Great VersesSample

An enemy in paradise

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 1–2 gives no word of the upcoming battle. We see God’s creation. It was good. God creates Adam, then he creates Eve. The creation narrative ends with Adam and Eve naked and unashamed. There is trust and transparency in paradise. Things are very good. But wait! Genesis 3 opens with a crafty snake that subtly suggests that God is not good and cannot be trusted. There is an enemy in paradise, an opponent of God, who turns out to be Satan. Satan comes to deceive and devour. What is his strategy? Listen to his words to Eve: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Can you hear the incredulity in his tone? “I can’t believe it,” he seems to be saying. “Has God really said that you can’t eat of any tree in the garden? How unfair.” What is Satan doing? He is suggesting that God is not good. He is questioning God’s love for Eve. He is casting doubt on God’s goodness to Adam and Eve. He is insinuating that God is holding something back from Eve that she really needs. This is still the satanic strategy. Satan wants to devour you. Expect to hear the same voice in your head. You will hear a voice suggesting that God is not good, that God does not really love you, that God is unfair to you, that God is hard to please, that God is in fact a cosmic Scrooge.

Have you heard that voice? Sure, you have. When you do, recognize its source. Don’t be naïve about the unseen spiritual war. Behind all sin is the suspicion that God isn’t very good and therefore he cannot be trusted. This is Satan’s main ploy in his quest to ruin your life and devour your soul.

You will hear things like:
· God is being so unfair in what he says about divorce (or adultery, or honesty in your business, or generous giving, or forgiving your father, or Christians marrying only Christians, or pornography).
· God is holding back something I need to be happy.
· What applies to others doesn’t apply to me. My situation is different.

Don’t listen! Shut your ears to the voice of the deceiver. Stand firm in Christ’s strength.