Embracing
our Trials—The Book of Revelation
Rick Joyner
We come to one of
the most exciting and dramatic signs in Revelation:
“Then 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 brethren has been thrown down, he who
accuses them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10).
The accuser is
cast down! One of the most difficult trials Christians deal with is false
accusation. This is why the Lord uses the accuser as one of the primary
instruments to challenge and thereby strengthen His people to become
overcomers. If we know that God approves of us, then it should not matter what
anyone else on earth thinks of us. We will be free of one of the strongest
yokes of bondage—the shackle of human expectation and seeking to please men.
Knowing how crucial it is to
have our faith in God and not men, it should never surprise us when we’re faced
with false accusations. We should embrace them as an opportunity to reaffirm
our encouragement and faith. In fact, the fear of men, or seeking the
respect, honor, or recognition of men is probably the biggest trap—and one of
the biggest destroyers of faith in God—that we will face as servants of God.
Below are a few Scriptures that confirm this.
“But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me Satan! You are a stumbling
block to Me; for you are not
setting your mind on God's interests but man's’" (Matthew 16:23).
How would you like to be
called “Satan” by the Son of God? That may be the most severe rebuke in the
Bible, and it was the result of Peter setting his mind on man’s interests
instead of God’s. If we are going to be the servants of the King of kings, then
no other interests or sympathies can be allowed to compromise our devotion to
His interests. We are called to love all men, even lay down our lives for them,
but never side with interests that are not aligned with God’s. These constant
attacks of the accuser help us to steel this resolve.
"How can you believe when you
seek glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is
from the one and only true God" (John 5:44)?
The Greek word
translated “glory” in this verse is also sometimes translated “recognition.”
Here we see that one of the major destroyers of faith is seeking the glory or
recognition of men rather than from God. The Son of God asks how we can believe
if we’re seeking the recognition of man rather than God. To serve the King of
kings and be His messengers, we must have a single-minded devotion to seek His
approval and recognition alone. Any compromise of this will likely lead to
compromise in other areas of our life.
Have you ever
wondered why the Lord fled to the mountains when the people came to make Him
King? This seemed to be a well-meaning acknowledgement from the people of who
He was, but it was actually one of the most presumptuous acts of men. If the
people give us our authority, then they can also take it away. If we are
constantly seeking the favor of the people, who is going to rule? The people
could not make Jesus King because He was born King. He was made King by His
Father and, therefore, the only one He had to please was His Father. That is
how He lived.
There is probably
no greater freedom that we can ever know than to live in the pure and holy fear
of the Lord instead of the fear of man. This is not just about our freedom, but
also about the King receiving the undivided and total dedication of His
servants.
The devil’s constant
tactic to distract us into being overly concerned about what people think of us
to a large degree by using false accusations. Embrace each one as the opportunity
it is to resist the devil’s temptation, and soon he will flee from you. Until
he has been cast down, or fled, don’t waste your trials. Embrace false
accusations as the great opportunity they are to be even more resolutely
focused on doing the will of the King and pleasing Him in all things.