Rightfully Accused yet Righteously Vindicated

For my birthday this year, I asked God for Ephesians 3:19 💖 – to know the Love of God AND to be a body wholly filled with the fullness of God.

Case in point – my most recent revelation and experience of God’s Love. It started with God’s response to a concern I shared with Him about a dream I had. The summary of the dream was that I was rightly accused of doing something wrong but there was no proof to support the accusation. I knew I was wrong, the accusation was right. The investigation was intense … there were witnesses but no actual evidence.

I woke up from this dream feeling a type of way – definitely not good. So I talked to God about it. I was worried that the dream depicted the possibility of me being found wanting.

In His response, God said to me:

” … they shall surely gather together and stir up strife to attack you, BUT NOT by Me – it is NOT from Me … nothing will come of their attempt … they will show to be in the wrong and will be dismissed as liars … every tongue that rises against you in judgement, you will condemn … you will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. This is your heritage – this peace, this righteousness, this triumph over opposition, is your heritage. This is the righteousness and vindication that you obtain from Me …”

Consciously, I applied God’s response to the relentless aggression of the investigator/investigation in my dream. I took His response to mean I need not worry about what my accuser does because it will be to no avail.

In retrospect, what I did not realize then was that, unconsciously, I utterly discounted the possibility that God was saying “Yes, you were wrong. Nevertheless I annul the rightful accusation of the accuser and declare you righteous”.

Clearly, I didn’t quite get what God was saying to me (at least not in its entirety). Sooooo, He told me again – this time through Zechariah 3:1-4

I wasn’t sure how to handle what I just read/saw. I was literally dumbfounded – my processor (human mind) froze … it could NOT compute!

Serves me right actually, I had no business processing the ways of God with my natural/human mind. Of course, it won’t make sense!

My heart believed (believes) the expression of God’s powerful love as depicted in Zechariah 3:1-4. It was (is) consistent with the things God has been revealing to me about Him. That said, my (conditioned) mind couldn’t quite reconcile this reality – the reality of the rightly accused being vindicated. It probably made a second attempt to dismiss this life-changing truth!

In trying to understand my response, I realized that my mind (very easily) was able to navigate being wrongly accused and vindicated but not being rightly accused and vindicated. It took a couple days and the grace of God for the latter to sink in!

Here’s a step-by-step personalized playback of what I saw in Zechariah 3:1-4:

I was in filthy (nauseatingly vile) garments YETGod let me in His presence. SeLaH – how many people would?

If I’m being honest, I most likely won’t let me in my own presence! Don’t judge me, I’m still a Work-in-Progress. Why do you think the HolySpirit keeps pouring God’s love into my heart Romans 5:5B 😊.

Here’s why God letting me in His presence, in spite of my filthy state, is particularly noteworthy: no one gains access to God except God grants it – John 6:44.

What a joyful privilege!

Playback continued …I was standing before El Roi and right next to me was the accuser. Whether or not he had proof of my wrongdoings was inconsequential. We were in the presence of the all-knowing, all-seeing God; He knew the accusation was right BUT He said to my accuser:I, the LORD, rebuke you. 😮 This right here was the part where it stopped making sense to my human mind!

For better contextual (and personal) understanding, I looked up the word rebuke and replaced the meaning with the word – here’s how it translates:God expressed sharp disapproval of my accuser’s right accusation! God disapproved of what my accuser was there to say/do (accuse me).

Alongside the rebuke, God reiterated and affirmed His stance regarding His choice of me! 💖

“… I choose her now and forever …”

Combining Ephesians 1:4 and Zechariah 3:2, it would read as follows:

“I chose her BEFORE the foundation of the world, I choose her NOW and FOREVER.” 💖

I wholeheartedly believe God affirmed His choice of me so I would hear it first hand and for myself.

He also went on to say:

“Is this not the returned captive, a log snatched and rescued from the fire? I reached in and pulled her out.” AMP, MSG

Dipping one’s hand in fire to pull out anything reflects care and unrelenting commitment (to say the least). In saying this, God expressed His love for me and the lengths He is willing to go for me (again) so that I would hear/know first hand and for myself.

Playback continued … Having done all these, God cleaned me up – replaced my filthy garment of wickedness with rich robes of forgiveness; He clothed and beautified me with priestly clothes – the garment of expressive praise instead of a heavy, burdened, falling, and disheartened spirit. Isaiah 61:3

As I pondered the truth and reality of the Love of God expressed in Zechariah 3:1-4, I saw (in a reinforcing way) that the MERCY of God is an expression of Who God is (LOVE).

Through Zechariah 3:1-4, I heard, saw, and connected with the Love, Mercy, and Peace of God like never before – it’s like I stepped into a whole new world!

A world where the Love of God (Salvation) has the final say. 💖

Being vindicated by a just God makes the vindication righteous, void of error, valid, and irrefutable – nothing and no one can gainsay!

Oh the power, beauty, and salvation of (and that is) the Love of God! 💖

I continue to learn and experience that:

4. The Mercy of God is my Salvation … I need only believe and receive it, no BUTs, no making sense (or trying to make sense) of it – ONLY believe and receive.

5. No matter the wrongdoing … no matter the source of the accusation – within (1 John 3:20) and/or without (Isaiah 54:15, Revelation 12:10), going to God is my best next move. His presence is exactly and always the place to be, particularly when I fall/fail.

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To the ONLY God – my Abba, Savior, and Salvation. The One Who (through my Lord Jesus Christ and by His Spirit) keeps me from stumbling, slipping, or falling … Who keeps me on my feet, standing tall in His bright presence … The One Who (with unspeakable and ecstatic delight) presents me unblemished, blameless, and faultless before and in the presence of His glory – to You be is endless and ALL glory, splendor, majesty, might, dominion, power, strength, authority, and rule from before You created time, now, and for all of eternity. AMEN!

Thank You Abba for the PEACE that stems from Your love, mercy, and salvation – You are my peace, my righteousness, and my vindication. Continue to enable me to receive Your love, mercy, and salvation without hesitation or reservation. Help me to never disregard, take lightly, misuse, or abuse Your love, mercy, salvation, and grace – none of which is an excuse to sin. Thank You for loving me the way You do.