Satan is an Accuser
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last —salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth —the one who accuses them before our God day and night.”
Revelation 12:10 (NLT)
Have you ever been accused or had your sin held over your head? Many of us know what it’s like to have some of our worst moments hung over our heads. Years ago, I lied about several things going on in the ministry. Most of it was just because I was insecure and wanted to be viewed in a positive light. The hardest part for me was that I was accused of things I never did, but because I was dishonest before, I couldn’t advocate for anything. To this day, the enemy can try to create crippling shame from those interactions. I owned my mistakes, and there should have been consequences, but I wasn’t prepared for the shame and false accusations that were put over me by a few people and, most importantly, Satan.
We all make mistakes. The challenge is not to dismiss them or let them define you. Both are dangerous. There are three ways we can approach our shame:
- Minimize—This is usually what our flesh does. We tend to want to minimize what we’ve done to self-protect and justify our actions.
- Maximize—This is usually what Satan does. He tries to get you to feel a paralyzing shame that keeps you stuck or causes you to sabotage yourself.
- Right-size—this is what the Spirit does. He brings your attention to what you did and draws out the reasons you did it. The Spirit brings it up to heal and transform you.
This has been transformative for me in so many places. We are all prone at times to minimize what we’ve done. The problem with minimizing is that we don’t own our mistakes and grow from them. We all have times when we can listen to the voice of Satan or others and maximize our mistakes so much that we feel no hope or future moving forward. This isn’t the way of Jesus. Let Jesus speak to you and reveal what He wants to reveal to you. I remember sitting at that moment, and God whispered to me, Bryan, you made a mistake. Own it, but remember you aren't a mistake. I still have good plans for you. Let God speak to you when Satan accuses you.
Application: Let the Spirit right-size what you’ve said and done.
Prayer: Ask God to free you from what the enemy or others accuse you of. Your identity is a child of God. Lean into that and trust it.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?