The Thief Wants It All

Any movement toward freedom and life, any movement toward God or others, will be opposed. Marriage, friendship, beauty, rest—the thief wants it all. 

So, it becomes the devil’s business to keep the Christian’s spirit imprisoned. He knows that the believing and justified Christian has been raised up out of the grave of his sins and trespasses. From that point on, Satan works that much harder to keep us bound and gagged, actually imprisoned in our own grave clothes. He knows that if we continue in this kind of bondage. . . we are not much better off than when we were spiritually dead. (A.W. Tozer)

Sadly, many of these accusations will actually be spoken by Christians. Having dismissed a warfare worldview, they do not know who is stirring them to say certain things. “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel” (1 Chron. 21:1). The Enemy used David, who apparently wasn’t watching for it, to do his evil. He tried to use Peter too. “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things . . . Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan!’” (Matt. 16:21–23). Heads up—these words will come from anywhere. Be careful what or who you are agreeing with. 

When we make those agreements with the demonic forces suggesting things to us, we come under their influence. It becomes a kind of permission we give the Enemy, sort of like a contract. 

Some foul spirit whispers, I’m such a stupid idiot, and they agree with it; then they spend months and years trying to sort through feelings of insignificance. They’d end their agony if they’d treat it for the warfare it is, break the agreement they’ve made, and send the Enemy packing. 

(Waking the Dead , 154–55) 

Father of Lies

The devil has more temptations than an actor has costumes for the stage. And one of his all-time favorite disguises is that of a lying spirit, to abuse your tender heart with the worst news he can deliver—that you do not really love Jesus Christ and that you are only pretending, you are only deceiving yourself. (William Gurnall) 

Satan is called in Scripture the Father of Lies (John 8:44). His very first attack against the human race was to lie to Eve and Adam about God, and where life is to be found, and what the consequences of certain actions would and would not be. He is a master at this. He suggests to us—as he suggested to Adam and Eve—some sort of idea or inclination or impression, and what he is seeking is a sort of “agreement” on our part. He’s hoping we’ll buy into whatever he’s saying, offering, insinuating. Our first parents bought into it, and look what disaster came of it. The Evil One is still lying to us, seeking our agreement every single day. 

Your heart is good. Your heart matters to God. Those are the two hardest things to hang on to. I’m serious—try it. Try to hold this up for even a day. My heart is good. My heart matters to God. You will be amazed at how much accusation you live under. You have an argument with your daughter on the way to school; as you drive off, you have a nagging sense of, Well, you really blew that one. If your heart agrees—Yeah, I really did—without taking the issue to Jesus, then the Enemy will try to go for more.You’re always blowing it with her. Another agreement is made. It’s true. I’m such a lousy parent. Keep this up and your whole day is tanked in about five minutes. The Enemy will take any small victory he can get. It moves from You did a bad thing to You are bad. After a while it just becomes a cloud we live under, accept as normal. 

(Waking the Dead , 152–53) 

David

Read 2 Samuel 11-David commits adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his loyal commanders.

INSIGHT
There is greater pain in sin than in righteousness. David clearly loves Bathsheba. Certainly, it would have pained him had he turned his heart away from her before having relations with her. But that pain is nothing compared to the pain he brings on himself and others by taking her as his own. Adultery, murder, the death of their child, the loss of respect, and the memory of the guilt were some of the results of his sin. It is sometimes painful to do the right thing, but it is always more painful to do the wrong thing.

PRAYER
Praise the Lord because He fulfills our lives by giving us talents and abilities to develop:
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; 
Praise Him with the lute and harp! . . .
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:1-3, 6).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. 

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin: 
I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, 
and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned 
and by which they have transgressed against Me (Jeremiah 33:8).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. 

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord (Lamentations 3:25-26).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
your development of an eternal perspective,
your personal spiritual goals,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, 
and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 1:4).