Satan is my adversary. He not only tempts me with the question, “Did God really say . . .?” He also accuses me. The Greek for “devil” comes from the verb meaning “to bring charges with hostile intent.”
Every day, it is more of the same. My adversary tempts me to doubt God’s Word and, when I do, he brings charges against me. It seems to me that the hissing sound is particularly chilling at night. “Now look at what you’ve done. You are a failure.”
Every day, people of every age and in every circumstance are tempted. “Don’t you want to be loved?” “Doesn’t God want you to be happy?” “Are you strong enough?” “Can you really make a difference?” “Aren’t you too old?” “Who do you think you are?” “Haven’t you given enough?” Our own sinful nature betrays us and, when we doubt God and do our own thing, the hissing begins. “Can God ever forgive you?”
But, wait! The accuser has been thrown down (Revelation 12:7-11). Jesus has secured our acquittal through His death and resurrection (Colossians 2:14). Satan is no longer allowed to bring charges against us.
When satan accuses and tries to steal away all hope, we can say:
You are troubling me with the memory of past sins. You are telling me that I’ve failed to do good. But, I don’t need to listen to you. You have no hold on me. No matter if you tempt me to trust in my goodness or accuse me of my sins, I don’t care. I depend only on Jesus Christ who has beaten you and set me free. (Paraphrase of Martin Luther, Luther’s Works American Edition 27:11)
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