Genesis 3:1-6
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.” When the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that
the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and
she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Application
Do you ever struggle with your thought-life? I do. Do you ever feel as though you are a disappointment to God
or to others? I do. Do you ever feel as though the
challenges before you are too great and that you can’t overcome? I do. Do you ever feel like giving up and giving in? I do.
If you’re like me and you find yourself saying “I do” to any
of the questions above, be encouraged.
I don’t have to give in to those thoughts and you don’t either. The key is knowing that these
accusations (and accusations they are) are not from God. Want proof? In Joshua 1:5, God says to Joshua, “No man will be able to
stand before you all the days or your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will
not fail you or forsake you.” In
Philippians 1:6, Paul writes, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He
who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” and
then in 4:13 of the same book, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens
me.” Colossians 1:13 states, “For
He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of
His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His
own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” These are but a few Scriptures that
flooded my mind the very moment I began to consider my evidence that the above
accusations are not from God.
These Scriptures are truth.
God is truth. The accusations
are a lie, coming from the father of lies. John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil and you want to
do the desires of your father. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because
there is no truth in him. Whenever
he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father
of lies”, whereas, Titus 1:2 speaks of God, and says “[He] cannot lie.”
How then do we overcome these accusations?
We must first realize that it is the enemy that plants these
thoughts in our heads with a desire to lead us into sin and/or to keep us from experiencing the abundant life God has for us. In Genesis
3, we read that it was the serpent, the craftiest of any beast the Lord had
made, who suggested that Eve ought to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was the serpent who first suggested
disobedience. It was the serpent
who first planted the notion that God’s truth was not in fact true.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We destroy arguments
and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every
thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when
your obedience is complete.” Had
Eve responded by taking her thoughts captive and refusing to engage with the
serpent, history could have played out very differently. Instead, though, she chose to entertain
the idea that the fruit was indeed pleasing to the eyes and desirable to make
her wise. The time she spent
considering the serpent’s offer is the time that was needed for her temptation
to blossom into sin.
The key to not believing the lies is to not fall prey to
entertaining them. Instead, we
need to take every thought captive.
In chapter 1, verses 12-15 of the book bearing his name,
James writes,
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for
when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has
promised to those who love Him.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God
cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is
lured and enticed by his own desire.
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is
fully grown brings forth death.”
See the progression…
We are first lured and enticed, but have not yet sinned. Then desire, when allowed to percolate,
conceives and gives birth to sin. We need to stop the progression early in its tracks. Instead of reflecting on the
accusation, follow the advice that Paul gave in Philippians 4:8, “Finally,
brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Notice the very first thing that we are
to dwell on is “whatever is true.”
Don’t dwell on the lies of the enemy. Don’t dwell on his accusations. Dwell on truth.
Dwell on the fact that God loves you, sent His Son for you, is your
maker, and your Abba Father. Dwell
on the fact that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Dwell on the fact that He will complete
the good work He began in You and that you can do all things through Christ who
gives you strength. These things
are trustworthy and true. These
are the indwelling thoughts that will crowd out the lies. These are the truths of our steadfast
God.
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