Indeed, hath God said?

April 30

Indeed, hath God said? ~the devil

Old slewfoot is always flexing his muscles and is forever attempting to either browbeat or cajole or intimidate or to wrestle people of faith into compromising positions where they will fall into sin or doubt their faith and wonder at their salvation—or all the above.

How does he accomplish that? The reality is that his tactics haven't changed much. That's essentially because he doesn't have any real power over people of faith; all he can do is stir up the dust of confusion and doubt and cause them to despair of hope in the Christ who has given all for them. Why should he change his strategy? Beginning with Eve in the garden, the enemy has been convincing people who 'have it all' that they lack something and can attain it best by doubting God. (See Genesis 3:1-19).

Adam and Eve reigned over Paradise but they believed the serpent's suggestion that there was more to be had, that they could be like God if they would just sample the forbidden fruit. Trace any of us in our progression into the pit of doubt and despair and we will follow much the same track in our downward spiral as did they.

Some tantalizing tid-bit of pleasure or achievement or self-fulfillment is placed before us. The subtle suggestion of our foe is that in embracing it, we will find something we lack. What we discover as we proceed from the moment of capitulation is that what we had lacked was the self-imposed torment that comes when the cotton candy of his deception has turned to gravel in our mouths!

And he doesn't stop there. No. In his wicked glee, he takes great delight in taunting us with our fall. In that, he has the willing assistance of the self-righteous and arrogant pseudo Christians among us who are very eager to point their fingers at us and to accuse us of disappointing them and of disappointing God. They are like Job's false friends who took great self-satisfaction in gloating over the diminishing of this one who had always stood out as a pillar of perfection against the backdrop of their own paltry imperfection. (See Job 2:11; Job 4:3, 4; Job 4:7, 8; Job 8:20; Job 11:14; Job 15; Job 17).

But even that is not his primary mischief. No! It is when he can cause us to doubt our own salvation, our own forgiveness, our own cleansing that assures our right-standing with God because of the shed blood of Jesus that he attains his most diabolic delight! For what he is able to do when he makes us doubt our worth before the Christ who loves us is to plant the seed in our minds that Christ's work of salvation is not enough to cover the magnitude of our sin! The suggestion is that IF I'M TOO BAD FOR CHRIST TO CLEANSE AND MAKE ME FREE FROM SIN, IF I MUST BEAR THIS BURDEN ALONE, THEN THE LORD'S DEATH IS OF NONE EFFECT! JESUS' SACRIFICE ISN'T GREAT ENOUGH TO COVER MY SIN.

We'd never fall for that! Oh, but we do! If we must continue to carry our burden—whatever it may be of sin or despair or despondency or depression or self-recrimination or the accusations and judgmentalism of others—then we are agreeing with God's ancient foe when he says JESUS' BLOOD CANNOT WASH AWAY OUR PARTICULAR BURDEN! IF I MUST CARRY IT MYSELF, THEN JESUS' POWER ISN'T GREAT ENOUGH TO CLEANSE AND SET ME FREE!

"Indeed hath God said?" When those words ring in our ears, our answer must be, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!" I don't stand on my own righteousness, for I have no righteousness! I stand on the righteousness of Jesus! When the devil's human minions accuse us, we say, "You're right! But for the grace of God I am undone; but for the blood of Christ, I am dead in trespasses and sins! But, praise the Lord! JESUS DIED TO SET ME FREE FROM SIN AND TO CLEANSE ME FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS SO I AM WASHED! I AM NEW! I AM A REFLECTION OF HIS GLORY, FOR HIS MERCY IS REVEALED IN ME!

We must say with Paul who before he met Jesus, assented to the persecution of believers, "I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED AND AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE TO KEEP THAT WHICH I'VE COMMITTED TO HIM,” II Timothy 1:12. The Bible tells us, "No weapon formed against you can stand," Isaiah 54:17. The only thing the devil has to use against us is lies and the doubts he can convince us to embrace that cause us to negate our complete freedom in Christ. We must not give him that power!