Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ~Genesis 3:1-5
Since the creation of the world, Satan has not altered his tactics in leading people away from the Word of God. His formula is simple and almost always has these three points: Doubt, Deny, and Exalt. He leads us to doubt what God has said, to deny the truth of His word, and ultimately to exalt ourselves to the level of God.
Satan led Eve to question what God had said, refuted God's promised consequence of disobedience, and led her astray with promises of being like God. The fact is that, regardless of what Satan would have them believe, Adam and Eve did die that very day. The moment they chose to go their own way and listen to Satan, they died a spiritual death that ultimately removed them from them very presence of God. This single sin introduced something unnatural and foreign into God's perfect creation: death.
By twisting the truth and playing to human pride, Satan was able to separate man from the garden and from God's presence and place himself as head and ruler over the now fallen world (2 Corinthians 4:4). At least, that is what he believes. Satan's suffers from the same delusions that he attempts to inflict upon all of us. He wants to exalt himself over God (Isaiah 14:12-14). Nevertheless, there will come a day when we will all see Satan for what he really is and wonder that this poor creature was the cause of so much trouble (Isaiah 14:15-19). All the world's sin, all the world's death, all the world's depravity, all the world's evil came into God's creation through man by means of deception and a single bite of fruit. The fact is that we do not grasp the seriousness of sin nor the holiness of God.
In what aspect of your life or your faith are you entertaining doubts about what God has said to you? Are you allowing the serpent to whisper lies and deceits in your ear denying the truth of God's Word? Are you placing yourself and your own judgement on the throne of your life, exalting yourself to the position of the Most High and overruling the Word of God in some area of your life?
Pray that God might reveal those areas of your life where you are doubting or denying the truth of His Word. Ask Him to humble you in any area where you are placing yourself or your own judgement above His. While we may fool ourselves into thinking we know best, the truth is always that we only find true rest, peace, and fulfillment by resting in Him.
Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. ~Matthew 11:28-30
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