Accuser or Intercessor?
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” -Revelation 12:9-10
Here in the defeat of Satan, we see a certain attribute of him that ought to make us examine our own lives, and ponder our character. Among the many titles given to the Devil, there’s one that’s easily overlooked, and it comes in the middle of the 10th verse, and that is the “accuser of our brethren.”
It is one of Satan’s traits that he, perhaps behind the scenes, is continually accusing God’s people of evil and wickedness. One such example is in Job, when Satan appears before God and accuses Job of serving God only for the benefits that Job gets. Such an accusation proved false, but the Devil is not deterred by truth, but is the father of lies.
So if it is a characteristic of the devil to accuse people and slander them behind their backs, it ought instead to be a characteristic of Christians to show mercy, and intercede on another’s behalf.
Look unto Christ, who instead of Satan’s slanders, makes intercession for us to the Father:
“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” -Romans 8:34
And if we are born again, we ought to be filled with God’s Spirit, and be empowered to pray for others behind their backs, and not to speak ill of them. As the saying goes, “You can talk about me all that you please, I talk about you when I’m on my knees.”
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” -Romans 8:26-27
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