“Then I heard a loud voice shouting across
the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our
God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and
sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God
day and night.” (Revelation 12:10)
Throughout
the Bible from Genesis to Job to Zechariah to Revelation, Satan is called the
accuser. In Genesis, Satan accuses God of lying to Adam and Eve. “You will not
die (if you eat the fruit of the tree in the center of the garden).” In Job,
when he comes before the Lord with the heavenly court, he is called The
Accuser. And there, he accuses Job of not being as steadfastly faithful as God
says he is. In Zechariah, Satan is seen before the Lord accusing the faithful
High Priest Jeshua. And then in the 12th Chapter of Revelation, he
is the one who accuses the faithful Christians.
What
is the purpose of these accusations against God and against his faithful
people? The purpose is to cast doubts into the minds of God’s people. He cannot
possibly cause God to doubt us. For God knows our innermost being. He knows we
wish to be faithful, and he knows that he provides all that we need to be
faithful. But the accuser wants to cause doubt in the mind and in the heart of
the believer. If the accuser can cause us to doubt that we are strong enough,
talented enough, skilled enough, and ultimately faithful enough to do what God
is calling us to do, then he can prevent us from doing the very good that God
would have us do. If he can cause us to doubt that God will provide for all
that we need to fulfill God’s will, we will quit trying. And when we fail to do
good, then evil prevails in our lives and in the world about us.
As
Methodist Christians, we believe we are called to: “Make Disciples of Jesus
Christ for the transformation of the world.” When we doubt our ability to
accomplish our mission, we allow the Evil One to win another day.
IronMaker’s Daily Challenge: Listen to yourself today. When you hear
yourself say, “I am not able to ....” Know that you are listening to the voice
of Satan trying to prevent you from doing the good things God has for you to
do.
Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to stand up to
the accuser when he calls us unfaithful and to proclaim with the hymn writer,
“Lord we are able, our spirits are thine. Remold them, make us, like thee,
divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love, and
loyalty.”
Bob
Peden
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