January 20 I Monday

Genesis 49-50

Matthew 13:31-58

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’”   —Revelation 12:10, NKJV

From the opening verse of this devotion, Satan is the one who is referred to as “the accuser of the brethren” or the accuser of those who are Christians. One of the things the devil loves to do is to accuse us. When it comes to our sin, the devil will tell us at first, “Come on, do it! That’s it. Do it. Enjoy it. Really enjoy your sin.” And the moment we do, if we have any conscience at all, the devil jumps on our back and says, “You dirty, filthy, stinking, rotten failure. You sinner!” At some point in our Christian life, most of us have experienced that.

Even though God and the devil speak to us about our sin, they speak very differently. When God speaks about our sin, He convicts. When the devil speaks about our sin, he condemns. When the devil condemns, his condemnation is like a wet blanket that sits on us and we cannot move from under it. But when God convicts us of our sin, He always makes us aware of our sin, while at the same time, always makes us aware of the way out. The purpose why God convicts us of our sin is not to humiliate or to condemn but to liberate us.

I met a lady who told me for twenty years she had confessed to God almost everyday about a particular sin that she had been involved with in her late teens. The memory of that sin and the consequence of that sin impacted her marriage and mothering. She was asked to teach Sunday school at the church but she said, “I have turned it down because I know what I’m like, and I know my past. I couldn’t possibly serve God because of my history.” Then I told her, “You know, for the last twenty years, it’s never been God who has spoken to you about that sin. For twenty years, the devil has gained a foothold in your life because he’s the accuser of the brethren.”

Many of us find it easier to believe that we are dirty than to believe we are clean. Because we know our heart is evil and we are likely going to sin this week but the marvellous thing is that we can be forgiven, justified and brought to peace with God. Paul tells us, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). May we turn away from the accusations of the devil and turn to God where we find no condemnation.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Help me walk in the truth that I am forgiven, justified and have peace with You. Praise You!