Walk in the light and do not give place to the devil! II
May grace and peace from God be multiplied unto you this day!
We are still talking about the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Yesterday we established that if we do not allow Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, we give the devil an opportunity to accuse us and steal our confidence before God.
«Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel»(Zechariah, 3:1-3).
In this vision of Zechariah, we see that Satan had come into the presence of the Angel of the LORD along with Joshua, the high priest, who had come to intercede for the nation of Israel. The goal of Satan was to oppose this priest who was dressed in filthy clothes. But, praise God, in the same vision Zechariah also saw Jesus Christ. The Angel of the LORD that this verse speaks of is Jesus Christ, the Defender and Advocate of the covenant children. So, not only Satan, but also Jesus Christ stood before God. And if Satan was there to accuse the brethren, Jesus Christ was and is there as our Advocate, the One who justifies and defends us before the throne of God.
It says in 1 John (2:1):
«My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.»
This verse shows us that Jesus Christ is our Intercessor before the Father. But God’s desire is that we would not sin, because when we do, the blood of Jesus Christ does not cover us. When we sin, it is a sign of our rebellion against God and a lack of submission; when we sin, it shows that we are not letting His rule and reign have their place in our lives.
Jesus Christ stands at the right hand of the Father as our advocate. He died for us; he intercedes for us before God. The hands of Jesus were nailed to the cross and have become the testimony of His death on our behalf. Jesus shed His blood for our justification.
«IF we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness» (1 John, 1:8-9).
The lordship of Jesus Christ is what helps us walk free from the accusations of Satan; with it in our lives, the blood of Jesus Christ works on our behalf. Our accuser is not the only voice before God; our advocate and intercessor, Jesus Christ, is also there defending us. If you will listen to the accuser, you consider yourself dirty and you won’t have the confidence and boldness to come before God. But if you will listen to your Intercessor Jesus Christ, then you will walk in repentance and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you.
It is so important to walk daily in submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It not only ensures authority from God; it also provides protection from the enemy’s accusations.
Till tomorrow!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
