FBC Daily Devotions

by Mako Kato

Revelation 12:10-12

The accuser has been thrown down.  Satan has been defeated.  How?
Like we read yesterday, Michael and his angels defeated Satan and his angels, but the reason for the defeat is found in verse 11: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

It’s not that Michael was better at wielding a flaming sword – it’s by the blood of the Lamb.  Once Jesus died and rose again, we as Christians became free from the accusations of Satan after we believed in Him.  His accusations no longer have merit, because we have been made clean.

How do we live now?  Jesus is our utmost example, but we also have the example of those Christians who went before us and died for the faith.  They also are mentioned in verse 11.  It says they “loved not their lives even unto death.”

This world teaches us to love our earthly lives.  To have a good job, nice house, nice family: To live the American Dream.  Could we turn our backs on this life and die for Christ?  It’s hard enough for me to risk embarrassment for Christ, much less persecution.  I want to look good in this world.  But that shouldn’t be the point.  We aren’t living for this world, and we aren’t living for the American Dream. We’re living for Christ and He said:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12 ESV

We are called to persevere.  We are called to pick up our cross.  We are called to count nothing as important as Christ, to know only Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2.)