In Christ, the Accuser has nothing on you!

Believers who’s righteousness is found in Christ, when the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to write the words “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” - 1 Peter 5:8, he was talking about religious leaders that the devil uses to try to make you feel that you are not really a child of God because you sinned or because you are not "righteous enough"; those that tell you that you have to perform some tasks (that only they can prescribe) in order for you to be re-saved! The bible interprets this for us in Matthew 27 and Psalm 22.

As Jesus hung on the cross, the people, including the religious leaders of the day mocked Him - Matt. 27:39-40 – “And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

These highly religious people were echoing the same words that the devil tempted Jesus with in the wilderness “If you are the Son of God…”

Also check out v.41-43 of the same passage – “Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

Little did they know that they were fulfilling Psalm 22, where King David prophesied the suffering of the Messiah with their exact words -

7All those who see Me ridicule Me;

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;

Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Psalm 22:12-13 is where we see that it is the religious leaders that asked Jesus to perform works (save Himself from the cross) in order to prove that He is the Son of God that are the devil going about ‘ like a roaring lion’ seeking whom to devour!

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

13 They gape at Me with their mouths,

Like a raging and roaring lion.

Believers, the devil will not come at you looking all ugly and scary just as his agents will never come to you “babalawo” style. According to Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:13 - 15, they present themselves as the real deal in Christ! - “ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

Believers, the devil walking about like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour is any religious leader that makes you doubt that you are saved once and for all; any leader that tells you that you have to perform some tasks or do good deeds in order to prove yourself to be a child of God or get right with Him, even when the bible says that this is how to get cut off from Christ (Galatians 5:4); any leader that tells you that God surely cannot love or bless you because of your kind of sins and addictions so you need to transform yourself into the kind of person that God blesses. Believers, the reason Jesus came is to deliver you from these same things! If you could stop doing them on your own, you don’t need Jesus!

John 3:16 tells us all we need to do to be saved; to be in right standing with God – BELIEVE! And even this is not by our strength, lest any man should boast.

Believe Right and you will Live Right!