AN ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 23RD SEPTEMBER 2018

MEMORISE:

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25

READ: Revelation 12:10-11

10 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.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

MESSAGE:

As revealed by today’s Bible reading, the devil is the “accuser of the brethren”. It is unfortunate that some people ignorantly possess this attribute of the devil. How can a person be an accuser of the brethren without knowing it? The answer is simple: when you refuse to forgive those who wronged you, you are passively accusing him or her as an evil doer.

The practical implication of refusing to forgive those who have wronged you is that you become a prosecuting witness against a brother or sister. You are therefore on the side of the devil in heaven’s court litigating against your own brethren. It’s therefore wise to heed the words of Jesus in Mark 11:25:

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in  may forgive you your trespasses.”

Many professing children of God find it difficult to forgive. One wonders if such people have ever experienced the joy of forgiveness from God or man before. Unfortunately for them, the fellow they are accusing in their heart may not even know about it, or may even have settled their case with God, thereby obtaining forgiveness and justification through the Blood of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:11, Hebrew 12:24).

For this reason, Romans 8:34 asks a rhetorical question and answers it saying:

“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.”

May you not be found guilty of working against Christ’s ministry of intercession through unforgiveness.

Beloved, who are you directly or indirectly accusing relentlessly? Of course, he or she might have wronged you; nevertheless, the Lord is saying that you should forgive the fellow. Once you do, he or she is no longer an offender to you, and so, no accusation originates from you anymore.

The reward for this is revealed in Matthew 5:7 which says:

 “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

The good news today is that the God who is asking us to forgive and forget has demonstrated the same towards us when He through Christ forgave our sins. Have your sins been forgiven? If you have not experienced the joy of forgiveness, confess your sins today and you will receive the mercy of God without measure.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please forgive my known and unknown sins, and teach my heart to forgive others in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Songs of Solomon 5-8

Mark 12:13-27

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 15: NEARER MY GOD TO THEE.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness comes over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!

There let me see the sight, an open Heaven;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!