By Steve Backlund

A “critical spirit” is a compulsive attitude of criticism and fault-finding, which tears down others rather than building them up. It is at the heart of what Jesus spoke of in Matthew seven. 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

This is an incredible passage that warns of the negative consequences of fault-finding, and it also gives one of the cures for the critical spirit: focusing on our own growth when tempted to judge others negatively. 

Destructive criticism is different from constructive feedback. The only criticism that is ever constructive is that which speaks the truth in love and wants to help the person become all that they are meant to be.

Again, the critical spirit is a fault-finding attitude, and it primarily sees what is wrong in people and situations. 

What are the sources of a critical spirit?

• Faulty concept of God - If we believe God loves us but does not like us, we will project this belief onto others. 
• Self-criticism - We “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Mark 12:31). How we treat others is largely determined by how we treat ourselves. If we are focused mainly on our faults, we will tend to look for faults in others.
• Perfectionist attitude - Perfectionists only celebrate and become joyful when there is perfection in others and themselves. 
• Self-justification - People often use the sins and faults of others to justify their own wrong behaviors. 
• Pride - Pride causes us to use the faults of others to make ourselves feel superior. 

Why is the critical spirit a problem?

• 
  lt is partnering with the devil instead of God - The devil is “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). 
• It limits our influence - It is difficult to influence those we do not love or have hope for. 
• It leads to speaking death instead of life - What we believe in our hearts will come out in words (Matthew 12:34). 
• It causes others to criticize us - “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:1)
• It limits our ability to experience joy and abundance - Having a regularly critical attitude is a sign of a non-prosperous soul. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 2)
• It greatly limits our ability to restore others - “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) In this verse, fault finders are not considered spiritual. 

How to defeat this spirit

• Prioritize love - 1 Corinthians 13 tells us if we do seemingly great kingdom things but treat people poorly in our actions and thoughts, it profits nothing. And the kind of love mentioned in this chapter demolishes the critical spirit. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (vs 4-7)
• Get a father mindset instead of an elder brother mindset - The elder brother in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15) is the poster child for the critical spirit. In contrast to his father, he criticizes his brother (and his father too). The default of the elder-brother mindset is to first see what is wrong with a person or place. The default of the father-mindset is to first see what is right with a person or place. 
• Take the plank out of your eye - We will stop criticizing others if we turn every opportunity to criticize into a time of personal growth for ourselves. As we do this, we will see clearly to really help others get rid of the speck in their eye. 
• Pray for those you are tempted to criticize - When we immediately pray for those we want to criticize, then we invest into their future and become part of the solution rather than being part of the problem. 

Let’s read these words of Jesus again: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” 

I am not saying we should never confront wrong behavior or set strong boundaries in our relationships, but I am saying that having a critical spirit will bring unnecessary damage to ourselves and others. This message is needed always but especially now with so many negatively labeling anyone who disagrees with them. 

Let’s become part of the solution and defeat the critical spirit in our lives, families, and organizations. For more on this, listen to my podcast. Also, my blog “Cancel the Cancel Culture” is another good resource on this topic.