond in supernatural faithfulness. We don’t have to sit unmoving and unfeeling, but we can continue to serve even biting sheep until God removes us or them.” 

This whole idea of supernatural faithfulness to God’s calling versus giving in to the natural reactions of fight-or-flight is why I wrote this book. Once again, let me take you back to an excerpt from the Introduction—

     Would I ever want to relive this experience? No way! But there were lessons I learned during this walk through hell that I could have learned in no other way. It is those lessons that I hope to be able to unpack for you, my shepherding friends, in this book. … I would say to you something that C.S. Lewis wrote, “Think of me as a fellow-patient in the same hospital who, having been admitted a little earlier, could give some advice.” 

When you are under attack, I know it seems like you are alone, but you are not. Don’t give in to fight-or-flight, but ask God to supernaturally empower you to remain faithful. I believe When Sheep Bite can be a huge assistance to you as well. Please pick up a copy and reach out to me if I can be of assistance to you. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Slander Don’ts And Dos

June 27, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

David describes slanderers like this: “They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips” (Psalm 140:3). 

I’m sure you have experienced the poisonous, stinging bites of a slanderer’s fangs, just as David did. 

Instead of lashing out, David prays:

Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet. … May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent. I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. (Psalm 140:4, 11-12) 

Notice what David doesn’t do and does do:

🚫 He doesn’t respond to the evil people that have spewed slander at him. 

✅ He does ask God to deal with those gossips and slanderers.

Let’s follow his example. When the attacks come your way, let God respond to those people, and let us follow the example of another prayer of David: “Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed” (Psalm 57:1). 

Gossip and slander are two of the painful bites I discuss in my book When Sheep Bite. And you may also be interested in a series of sermons I shared called When Sheep Bite Sheep. 

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Praying Against Or For Slanderers

April 17, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Quite a few psalms in the Bible are prayers against our attackers. Is that an acceptable prayer for us to still pray today? 

The Scriptures I reference in this clip are Psalm 58:6-8; Luke 23:34; Luke 6:28. 

Imprecatory prayers are, “Get ’em, God!” prayers. Intercessory prayers are, “Bless ’em, God!” prayers. 

Since both of these prayers are in the Bible, both of them have their place in our healing from the bites we have received from others, but the intercessory prayers are the ones we need to strive to pray. 

You can read more about this kind of praying in my posts: Still Maturing, Trespassers, and When You’re Unfairly Attacked. 

The full sermon about dealing with slanderers is here, and you can also go much deeper with this subject in my book When Sheep Bite. 

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The Malicious Attack

March 31, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.  

You may have noticed that the intensity of the pain of these sheep bites has been escalating—from flattery, to criticism, to gossip. Now we come to probably the most painful of bites: slander. This is the bite that will have the strongest pull toward the natural response, which will require our greatest reliance on the Holy Spirit to respond supernaturally. 

Remember that gossip has a veneer of truth on it; slander has no truth at all. They are outright lies. They are flimsy lies. They are malicious lies. One of the Hebrew words translated slander means scandal-monger: someone who trades in lies (Jeremiah 6:28 NLT; Leviticus 19:16).

(Check out all of the biblical references in this post by clicking here.) 

The natural response to slander is, “I have to respond to them!” The supernatural response to slander is, “I have to yield to God!” 

The natural response, however, is fueled by my wounded pride. On the other hand, the supernatural response is fueled by humility toward God. 

Slanderers are arrogant people too (remember Jeremiah said “they are as hard as bronze and iron” [Jeremiah 6:28]). God’s people are learning to humble themselves to wait for God (Psalm 38:12-15). These humble people are the ones who get God’s help, and not His laughter (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34 NLT). 

Look at how Jesus dealt with the very natural urge to respond to those who slandered Him. After Jesus was arrested by the temple guards, He was hauled before one group after another and each time the slanderous lies were spitefully spit at Him. In front of the Sanhedrin, before Roman governor Pontius Pilate, and in the throne room of King Herod Antipas, angry men unleashed their venomous claims—none of which were true.  

There are two common themes we can notice in all of these settings.

  1. The lies were seen for what they were: complete fabrications without any truth behind them—Mark 14:55. Governor Pilate said “I find no basis for a charge against Him” (Luke 23:4), and he added, “Herod came to the same conclusion and sent Him back to us” (v. 15). 
  2. The silence of Jesus: “Jesus remained silent and gave no answer” (Matthew 27:13-14; Mark 14:61, 15:5). The only red letters in this interaction with both the Sanhedrin and Pilate are when Jesus is asked a direct question. Jesus quickly answers the questions, “Are You the Messiah,” “Are You a King,” and “Don’t You know the power I have?” (Mark 14:61, 15:2; John 19:10), but He never responds to the slander. 

Let me repeat: Our supernatural response can only come from yielding to the Holy Spirit’s influence. 

  1. We cannot treat slanderers as anything less than people created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 15:1, 3). 
  1. We must take our pain into God’s presence. This is what Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21-23). We can help ourselves by praying imprecatory prayers. These are words for God’s ears only (Jude 1:9; Psalm 58:6-8). 
  1. We have to learn to pray for our slanderers. We have to mature from praying against them to praying for them. Look at how Jesus interceded for His slanderers (Luke 23:34), which He calls us to as well (Luke 6:28). 
  1. We have to live as overcomers. We overcome by NOT responding to slander in the natural way (Romans 12:21). But we allow our supernatural response to be used as a powerful testimony (2 Corinthians 6:3-10; Colossians 3:1-2, 8, 12-14). 

We can do this—the Holy Spirit is empowering us to do this. Let’s not get down in the mud with those who slander us, but let’s yield to God and allow Him to handle this painful situation far better than we ever could. 

If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series, you can find them all here. And if you are a pastor, please check out my book When Sheep Bite, which will help you both respond to sheep bites and teach others how to respond as well. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Faithful Service

December 10, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I couldn’t say it any better than the apostle Paul said it—

   We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. 

   We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. 

   We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. (2 Corinthians 6:3-10 NLT) 

A mark of a godly leader is one who faithfully serves God whether people treat him well or not.

We don’t minister faithfully so we can receive human applause, because cheers can quickly turn to jeers. Just ask Jesus who heard everyone speaking well of Him in one moment, and then in the next moment saw that same group ready to throw Him off a cliff. 

Instead, we minister faithfully so that we can hear applause from nail-scarred Hands, and hear His voice saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” 

In my book Shepherd Leadership, I talk about these metrics of success. And in my book When Sheep Bite, I talk about how we can respond to the slanders and slings that come our way.

This is part 80 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.

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Secondhand Problems

September 27, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Peter shared the gospel with a group of Gentiles at Cornelius’ house, and not only did they receive Jesus as their Savior, but they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit as well. 

A group of Jews approached Peter and were angry with him because of a secondhand report they heard. To their credit, they listened respectfully to Peter’s full account of what happened and ended up changing their minds after they heard the firsthand story. 

But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence…. When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:4, 18) 

There’s a wonderful lesson here for all of us to apply: Verify secondhand reports. 

I unpack this more in my book When Sheep Bite in discussing gossip and slander.

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Honoring Friends And “Enemies”

August 27, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, and in their deaths they were not separated; they were swifter than eagles, they were mightier than lions. Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with jewelry, who put gold jewelry on your apparel. How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slaughtered on your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been a close friend to me. Your love for me was more wonderful than the love of women. How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished! (2 Samuel 1:23-27)

It’s not surprising that David honored his friend Jonathan in song after his death. But it is surprising that Jonathan remained faithfully at his father’s side, fulfilling his duties as a son and a prince of Israel, although he did not agree with his father’s treatment of David. 

In Jonathan we see the obedience to the fifth commandment: Honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12). 

And it is also surprising that David says nothing bad about Saul in this song of lament, but only praises him for his valiant victories as Israel’s king. 

In David we see a true picture of forgiveness—where a forgiven transgression is a forgotten transgression, no longer held by David against his tormentor. Later in his life, David would write about the mind-blowing truth that God obliterates the record of our forgiven sins, never bringing them up again (Psalm 103:10-12)! 

Is it any wonder that David and Jonathan became and remained such close friends? From the moment Jonathan first heard David speaking about his trust in God, they became “one in spirit” and forged a covenant friendship that lasted even beyond Jonathan’s life (1 Samuel 18:1-4). 

May we learn from these two God-fearing, faithful friends what it really means to honor others, whether we call them friends or others might call them “enemies.” 

You may also be interested in a related blog post: How to pray when you’ve been stabbed in the back. 

In my book When Sheep Bite I have a chapter called “When the sheep slander you.” In that chapter, I dive deeper into the lesson leaders can learn from how David treated Saul both during his life and after his death. 

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Pray For Them?!

June 11, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

How exactly should we pray for those who have so badly mistreated us? There’s a natural response, and then there’s a supernatural response that Jesus calls us to.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

In chapter 14 of When Sheep Bite I wrote—

      In the New Testament, the Greek word for “bless” is eulogeo. The prefix eu- means “good” and the root logos is “word.” So, in the New Testament context in which we now live, to bless someone literally means to say good words both to them and about them. So when Jesus tells us, “Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you,” He is telling us to say good words to them, and to say good words about them in prayer to our Heavenly Father. …

      Commenting on Psalm 109:4, my friend Kevin Berry said, “While they accuse me like satan, I will pray for them like Jesus.” This is the highest level of Christian maturity: To pray like Jesus did for those who insulted Him, slandered Him, and crucified Him, “Father, forgive them for they don’t understand what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

The Scriptures that I reference on this episode of The Podcast are Matthew 5:44; Psalm 109:4; Revelation 12:10; John 10:10; Luke 23:34; Psalm 139:23-24; Romans 12:18-21.

And the blog posts I mention are: Unexpected Response and Choice Four-Letter Words.

I truly believe that When Sheep Bite will be a healing resource for shepherd leaders who are still feeling the pain of their latest sheep bite. Please pick up a copy today! 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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