Never Believe the Devil
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
"You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:1-7
"You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:1-7
The Bible's recounting of the fall of man begins with a description of Satan, the instigator, as a crafty person. A crafty person is someone who is "sly, subtly deceitful and cunning." The effectiveness of Satan's craftiness is evident in the way he undermined the integrity of God by causing Eve to doubt the good intentions of God. Satan successfully convinced Eve that God was not interested in their ultimate well-being but was selfishly keeping them away from becoming as knowledgeable and powerful as God Himself. Eve swallowed the lie and the results were catastrophic.
The strategies of Satan have not changed, neither has his agenda. His sole goal is to steal, kill and destroy. His greatest strategy is subtle deception and craftiness. He talks about how tasty the fruit is but not the resultant loss of glory and the covering of leaves. He talks about the highs but not the consequent lows. Satan will do everything to convince us that God is not interested in our well-being so we should not listen to God. But that is a lie from the pit of hell. God so loves us that He sent His only Son to die for us. God so loves us that He has given us His Word and His Spirit to guide and empower us. Believing Satan's lie puts us on the path to destruction. Satan deceives and destroys.
The road of life is littered with many of Satan's victims who bought into His lie. Never believe the Devil. He is your adversary, not your advocate! The Spirit who lives in you is your help. Depend on Him and you will not fall prey to the Devil's deception. May the everlasting arms of our loving God sustain and protect you.
The strategies of Satan have not changed, neither has his agenda. His sole goal is to steal, kill and destroy. His greatest strategy is subtle deception and craftiness. He talks about how tasty the fruit is but not the resultant loss of glory and the covering of leaves. He talks about the highs but not the consequent lows. Satan will do everything to convince us that God is not interested in our well-being so we should not listen to God. But that is a lie from the pit of hell. God so loves us that He sent His only Son to die for us. God so loves us that He has given us His Word and His Spirit to guide and empower us. Believing Satan's lie puts us on the path to destruction. Satan deceives and destroys.
The road of life is littered with many of Satan's victims who bought into His lie. Never believe the Devil. He is your adversary, not your advocate! The Spirit who lives in you is your help. Depend on Him and you will not fall prey to the Devil's deception. May the everlasting arms of our loving God sustain and protect you.
Prayer: Lord, may the power of your Spirit undergird and uphold me. May my heart be so full of your word that there will be no room for the Enemy's deception to take root in me. Amen.