Friday, January 17, 2014

January 17: If God is for us who can be against us?


If God is for us, who can be against us? Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.  (Romans 8:31-34 — NET)

One name for the devil is "accuser." He will try to discourage us, telling us that we are no good, that God doesn't love us, that we are terrible sinners who have no right to call upon God. But if we’ve sincerely put our faith in Jesus and are in the process of becoming the people He wants us to be, all these words of the devil are nothing but lies. Filthy lies.

God is for us! If we have faith in Him, he’s on our side, and since He was willing to go so far as to give His Son for us, there is nothing that He will not do for us… nothing.

When the devil and his demons come with condemning words, guilt, reminders of the past, or comparisons to other people, God’s response is “I’ve accepted them, who are you to say I haven’t?” If God has justified us, who are demons to contradict Him? They will always try — it’s their nature — but our response has to be rough an immediate, declaring that we are free.

Obviously, we cannot overlook sin when it is present, but what this passage is referring to is when the devil attacks us with guilt and condemnation, not in an attempt to correct our behavior, but to knock us down and steal our faith. So, not only do we need to watch out for sin, we have to watch out for the false accusations of the devil.

It’s amazing to know that the Lord Jesus is at the right hand of God in heaven, interceding for those of us who are living by faith. He is speaking to Him on our behalf, reminding Him that we are making an effort, all with the intent of bringing the father’s blessings into our lives.

Let’s keep us the fight!

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