Isn’t it amazing how you can know a verse so well and then the Spirit of God gives you a new angle on that very verse? That’s the power of the Spirit and the Word. And that very thing happened to me the other day. I’ve quoted Revelation 12:10 so many times, and maybe you know it too:
“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.'” (NASB).
That verse gives us the end result for Satan, who accuses us. But right now, he is still accusing us before God. But the other day the different angle I thought of came after I really “listened” to myself and heard words like these:
“I know she’s going to be upset by what I do. She’s never happy.”
“He really doesn’t want to cooperate. There’s no hope.”
“She won’t ever understand my point. I won’t even try to explain.”
Suddenly I realized that Satan was accusing other people to me and stealing my joy and trust in God. I’d always tried to pay attention when Satan accused myself to myself. But this new angle was about Satan using my own thoughts to think about others without trust in God’s ability to work. I agreed with Satan’s evil whispers that God couldn’t put His hand upon the situations I faced. And it skewed my perspective about that person’s possible reactions. I only expected the worse.
Has Satan been having a hey day with you too? Are you paying attention to the ways he is accusing you to yourself and others to you? Stop for a moment and really listen to the way you’re referring to others, both silently and out loud. Are you missing the element of God’s work? Is your joy and trust being subtly eaten away?
You can stop this. You have a choice. You can refuse to cooperate with Satan as 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us: “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” by “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.”
What “speculations” about the possible reactions of other people is Satan trying to make you believe or act on? Now consider God’s intervention in that situation. Your strong God will make a difference. Trust Him. And I will too!