Your Adversary The Devil – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Zechariah 1 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio –click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Read the “1001 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” (Zechariah 3:1-4)
Good morning. Did you ever have a day where nothing was going right? Has anything you tried to do blown up in your face? You have an adversary standing next to you, ready to resist you…
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (1Peter 5:8-9)
We are all in the same boat. In our passage this morning we see Joshua the high priest and the devil standing before the Lord. The devil is ready to resist: to accuse the brethren. But the LORD intervenes for Joshua whose garments are filthy: stained with sin. The LORD rebukes the devil, and says of Joshua, “…is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?”
And the LORD commands: “Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”
Forgiveness.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Corinthians 5:17)
Satan looses.
“Wherefore he [JESUS] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
My friends, the devil has already lost the battle. The victory belongs to the LORD who shed His precious blood to save us from the wages of sin. We have won, the devil lost, but he will still try to make life miserable for us if he can. We need to keep fighting and resisting the devil.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
When your adversary the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future…
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)
Peace!
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