Genesis 3:1-4 – 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’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 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.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Family and Friends, I despise saying anything that may seem positive about the devil, the enemy of our souls (Ephesians 6:10-12). I usually don’t even write his names because then I would have to capitalize them and I don’t want to even give him the honor of capitalizing his name or any reference to him. I don’t even like to use a pronoun referring to him at the beginning of a sentence because then the pronoun would be capitalized. The sin that made him a monster started with the sin of pride being found in him. So I don’t want to be a contributor to his monstrous pride. Now, I may, unwittingly write his name, or capitalize a pronoun referring to him, but it is always unwittingly. So this is not an obsession, rather it is preference, but not a self-made rule to be hung up on (even a self-made rule that I loathe to break can be a hindrance to the freedom I have in Christ). Too often I have honored him with the sin that I, weakened by the flesh (Matthew 26:41), despairingly do after I have come to Jesus. I strive not to sin and to not contribute to his prideful victories over me but oh too often I do. He is my adversary and in his mind he is the adversary to our God (though God has no equal to truly be His adversary (Job 23:13), and it is my choice to not give him any honor as best as I can live that out.
Therefore when I say that the devil is brilliant at his craft, that is keeping men from coming to Christ (though really he had not led any to hell who did not have a predilection to going there [John 3:20]), or troubling the ones who have come to Him so as to loosen their grip on the Righteous Way (though again he only leads men away whose hearts were unhealthy from the start [Ephesians 4:18]), I only describe his skill at his craft in such a way because it is truth. Though there is no honor in leading believers astray (woe to all such as he (Luke 17:1) he certainly has many powerful ways of deceiving men and women into sin, so powerful, that for all generations they remain potent to work on mankind. Yet as powerful as his wiles may be, they ultimately are exposed by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) who is in all who belong to God and whose heart is healthy and desires to stay with the Lord.
Our enemy was cunning as he exposed our mother Eve’s imprecise understanding of what God had said to her and our father Adam. She slightly misquoted God and that allowed the enemy to be able to confuse her and lead her like with enticements that tickled her innocent soul. An innocent child can be tricked by offered sweets from a dangerous adult, and so the enemy preyed upon her innocence. Tragically, all of humanity, including her husband, suffered because of the evil of the enemy deceiving Eve and seducing Adam. Evil always either wants to destroy good, or dirty it. Evil does not believe in “live and let live.”
Lest we think that we cannot be deceived we should know that having that thought is an avenue that the enemy may use to deceive. We must always, without the fouling mixture of fear, be assessing ourselves and praying to God to reveal our own weaknesses to us and to rid us of them.
If one has a ministry that they are earnestly endeavored to do well unto the Lord, and for the most part, as is in their will, are faithful to do it, the enemy can foul even the blessing that the Lord has given us to do. For example, if one is given a task which requires a daily, weekly, or monthly carrying out the enemy can tempt us to forget that we were given the ministry as a blessing to ourselves and for others. Our ministry is not a task from a slave master, but a gift from a loving Father. Yet, if we are not continuously and purposely mindful that what we are called to do is an honor and blessing, then it is possible to, even while not being resentful of the task, to put our own burdens on the task that do not belong. Eve added the restriction of not touching the forbidden fruit, but God did not forbid the touching of it, only the eating of it. The enemy can trouble us into thinking that we did not study enough, or do it early enough, or were not gleeful enough in carrying out of a God given ministry. We may then begin to fret over how well we are carrying out our ministry. Now, while is good to assess our efforts and fine tune or clean up our efforts as necessary, we must also not be too hard on ourselves. The ministry we are given is a blessing and not a burden. We must remember that results belong to God and our responsibility is merely faithfully doing as we are called to do. In example, if God calls us to pick up five pebbles and move them from one location to another, then, once done, we are done. We needn’t concern ourselves of the why or the results of what we have done. Our goal is to obey God. Once the pebbles are moved then we are done and we have only to look forward to our next assignment. Also, what if one was going to leave at six in the morning to do a ministry, but instead leaves at six-fifteen in the morning. The enemy will surely pounce on that to condemn. Or what if one is sick, or genuinely needs rest, and does not do a daily task, the enemy would like such a one to believe that God is unhappy with them and thereby bring a burden upon that person that the Lord does not want the person to have. The enemy uses our intention to be perfect for God and turns it against us. He knows that none of us are perfect and so he waits for a time to seize upon an imperfection. The Lord knows our frailties and where our frailties are His grace abounds all the more! (Romans 5:20, Psalm 103:14)
Family, the supposed angry God who pounces upon our weaknesses and condemns us for them is a lie perpetuated by the enemy. The one who pounces upon our imperfections is not our good and loving God, but the enemy and even our poor flesh waited understanding. It is the devil who desires to hurt and lead astray. It is God who loves, heals, and keeps us close. Our God is the One who loved us and calls us home. He is the One who gave Himself. He does not condemn the right heart, but makes it alive, whole and healthy. He has given everything to call us to Himself (Romans 8:32). So we need to believe and cling to the true Word of God that says that Jesus came to bring liberty and life (John 8:36, John 14:6) to us and not condemnation to us (John 3:17). Do not allow the enemy to put into you self-doubt and condemnation because you miss a day. God does not overwhelm us. He gives us rest. Sure, we endeavor to do our best for the Lord, but remember that God is not one who smashes us along a wrong path, but the One who lovingly and tenderly picks us up and puts us back on the safe path that He has individually designed for all of us. So let us serve God in joy and with freedom because He loves us. He has not freed us to bring sporadically inject us with fear, but so that we may live and rejoice as we walk in His love with His adoring eyes focused on us. Praise God for the liberty we have in the Lord! We are free! Jesus paid the full price! Praise God who loves us so! Yes, praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”