“The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden?’” ”
Have you met the dealer of deception? He is the master of the question with nefarious intent. He loves to plant seeds of doubt — about God — in your mind:
Did he?
Will he?
Can he?
Would he?
Could he?
Should he?
If two words don’t suffice, he will stretch it to six:
Certainly God would not do that!
Certainly God would not expect that!
You know God wants you happy!
Why do I allow such nonsense to enter the atmosphere of my soul?
Paul said, “We are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11 CSB) . . . so maybe it is soul fatigue or soul forgetfulness or soul distraction or soul dissatisfaction . . . or Netflix or social media or a hundred dreams and plans dancing though my head that weakens me, like Eve, or dupes me, like Adam, into buying Satan’s lies:
“You can’t believe God!”
“You can’t trust his promises!”
“God isn’t thinking about you!”
“He doesn’t have your best interest at heart.”
Yes, you can trust God!
When the words are, “God said” the result is always, “it was so.” And the echo is always, “it was good.”
So why do I fall for the deception?
Maybe it’s the serpent’s strategy. The serpent rarely throws a brick through my window. No, he’s much too subtle for that. He won’t shout. He will whisper . . . in the seclusion, in the dark, in my despair. Or he will tickle my ego or promise me the unseen pleasure behind Door #2. He will offer Jezebel’s bosom, but hide her mangled body trampled under horses foot.
He always promises heights, never glimpses of the fall.
So . . . the challenge today (and every day) is recognizing the subterfuge; bracing for those beautiful lies.
How do we do it? By getting really good at listening to God’s voice! King David said,
“The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. ”
In earlier days, I am told the secret for detecting counterfeit currency was this: “Only handle the real thing.” Bankers knew that tellers familiar with the look, the texture, the feel of real currency — over and over again — would quickly sense the counterfeit.
The same is true with God’s Word. “The instruction of the LORD is perfect . . . the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy”. People accustomed to “perfection” are quick to spot imperfection.
So there is no substitute for listening, reading, meditating, and memorizing on the real thing — God’s Word. I am not discounting devotional studies (you’re reading one), but they never substitute for your time in God’s Word.
Let the water of God’s Word wash over your soul. You feel the difference.
The last four years I have used the Five Day Bible Reading Tool to help me hear God’s voice. You can use it to read through the New Testament or the entirety of Scripture. It has been so helpful to me. I cannot tell you how many times God has used this time to renew my life.
Whether you use the Five Day Bible Reading Tool or something else. It is time in God’s Word that best equips you to avoid the serpent’s trickery and find the renewed and wise life we all want in 2021.