WEDNESDAY September 15, 2021
Satanic Opposition
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?”
Zachariah 3:1-2
As God gave a vision to Joshua, the high priest, Satan stood in opposition to the worship of God. The Angel of the LORD (a theophany of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament) rebuked Satan! Believers in Christ can rebuke Satan by using the name of Jesus Christ. We are sons and daughters of God and must realize, He [Christ] who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where Satan tempted the Lord (Matthew 4:1). Jesus had fasted forty days and nights, and being 100% God and 100% human, He was hungry. Satan challenged the authority of Christ as Creator, saying: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). The word if is actually the word “since.” So Satan was in actuality saying, “Since you are God, you can turn stones into bread.”
Jesus defeated Satan’s attacks by using the Word of God: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ ” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus was tempted by Satan physically, emotionally and spiritually. Christians must know how to use the Word of God. It is a formidable weapon against the enemy. It is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
What does Satan do all the time? He opposes you and me! Satan will attack us physically, emotionally and spiritually, yet Jesus is always standing between us and the devil. He is always there to help us! I like that! You never have to combat Satan by yourself. As a Christian you never need to be afraid. Rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus. You can continue in the work of God by using the Word of God against the devil.
The best work usually meets the strongest opposition.
~D.L. Moody~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!