C. S. Lewis wrote: “Human history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” The world is filled with counterfeits and fakes. Satan has a virtual smorgasbord of them available. But they are all lies, every one of them. They worked with Adam and Eve and they still work today. They work because we want them to work. People are looking for happiness and peace without having to submit to God, but they’ll never find it. We see the pattern in Genesis 3.
“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 fruit 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 they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:1-7). Notice the four lies Satan uses even today.
Lie One: There Are No Consequences for Disobeying God. Satan told Eve that if she disobeyed she would benefit, not regret it. He said she would not die, that God was a liar for saying so. He told her to go ahead and do what looked good to her, to “follow your heart” as Disney proclaims today. He lied. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). We are naturally self-centered and focused on our own desires and wants. Satan provides ways we think we can make that happen and not “reap what we sow” (Galatians 6:7). But when God warns there will be consequences, there are. As our culture turns further from God’s truth today, the negative results will also continue to grow. Where is Satan tempting you to disobey God because you feel exempt from consequences for sin.
Lie Two: God Withholds Good from Us. Not only did Satan tell Eve there wouldn’t be negative results from her sin, he actually said she would benefit because God was keeping something important from her. He fed discontent into her so she would take matters into her own hands to get what she thought God was denying her.
It’s so easy to believe that the “grass is greener” and that a sin-filled life is more fun, more satisfying, and will fill our souls better than the One who created us can. Eve wanted more than she had and wasn’t satisfied with God’s provision. How common that lie is today! Eve envied a life she had never seen. Despite living in a perfect world, she wanted more, even if it meant disobeying God. When is the last time you knowingly disobeyed God because you felt there was something you had to have or do? If you haven’t apologized to God for doing it, do so now.
Lie Three: God Can’t Be Trusted. Satan wasn’t concerned about Adam and Eve; he was just using them to get back at God. So, he tried to undermine their trust in God’s character. He was tempting them to put themselves before God, to take matters into their own hands, to look out for themselves because they thought they knew best, not God. How many times do you fall into the trap of thinking you know what is best, not God? When is the last time you didn’t think God was doing things right, or quick enough, so you went ahead with your own plan?
Lie Four: When We Fail We Must Run and Hide from God. Believing Satan’s lies brings consequences, as happened with Adam and Eve. The next lie they believed is that God would be angry at them so they needed to run and hide from Him. Sin does hurt God, but He is loving and merciful and kind and wants to restore our relationship with Him. We have nothing to fear. God took all His wrath against our sin out on Jesus so there is only forgiveness available for us. Thinking we know better than God brings guilt and shame. But instead of running back to God, we run away from Him. God is patient and kind. He loved us so much that even while we were still sinners, He gave His life so that we might be able to live in right relationship with Him (Romans 5:8). When we draw near to Him, He draws near to us (James 4:8). What is your first response when you sin? Do you fear God and withdraw from Him? Or do you run back to Him in repentance?
These are four lies we can glean from Genesis 3: 1) There are no consequences for disobeying God, 2) God withholds good from us, 3) God can’t be trusted and 4) when we fail we must run and hide from God. Which of these lies do you most struggle with? What is God’s truth that counters the lie? Ask God to make you alert to the lies around us.
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
ChristianTrainingOnline.org
(India & Africa & Spanish Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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