Ogilvie tells the story that Martin Luther dreamt that Satan appeared to him reading a long scroll with all his many sins from his birth on. As the reading of the list proceeded, Luther's terrors grew until he finally jumped up and cried, "It is all true, Satan, and many more sins I have committed in my life which are known to God only; but write at the bottom of your list, 'the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin.' "
Then grasping the ink well on his table, he threw it at the devil, who immediately fled.
I read the ink spot story yesterday after reading the following scripture from Zachariah 3:1-4:
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan: "The LORD rebuke you Satan!...." Now Joshua was dressed with filthy (the Hebrew word here means human excrement!) clothes as he stood before the angel. So He spoke to those standing before him, "Take of his filthy clothes!" Then He said to him, "See I have removed your guilt from you and I will clothe you with splendid robes."
What a perfect picture of us standing there in our grime at the moment we come to the Lord. Then, it's as if He says, "Welcome, I've been waiting for you!" He completely removes the guilt and grime and dresses us in a new, splendid robe of white. No spot or stain visible.
Satan wants to keep us in our guilt, despair, depression or whatever has us groveling in the dirt. But he will run from us if we even whisper the name of Jesus.
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