Stand!

September 29

Sometimes we feel abandoned. We feel forsaken. We are sure that our sins have separated us from God and He has lost His patience with us. When we feel this way, we are wrong; we are profoundly in error. When we persuade ourselves to believe God has abandoned us to our ‘self,’ we are succumbing to the lie of the enemy.

Paul, who persecuted and assented to the murder of believers in Christ, has assured us that “NOTHING can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord…” Romans 8:38. The apostle who was guilty of grievous sin knew first-hand the cleansing power of the blood of Christ to forgive all our sin.

Our own feelings, the people who make themselves judge and jury over us, the accuser of the brethren himself, may attempt to persuade us that we are guilty beyond cleansing, but that is a lie from the pit of hell. The Word tells us that our feelings are deceptive above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). We know from the example of Job that those pompous in their own righteousness accused him falsely. Yet we allow ourselves to be badgered by the slings and arrows that are hurled against us! Why do we succumb to this torment?

We must refute the lies of the accuser, whether they come from men or from the enemy or whether they come from our own mind! We must stand, as did David, the adulterer, the murderer, the law-breaker, who in spite of all his failure was still a man after God’s own heart! We must say with him, “I am close to God and that is good! The Lord God is my protection. I will declare all He has done for me” Psalm 73:28. “He is kind and forgiving and has great love for those who call to Him” Psalm 86:5. Like David, we must know His goodness to us depends upon HIM, not upon our worthiness in our own eyes.