The Accuser

Not only does Satan, aka "the accuser," come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), he also delights greatly in accusing us! Not only does Satan remind God often of why we don't measure up and are not worthy of the grace of God and salvation that Jesus gives, but he also reminds us of our sin. He beats us up over our mistakes and sins, even after we have asked God for forgiveness and repented of those sins. Then we go down the "why bother because I will never measure up to what God wants and expects of me" road.

Satan is very patient. He will not stop there. First, we will start believing what Satan tells us about ourselves and then we sometimes will find ourselves blaming and accusing others for what we do to not make ourselves feel so guilty. "Well, if my parents hadn't..." "If my best buddy had just not bought me that last drink before I drove home..." Humans find it much easier to shift the blame, especially when caught in a pickle. That is nothing new; it happened in the garden of Eden too. Adam said, "...the woman you put here with me gave it to me (the fruit)..."

Then Satan goes a step further. While we are busy accusing others, sometimes even God is brought into the picture too. I have heard of countless people who have, (and know some personally who,)  when things went really bad for them, turned their backs on God and accused Him, saying "A loving God would not have allowed this to happen to me! It's God's fault this happened! He did not stop something He could have stopped and now look where I am!" Then in their anger, they turn away from God, disbelieving the truth they had formerly held on to when things were going more smoothly in their lives.

Sometimes, if Satan does not succeed in making us feel worthless and shameful for our mistakes and sins (that were already covered under the blood of Jesus), then he will get us to accuse God for letting the things happen in the first place that made us hurt or angry. It is natural to lash out in anger and accuse someone in the process, but we must be very careful and realize that this is one of many tricks up Satan's sleeve to deceive us, get us off track and shift our focus off of God as our friend, advocate and ally and instead see Him as One who wants to harm us or pull us down. This may not happen as easily to someone who has had a fairly smooth ride throughout life, but to one who has been in the depths of the deepest, darkest hell on earth and faced several great trials throughout life, this is a common "demon" that must be overcome.

The blood of the Lamb is the most powerful defense against ALL the wiles of Satan, including the temptation to take on the accusation that Satan is doling out to us as and becoming accusers of others or even God. We must stick "closer than a brother" to the Lord and remain in Him at all cost if we are to overcome the many strategies that Satan uses against us. And if you are thinking you could never fall for this, anyone could fall into this trap when the circumstances are right and you become tired, weary, facing physical illness, great loss, financial pressures or great discouragement!

This is why daily reading of the Word, prayer and meditation as well as maintaining a spirit of thankfulness for  all of the things God does for us daily is of utmost importance! It is also very helpful to keep a list of things you are praying for and when that prayer is answered, put a check by it with the date. I also enjoy writing down what I am thankful for and those things that God has done for me; for example, when He protects me in a sticky situation or when He provided something I really needed in an unexpected way. It is amazing how quickly we forget these blessings when things "go South" (turn badly) and just as quickly our focus goes to what we see that God has NOT done for us as we are facing difficulties.

We spend too much time beating ourselves up for our mistakes and failures, and those thoughts come from our accuser. Do not let Satan beat you up and accuse you, making you feel even more helpless and hopeless! Remember who is on the throne and who your advocate is! Do not accuse God, who blesses you! Remember that you are forgiven by the blood of the Lamb, which is much more powerful than anything Satan has to offer you! Use your weapons to fight against the Enemy, and he will NOT prosper and overtake you!

When you have been forgiven and redeemed and remain in Him and know whose you are, none of those accusations will stick, because you are an overcomer!