This One Is Mine

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Monday, July 18, 2005

Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Zechariah 3:2

Do you ever get sick and tired of being ripped off by the devil? Does it seem that in your Christian life, you take one step forward and two steps back? Have you ever felt condemned for your sin and wanted to just give up? If so, listen up. I have some good news for you. Your life as a Christian does not have to continue on this way.

One tactic the devil uses over and over again is that he first tempts you to sin and then accuses you once you give in to that sin. And having led you into sin, he doesn't just leave you to suffer the consequences. Instead, he wants to make sure that you are doubly defeated. He wants to drive you away from the presence of God.

We see this illustrated in the book of Zechariah, where the prophet had a vision from the Lord one night:

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Zechariah 3:1-2)

Here is Joshua standing condemned, just like us when we sin. The devil was going for the kill—but suddenly he stopped in his tracks. Why? Because God basically said, "Hands off. This is a brand plucked from the fire. This one belongs to me. This one is mine."

Aren't you glad you are His? Don't let the devil drive you away from the presence of God.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000