Behind Enemy Lies
How well do you know your enemy? Do you know how Satan operates? We can get a pretty good idea by reading Genesis 3:1-5:
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 surely die," the serpent said to the woman." For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
How does the enemy work?
1. The enemy distracts us from God’s will. "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Not only is Eve's attention focused on the tree God warned her about, she is now tempted to question God's warning and whether it truly has merit. Rather than just accepting the Father's protective instruction, Eve is now on the path to rebel, to think about her own desires, and quite possibly become angry with God.
2. The enemy tells us the opposite of what God promises. "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. Once we are distracted from God's will, we are more likely to buy into promises other people make; to go down roads we would not otherwise travel. God said Eve would surely die if she ate the fruit. Shouldn't that be warning enough? But our hearts are so easily swayed from God’s truth! So often we justify things to make our unholy desires become "God's will" for our lives.
3. The enemy puts the focus on us. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Look how many times the serpent says "you" and "your". The promise of power is enticing to most of us, but the power to be like God? At this point, we are distracted from God and we’ve bought into lies and deception. When we begin to value things that can give us power rather than relying on God’s power in us, we have displaced God as Lord of our lives. Essentially, we have placed our lives in the hands of the enemy—and we don’t even realize it!
This isn't always a long process—we can go from distraction to self-absorption in a matter of seconds. The greatest danger lies in allowing our self-absorption—living our lives without regard to God's will—to turn into a habit, an addiction, a lifestyle. That is when we separate ourselves from God's blessing, hide from Him, live in darkness, and become unrepentant and calloused to His truth.
How do you counter the enemy's plans for your life? First, study God's Word so you can tell God's truth apart from Satan's lies. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4), Jesus countered everything with Scripture until Satan finally left Him alone.
Second, turn your eyes upon Jesus. There are more things in this world competing for your attention than ever before. God is increasingly an afterthought in the world He created. "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Nothing is more important than your relationship with God. Stop putting your hope in your bank balance, your trust in people, and your faith in false idols and religions! Nothing the human mind has ever conceived is as true, powerful and holy as the wisdom of Almighty God.
Finally, resist Satan. It sounds simple, but the enemy is so cunning that often we don’t even realize we are being deceived. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." What a great promise! When we make repentance a daily, hourly, even a minute-by-minute practice, we leave very little room for Satan to distract us, cause doubt, make false promises, and spread his lies.
Get deep in God's Word and stay there! He is more than worthy of your worship, your time, and your resources. And He is your refuge from the enemy.
Brian Cole
ReignDown USA Graphics & Web Consultant
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