How should one respond when wrongly labelled? The response will vary from time to time, depending on prevailing circumstances. However, one can say upfront that not all cases of mislabelling require a response. We notice that Jesus did not respond to all questions and accusations. This same attitude is noticeable in Paul with regards to the unsavoury views of the people at Malta concerning him. When they called him a murderer, he did not venture to defend himself. There are times when silence is truly golden. It has been observed that in some crisis situations, more explanations provide more raw materials for your adversary. Discretion is highly needed to know when to keep quiet rather than making futile attempts at self-defence.
A greater lesson for us is that the aspect of our lives that the enemy seeks to hurt may be the same area that God would use to bless our world. We know people who had suffered great infirmities who later carried the healing anointing to the world. We noted in previous meditation that a viper twisted around Paul’s hand, which he promptly threw into the fire. It is a commentary on the ability of God to overrule the enemy when Paul extended the same hand to heal the father of Publius on Malta Island. It was not only him that was healed, but all those who were sick and diseased on the Island came to get a touch of the healing power of God through Paul’s hand. What was meant for evil was turned around by God to blessing. Believe God to make you a blessing to people in areas where you had previously suffered.