The accuser

Satan loves to peddle his

wares at the door of your heart.

He makes heart

calls and loves to

gain saints as his

steady customer.

You may be a

hard-sell, and I

pray that you are,

but he is hard to

get rid of, like the

computer sales people of today.

The stakes are high and if you refuse his box of temptations he has another bag of tricks; it’s called accusation.

Satan is an expert at marketing as well — he’ll cause you to think that God is sending these accusations your way.

The Holy Spirit is a sanctifier and a comforter. Satan is a tempter and a troubler.

Remember Joseph? Potipher’s wife first tried to seduce him to gratify her lust. When that failed she tried plan B. She accused Joseph. She fabricated a lie and it worked. She used his own godliness to cover her sin and convict Joseph.

Because he is a liar, Satan will find something in your past that he can accuse you of. When Satan wants to tempt you he knocks at the door of your will. When he comes to accuse you, he knocks at your conscience.

Remember Satan does not have power over your will or your conscience. God has the key and Satan can’t pick the lock, but he’ll think up ways to trick you into opening the door to him. Don’t forget that he’s a serpent — cunning, fast moving and able to get into the smallest crevice.

Here are some things to look out for:

1. Satan will accuse you with his own thoughts. He lays them at your door and many an unsuspecting Christian will claim them and take responsibility for them and bear the guilt, and presto the accuser has won the round!

How can we defend ourselves? Stay close to the Father. James 1:7 put it this way “submit to God, resist the devil and he’ll flee, draw nigh to God.” The Sword of the Spirit is your proper weapon to defeat the accuser. The Bible says “I’m forgiven – there’s no condemnation!”

To doubt is to sin. Don’t let these powerful forces of Satan take up residence in your house, or your heart, or your mind. You can’t keep them from passing through but don’t sell them any real estate. Don’t give them the key to the city.

2. Satan exaggerates the saints’ sins. His aim is to discredit the child of God. He disguises them as an act of the Holy

Spirit. Many times accusations come from wellmeaning but misguided brothers or sisters. Take a lesson from Job. He refused to be coersed into admitting that it was his sin that caused his trouble. He refused to confess to something that wasn’t true.

Satan knows that a rebuke from God causes deep hurt to the child of God and so he disguises his missiles with God’s name on them.

NO condemnation to them who are in Christ. God’s language is yea and amen. II Corinthians 1:20; “all the promises of God in him are yea and in him amen unto the Glory of God by us.” Not yea and nay but yes and so be it!

Let me remind you that you have a covenant promise. Satan will play his mind games, he’ll rely on his smooth tongue and his doubletalk, but you don’t have to listen. Here’s the solution. Let his accusations make you more careful. Keep your slate clean. Let the Word search your heart continually and you’ll have the ammunition to repel his accusations.

Let his accusations make you more humble. Acknowledge your sinful nature and reaffirm your dependence on God’s mercy. Use his bricks to build a monument to God’s grace. Remember 1 John 4:4 “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.” He is Great in Love. He is great in mercy. He is great in grace and he is great in pardon. Pastor J.R. Damiani is senior pastor at Family Worship Center in Towamencin.