"The False Accuser"

"Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the Son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve." (John 6:70-71 KJV)

  "And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

 If there is one thing that I am really always struggling with, it is always thinking of the worst possible things, not the good and pleasant things. Thinking good thoughts about any situation, is something that I really need to be better at putting into practice. Actually, it should be what we are meant to demonstrate in and through every situation or circumstance that God allows in our lives. 

 I have heard it said that Judas was totally disconnected from what Jesus came here for, and that he was expecting that if Jesus was the Messiah, there would be some sort of effort to take back the land from Roman rule, or at least establish His kingdom on earth. But when Jesus spoke of being put to death, it was something that Judas was completely confused over, and his heart turned against Jesus, from that point on. 

 The term "devil" that Jesus used is that of a false accuser or apposing the cause of God; much the same as when Jesus rebuked Peter, but on a little different level. In the process of thinking about certain things, it is really easy to take the wrong opinion on something, set a course in the wrong direction, and find yourself miles and miles away from the truth. Somewhere along that path, you will either have a change of heart, or you will harden your heart. Judas hardened his heart.

 As we know, Judas hung himself for what he had done, because of regret! Proof to the fact that he really did not understand what Jesus came for, and he absolutely did not understand the message of the cross! To share something that I believe, hopefully without getting in too much trouble: I believe that Judas could have been forgive, had he asked to be forgiven! Also, because Jesus said what He said about the condition of Judas' fate, it was because Jesus also knew what Judas would do, in the taking of his own life. 

 Jesus chose Judas knowing full well who he was and what he would turn out to be. It was all part of the plan for fulfilling all the Scriptures and for getting the task set before Him done. There are many things going on all around us, we have no idea what is going on, but God's plans are always being worked out to His purposes and will. 

 Recently I have been struggling with some financial issues; not that there is anything new with that, because I am terrible at controlling my finances. For pretty much the last decade or more, I have made every effort to tithe 10% of everything that passes through my hands; even though most of it gets passed elsewhere. But, for some strange reason, a question came up in my mind, that maybe I was giving too much, and that I should only be tithing on that which is mine personally and not what is going to anyone else. 

 To that, I say, 'Get behind me Satan!' As I shared this with someone dear to me yesterday, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to explain: "What is this little bit in this hand, compared to the abundance in God's hand!" What a fool to even consider cheating on God! 

 When I first met with the IRS in March of 2010, the amount I owed on unpaid taxes was quite a lot compared to my resources. The first part of the process was to fill out some budget statements, listing all of my income and assets, and all of my expenses. In the expense portion there was no place to list my tithes and offerings, so I made a line for them, and listed it anyways. 

 The Agent that was dealing with my case, quickly told me that those expenses were not allowed to be listed, because I owed them money, so I wasn't allowed to give money away. So, I quickly explained my belief in God and that it was important to tithe. And then I added, "I am prepared to offer you that amount as a monthly payment, but I will still be tithing on matter what; and I will let God work it all out." 

 Two years into my five years of giving, I was confronted by this same Agent as I parked in front of his office. He said, do you have another payment for me, and I said yes. Then he answered, "He just keeps on giving," as he walked away. Don't ever doubt God's ability to do anything! And even if it does not happen the way you might think, don't ever stop giving of what you have been given, or have that which you have committed to give. God loves a cheerful giver...

""Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! "But you ask, 'What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?' "You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 3:8-11 NLT)