God
gives every created being a choice, and Satan chose to revolt. When Satan
rebelled against God, he was cast from the mountain of God (Ezekiel 28:16).
God
knew that Satan would want more than his exalted position as an archangel;
therefore, He provided Jesus, before the foundation of the world, to be our sacrificial
lamb and die in our place (Revelation 13:8).
In
the Garden of Eden, Satan successfully played his hand against Adam and won
authority over this earthly realm. Now, he reigns supreme; but only as he is
given permission by God (Job 1:6-7).
The
devil roams the earth seeking those as gullible as Adam and Eve - those willing
to buy into his lies and destruction (1 Peter 5:8). His whole purpose is to
accuse and prosecute the righteous before God (Revelation 12:9-10).
He
attempts to keep us in bondage to His temptations and lies, and to cause us to
make lethal decisions concerning our time and our energy. Thankfully, God did
not leave us defenseless.
He
gave us His Son Jesus Christ as our advocate, our High Priest who defends and
protects us from Satan's wiles and his fiery darts of accusation and
temptation.
Christ
in us is greater than Satan and his mighty army of demons. Jesus gives us
victory over any power and influence that Satan exhibits toward us (Revelation
12:11).
We
are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:31-39). None of
Satan's accusations are valid when compared to the blood of our unblemished
sacrificial Lamb.
God
provides us with His Spirit and power to share the love of Christ with the
dying world around us (Acts 1:8). We never meet a stranger, but simply a
potential friend and fellow member of the Body of Christ (Revelation 12:13-17).
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for giving us an advocate and for protecting us from Satan's
destruction. Your discipline is painful for the moment, but bears for us the
peaceful fruit of righteousness (Isaiah 32:17). Help us to live as testimonies
for the love and care You give to us every moment of every day (Matthew 10:39).
Let
our light so shine that others will see Your works in us and through us and to give You the
glory (Matthew 5:16). Lead us in level paths because of our enemies, which
attempt to derail us from Your will for our life (Psalm 27:11). Thank You for
preparing a feast for us in the presence of our enemies and for taking away
from us the shame of Satan's accusations and replacing them with the fruit of
Your righteousness (Philippians 1:11).
Thought
for the Day:
Humanistic morality may prevent us from the affliction of a jail sentence, but only believing in Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary's cross and trusting our life to Him will keep us from spending eternity in the agony of hell.
Humanistic morality may prevent us from the affliction of a jail sentence, but only believing in Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary's cross and trusting our life to Him will keep us from spending eternity in the agony of hell.
