“For the accuser of our others and sisters, who accuses them before God day and night, has been hurled down.” (Revelation 12:10 NIV)
There is an accuser. All our shame comes from someone. We think we are the source, but no, there is an unseen voice instigating, perpetuating our personal distress over wrong doing. He reinforces our reluctance to forgive. He helps us find folks to blame instead of owning our own choices. He plies us to pull people down with us, the way drowning souls sacrifice others for their own clumsy attempts at salvation.
Satan is the original narcissist and he seeks to indoctrinate us in his ways. He fell from heaven and hopes to include as many as possible in his hell-bound descent. It’s not enough that he’s destroyed his own relationship with the Almighty, he must entangle others.
“How far you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to earth, You who once laid the nations!”
(Isaiah 14:12 NIV)
Satan is the original Absolom; the beautiful prince who’s gone horribly astray, leading a nation to its death. He hopes to ensnare others, infecting them with his arrogance and pride. We see this as early on as his conversation with the woman in Eden:
“For God knows when you eat from it your eyes will be open and you will be like God; knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4 NIV)
Was the serpent referring to God the Father or was he referring to the god of self, knowing good and evil because he’d firsthand experienced both? From the beginning, the accuser has been interfering. He looks to destroy our relationship with our Creator (as in the Garden) and our relationship with others (as Cain and Abel).
Let’s examine the signs and symptoms of a narcissist:
- Inflated sense of their own importance.
- Need for excessive admiration.
- Troubled relationships.
- Lack of empathy.
- Fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to slightest criticism.
- Willing to take advantage of others to get what they want.
It’s a quick jury when it comes to our fallen angel. The evidence leaves little doubt. He is the poster child of narcissism and he works hard to recreate his personality in God’s people.
So how do we stand up to the accuser? How do we deal with his lies, accusations, blame-shifting and inability to offer forgiveness? We stay in the conversation with our Creator. We refuse to let sin sustain interruption: we insulate ourselves from this loss of connectivity through daily confession. We ask plainly, “Lord, how have I hurt You today? Where have I chose me over You? Over others?” We clearly identify the agenda and tactics of the fallen angel and we refuse to play into his hand.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19 NIV)
Our accuser’s goal is that we may be made like him. This would further prove his self-proclaimed status as a god. Our goal is to be like Christ: remade into His image and no one else’s. This will require regular sustained effort on our part as we make choices toward Him and as we accurately identify and reject the attacks and agendas of our enemy, the accuser.
Lord, help us in this fight. We are so easily swayed by feelings and so slow to recognize their source. May we become familiar with the traits and tactics of the fallen angel and be on guard against their infiltration into our own hearts. Give us the guts to practice confession daily. Make us more like You and less like him. Amen.