Accuser or Advocate

by Kelly Knowlden

Satan, the accuser, presents himself to the Lord in the book of Job. Lying and twisting truth, he accuses God’s blessing of Job as being the reason why Job fears the Lord. When his plotting and conniving do not get him his desired results, he tears at Job’s body until he is a pile of sores.

Contrast that with the Lord Jesus Christ. Even in His moment of agony on the cross, he breathed out words of life for a dying thief, promising him paradise.

Now make application. How do we speak? What kinds of words are ours to our children? Do we speak words that accuse, or come alongside to help? If we stand back from the circumstances of our home life as if we were the observer seeing it all on video, would we see interactions that promote peace or are the blaming, accusing words that tear down?

Probably a bigger question is, “Why do I resort to words that point out faults?” Answers like, “My parents always spoke that way to me and I learned it,” may address the shaping influences but not my heart. For if I am in Christ, and know Him as Savior, He has promised me a Helper to live in me and give me power to change. That power is that which raised Jesus Christ from the dead! So help in identifying my real problem will come from seeking Him. Here is often the way that I think: “My sensibilities are offended when I see children doing what they ought not to do and THEY KNOW IT! I respond in the moment as though I would never do what I know I ought not to do... I point my fingers (roll my eyes, sigh, shake my head, yell, communicate my disgust) and in reality, make myself out to be God. I become the accuser, prosecutor, the jury and the judge.”

“O Lord, undo my pride that makes me be the accuser. Teach me what it is to come alongside my children when they do what is wrong. Forgive me for my arrogance in making me out to be God. I trust you to change me. Amen.”