SATAN ACCUSING YOU TODAY!!!

Satan is Accusing You TODAY!
Alice Smith 
 
America, we are a litigious society, a greedy culture. Too many of us are out to make a buck. And the easiest way to make money, other than winning the lottery, the Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes, or DEAL OR NO DEAL, is to win a lawsuit. Look at the following news headlines:
Woman Awarded Millions in Settlement After Spilling Hot McDonald's Coffee in Her Lap
Millions Awarded Man Who Caught His Ear on Subway Strap
Lady Wins Huge Cash Settlement From Nike After Tripping Over Her Own Shoestring
A minister we know was sued for releasing an unfit worker from employment in his ministry. Another minister was sued for one million dollars because of an unfortunate and unavoidable bus accident on a mission trip. A dear pastor friend of ours was brought to trial, along with his church, for refusing to return a church member's past tithes. Today, churches, pastors, and counselors are being burdened with heavy insurance premiums to protect themselves from litigation.
Perhaps you have not yet been sued in court. Consider yourself fortunate! However, you have not escaped Satan's charges against you. In the court of heaven, Satan continually brings accusation against every Christian. Why? Because Satan is God’s archenemy, and he is determined to discredit God. Of course, he cannot discredit God directly regarding God's actions. So Satan attempts to discredit God indirectly, regarding our actions. That's why he tempts us to sin.
 
The writer of Hebrews wrote, "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Heb. 10:10, 14). These are complex and fascinating verses. Notice that verse 10 says that "we have been made holy." Yet verse 14 says that we "are being made holy." Which is it? Have we been made holy, or are we being made holy? The answer is...they are both true! We who are in Christ are positionally already made holy.
 
For that reason, God can and does live within us. But, experientially we are being made holy. Paul wrote, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son...And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified" (Rom. 8:29–30). From God's positional perspective, our glorification as well as our salvation and sanctification are past tense. They are future history! We are in the process of becoming who we are!
 
These things may be difficult for us to grasp, but Satan understands God's plan and purpose. After all, he has known God far longer than any of us. Satan also understands us all too well. He has coexisted and interacted with generations of God's people. He knows that although we are already positionally perfected in the heart of God, we are working out our salvation from day to day (Phil. 2:12). Satan's evil intentions are to cause us to:
Compromise our convictions
Fall into sin
Grieve the Holy Spirit
Short-cycle God's plan to conform us into Christ's image
In essence, he wants to discredit God. The moment we slip, the devil will ruthlessly accuse us as he accused Job. The name Satan means "accuser." Not surprisingly then, Satan relentlessly accuses us day and night in the court of heaven. In so doing, he is accusing God of failing to complete what He started--our salvation. (See Philippians 1:6; Revelation 12:10.)
 
Through the years we have served on many jury panels. We have seen some excellent advocates (attorneys) at work. But in some cases, we have seen some pitiful representation. Believe us, when facing trial, there are few things more comforting than having experienced, effective legal representation. When Satan accuses us in heaven's court we are fortunate to have a veteran attorney, Jesus. In 1 John 2:1, John describes the courtroom:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
As Abraham, Moses, and others petitioned the cases of sinners in the Old Testament, Jesus, our attorney, intercedes with the Father on behalf of sinners. However, Jesus Christ (the righteous) is not only our high priest--He is also our atoning sacrifice!
 
The King James Version says, "We have an advocate with the Father." The writer, John, uses the Greek word parakletos to describe Jesus as an advocate. The same word is used in John's Gospel in chapters 15 and 16 to describe the Holy Spirit. In both passages the word parakletos means "advocate" or "attorney." Another primary meaning of the word is "intercessor." Yes, intercessor! The Holy Spirit and Jesus share the roles of attorney and intercessor for us!
 
This verse uniquely implies that when we sin, we are brought to trial before God. Jesus Christ is our defense attorney; He will be pleading our case. And what a defense attorney He is!