Satan and his kingdom deceive, tempt, destroy, and accuse.

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1 Healing Streams Ministry, Savannah, GA. All scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted. If all we needed to discern would be the thoughts of the Lord, our lives would be so much simpler. But there is another kingdom speaking to us, seeking to bring us into agreement with its ways of thinking and acting upon the earth. One of the strategies of that other kingdom is to make their thoughts seem like our own thoughts or God s thoughts so that wrong thoughts will go unrecognized. There is therefore a great need on our part to learn to discern these hidden ways of the enemy and to recognize his voice. Paul said that the Early Church was no longer in the dark about the enemy and his ways, ignorant of his devices (2Co 2:10-11). The voice of accusation has both a content of accusing words, and an oppressive quality of voice in the way those thoughts are formed an insistent pressure to tear down, but never to build up. The Spirit of the Lord does not speak in that way. Let your spiritual senses, as well as your intellect, become fine tuned to recognizing and resisting this voice. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14 This stronghold of accusation comes early in the teaching because the voice of the accuser came on the scene early in the Garden and early in our own lives as well. Be on guard! To the one being used by the voice of the Accuser, the condemning thoughts never seem like accusations by an enemy: they seem like truth telling about God, self or others. Be alert! Accusation is a spiritual root of disease because many incurable sicknesses come from the areas of separation that accusation produces between God, self and others. Accusation is also a block to healing because it leads to bitterness, which is the number one block to healing as well as to answered prayer (Mk 11:25). Nor does it help that accusing the Lord s anointed servants brings a curse (a severe consequence) of its own (1Sa 24:6; 1Ch 16:22). 1 Satan and his kingdom deceive, tempt, destroy and accuse. One of the primary devices of the enemy is accusation it is very divisive. Just as the enemy seeks by his deceiving words to draw us deeper into agreement with his ways of thinking and acting, he is also seeking at the same time to isolate us, separate us, and divide us by drawing us away from the peace of Christ (Jas 1:14) into turmoil, fear, suspicion and judgment and by cutting us off from our fellowship with others. The accuser divides by using the truth with a twist in it that is hard to recognize and that brings convincing accusations in three areas seeking to separate us: From God, His Word or His Person (Ge 3:1-5; Job 1:9). From our true self, the person God is calling us to become (1 Co 4:3-4; 2 Co 7:9-11). From others, as God sees them (Ge 3:11-13; Job 2:4; Zec 3:3; Lk 9:56, Rv 12:10-12). Satan and his kingdom deceive, tempt, destroy, and accuse. Accusation and condemnation are the exact opposite of what God is doing through Christ. Paul says that God neither accuses, nor condemns us (Ro 8:32-35). His desire is for the one in sin to be gently restored (Gal 6:1-2). Until death comes, there is always hope for restoration to God and separation from sins through repentance, grace and faith. We are meant to keep heaven s hard won (at the cross), hope-filled perspective in our hearts towards everyone. So let s settle this once and for all: accusation and condemnation come from the enemy not God. Satan measures out his charges with just enough apparent truth to hook us but he

2 always twists our thoughts away from God s perspective of grace and mercy. His activity is described as unrelenting and unceasing (Rv 12:7-11). How accusation got its start. Satan, whose name means adversary, began with accusations against God s Word in the Garden (Ge 3:1-5). Adam and Eve were drawn away from trusting God and fell into separation from God and spiritual death along with it. Although they did not realize it, they now had a new father the devil whose nature entered them and whose own image and ways were beginning to distort the Image of God they carried (Jn 8:31-38). When the Lord returned, He said something astonishing to Adam: Who told you that you were naked? (Ge 3:11). God s word to Adam was meant to open his eyes to see that the accuser was still speaking to him, no longer through the snake, but through Adam s own thought processes! Under the pressure of his own inward sense of condemnation, Adam goes on to accuse Eve of being the reason for his decision to sin. Notice that this carries with it a subtle accusation against God for giving Eve to him in the first place. Then Eve joins in by accusing the serpent, thus seeking to shift blame from herself. Here it is evident that the accuser now has subverted humanity to do his work of accusation for him unaware (Ge 3:9-13). 2 Accusation goes global. Having established his kingdom through such slight devices of accusation in the Garden, the enemy has expanded his operations to cover the earth. John on Patmos was given a vision of the enemy as no longer a serpent, but a mighty dragon. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Revelation 12:9-10 Notice that salvation, strength, kingdom and power come when this formidable enemy is cast down. The choice is before us: will we serve the Accuser or will we make a quality decision to cast down all accusations that try to rise up within us against God, self or others? Let the voice from the Garden become silenced. Turn off radio Satan and live in the Kingdom! Recognize accusing thoughts. Accusation is a counterfeit of the true knowledge of God. It is a wrong use of genuine discernment. The Holy Spirit may indeed allow us to see sin in another person or our self. But a spirit of accusation will seek to bind the person to their sin and separate us from them. Learn to recognize the voice of the accuser the way selfcondemnation speaks to you or the way offended self-righteousness seeks to speak through you to others. Seek to be aware of where your thoughts are coming from check the source! Any internal accusation, no matter how legitimate and well-deserved it may seem, is still coming from the enemy, not from God. The Spirit within us convicts us or reveals the wrongs of others, but never condemns us or others (Ro 8:1-2, 32-35). A spirit of accusation seeks to turn discernment into judgment and condemnation. We are indeed called to discern good and evil (He 5:14), but one of the greatest evils is to accuse or judge another (Mt 7:1-5). Godly thoughts come from God s Word Other people (speaking by the Spirit) The Holy Spirit Our renewed mind (the mind of Christ in us) Accusing thoughts come from The world Other people (speaking by the enemy) An accusing spirit Our un-renewed mind (of the old nature) Cast down the accuser. We are to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against God (2Co 10:3-6 KJV). Accusation is a high thing, because it puts us above another in judgment of them and because it rises up within us against the clear command of

3 God not to do it. Recognize accusing thoughts and separate from them before they separate you from God, self or others. Learn to cast down accusations against God (anger, unbelief, discouragement); against others (judgments, un-forgiveness, slander); against self (condemnation, shame, regret). Join with Jesus in continual intercession (He 7:25)! End notes for Discerning the Enemy 1. For the effect of accusation on the body: Teaching and insights from Be In Health teaching and materials, Dr. Henry W. Wright, Thomaston, Georgia, seminar notes, October For the insights stemming from Who told you : Ibid. If someone offered you a poisonous snake, what would you do? Take it to your bosom and let it bite you? Or would you say, No thank you, I don t shake hands with snakes! Whenever we have listened to accusing words condemning us and putting us down, we had a choice: to let the words fall off of us, or to take them to heart and let them bite into us, infecting us with their poison. God is not asking any of us to take into our own hearts the accusing words of others. His word to us is I do not accuse you! (see the Sword and Shield section). Make a list of things that people have said to you (that hurt you) in one column and the reasons in God why you do not have to believe those words or feel what the enemy wants you to feel. Hurtful accusations I have received Reasons in God for not taking them to heart Have someone in the class read Revelation 12:7-11. Then ask the following three questions for them to explore in the text using their Biblical knowledge: 1) How does a serpent become a dragon? We are shown two prophetic images: one from the dawn of time and the other from the end of this age. In the first we are reminded of Satan as a serpent (deceiving only two people); in the second he is shown as a mighty dragon, which has deceived the whole world. How did that serpent become a dragon? Hint: how do babies grow? How do we keep expanding? Also see Isaiah 5:14 for an enduring image. The answers to questions 1 and 3 are at the end of the chapter. 2) What 4 great things will come to you, if you cast down the accuser? Assuredly this is a prophetic picture of the whole earth s liberation from the Accuser. But is it

4 not fair to say that if we make a quality decision to cast down the accuser, these same four things will come to us? Have the group discuss a) how it feels when they were filled with accusations (toward God, self or others) were any of the four great things moving very strongly in them? What is it like for them when they are living under the Mercy, receiving and giving mercy? 3) How is Satan accusing the brethren day and night to God? Is Satan actually in heaven haranguing God 24/7? In Job we were shown that Satan spends his time going to and fro across the earth (Job 1:7). Paul says that we wrestle against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12) meaning over the earth, but surely not within the highest heaven where God dwells (2Co 12:2). Satan evidently enters heaven to demand to sift people at times (Job, Peter) or to accuse them even in God s presence (Zec 3:1-4) but this is not the same thing as living continually in the very realm he detests! So how is he accusing the brethren 24/7 right before God? Really dig into this before looking up the answer. 4) Now have the group pray in repentance for any and all agreements with the accuser and purpose before God to cast him down the next time he starts twisting the Truth. Accusation seeks to separate us from God, self and others by twisting Truth. All accusing and condemning thoughts come from the enemy not God. Giving voice to the enemy s accusations became second nature to Adam and Eve. We need to frequently check the source to see who we have been listening to. Accusation seeks to turn discernment of sin into judgment and condemnation. True discernment eagerly joins Jesus at the mercy seat interceding for sinners. When the Accuser is cast down Kingdom power and authority can come to you. Conviction versus condemnation. Learn to discern! How can you tell the difference between conviction by the Holy Spirit versus condemnation by the enemy? Conviction shows us the problem, separates us from it and shows us the way out within an embrace of love and acceptance. Condemnation binds us to the problem, makes no separation between us and the sin and shows us no way out while threatening us with judgment and displeasure. It is the way of the world and it s deadly; conviction is the Way of the Lord it s life-giving! Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner...for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Cor. 7:9-11 Conviction by the Spirit Always points to true guilt Knows grace exists Leads to contrition (sorry you sinned) Targets your sin (that was wrong) Explains and reasons Illuminates your path Specific wrong is clarified Brings repentance Feels light and right May not be ready to repent, but you agree with Truth. Condemnation by the enemy Often heaps on false guilt No grace exists Leads to feeling worthless, inept (a sorry sinner) Attacks your person (you are bad) Accuses and condemns Darkens your understanding Fog of general wrongness sinks in Spreads confusion Feels heavy and wrong May be willing to confess to anything, but you still can t get free. Repenting of true sins brings restoration and freedom from true guilt: Confess the sin (requires faith in Christ's shed blood) and receive God s mercy.

5 Resisting the accusation of false guilt produces freedom from condemnation: Confess the Truth (requires courage to live what you believe) and resist the devil. See the difference? That s discernment! Still need freedom? Take the Hebrews 4:16 elevator to the top: go boldly to the throne of grace, get the mercy you need to reestablish your heart, then stand against the accuser. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 The accuser loves to twist the Word. Learn to straighten out your own thinking in these all important matters and take your stand against accusation by these Words of Truth. (See also Isa 50:7-9; Ac 13:38-39; Ro 5:1-2; Ro 5:18-19; 1Co 6:11; Eph 1:3-6.) But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin." Romans 4:5-8 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:6-10 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:30-34 Since we reap what we sow (Gal 6:7), we need to first repent of and cease our accusations against others, then we will be in a position to receive grace for living under greater freedom from inward accusations and condemning thoughts within ourselves (Mt 5:7, 7:2; Lk 6:38). Father, because what goes around comes back around, help me truly repent of all the accusing thoughts I have cherished towards others and all of the hurtful accusing words I have spoken. Surely, as much as I have felt the pain of accusation by others, I know that others have been hurt by me. Forgive me and break the power of what I have done in agreement with the Accuser and help all of them get free of any pain I have caused. Grant that I would become an intercessor, not an accuser of others.

6 Confess and renounce in the generations of your family on both sides. Repent for each spirit you have entertained. Then confess and believe in the way God s Word is telling you to go.* Example: Father, I renounce (Bitter judgments, Bitterness ) in the generations of my fathers and I repent of having walked in it myself. I repent of my own sin of (Holding someone to his or...). Forgive me and break its power over me and off my generations. Bitter judgments Holding someone to his or her past Holding a record of wrongs Refusing to accept a person who changed Refusing to believe a person may change Inner vows never to be like someone Bitterness (coming out of accusation) Being easily offended and easy to offend Making judgmental and cutting remarks Having a critical spirit and judgmental attitude Being indifferent to others, hardness, apathy Rejection of others Negative view of people in general Suspicion Mistrust and fear Prejudice and bigotry by class or race Paranoia; worried what others are saying Quick to believe the worst of a person Division Focusing on others weaknesses Spreading strife and misunderstandings Gossip, innuendo, tale-bearing, slander Listening to gossip Self-seeking Competition (I must win to be OK) Envy and jealousy Comparison of myself to others Comparison of others to myself Self-exaltation Becoming another s Holy Spirit (an oracle of all truth and judgment) Personal likes and dislikes (as if they were a standard for others) Perfectionism Self-condemnation (hidden pride) Self-accusation Self-blame Self-shame Feelings of unworthiness Feelings of insecurity Embarrassment, self-consciousness Blame-shifting Accusing others of something I excuse in myself Making someone else guilty of my problem *Renunciation list modified from Be In Health teaching and materials, Dr. Henry W. Wright, Thomaston, Georgia, seminar notes, October What would it be like to go through the day with positive thoughts filling your mind? Well, here is a practical way to begin: just consider how much of the day is spent thinking about people we know. Let s begin there! Make a list of the people you think about the most. Now write beside their names a list of their positive qualities. Begin rehearsing these when the thought of them comes to mind and then thank God for those qualities. Jesus says, bless and do not curse! This not only dismantles the work of the Accuser, it also builds love. Persons I often think of Their positive qualities I want to dwell upon Answer to Discussion Question 1: The enemy has grown large by feeding upon us! His kingdom is extended by anything and everything that we do not surrender up to God in trust and/or obedience in thought, word, or deed. Oops! Answer to Discussion Question 3: Is it not through those who are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6) who perpetually have the ear of the Father and are being listened to by Him day and night? Oops again!