Thursday, March 24, 2011
Genesis 3:4-5 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
CONSIDER THE SOURCE
For a moment, assume that Satan's words were true. See it from Eve's perspective: God is tricking you. He actually wants to keep you under His thumb. But right here, hanging from this tree, is fruit that will make you just as wise as God Almighty.
Viewed through the lens of Satan's lies, Eve's action of eating the fruit was not only SAFE, it was the best choice she could possibly make! She could even do a favor for her husband by sharing this great gift of God-wisdom with him.
The reality that Satan presented was a distorted reality. A lie. But once the deed was done, there was no way for Adam and Eve undo it. All they could do was try to cover it up.
This is the same thing that Satan does today. He sets up a facade to trick us into doing what God has clearly told us NOT to do. He offers the same lesson that he taught our first mother: disobedience to God leads to pleasure, knowledge and promotion. But when we do what Satan leads us to do, the distortion of reality falls away and we see that there is no going back. No way for us to undo the damning sins that we have done.
How many times has that happened to you? It's happened to me about a billion times. If only I would consider the source. God is good. Satan is evil. What God tells me can only lead to my joy and benefit. What Satan suggests can only lead to my ruin.
Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Don't listen to Satan’s voice telling you that you can reach out and take hold of your OWN salvation through what you say and do. Consider the source, and hold tightly to the gift of complete forgiveness you already have in Christ Jesus.
