Exposing The Spiritual Roots Of DiseaseНамуна

Where Did Disease Come From?

In the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Eve, he changed the word of God. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). After Eve assured him that there was only one tree that they couldn’t eat from, Satan challenged God’s word again. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4–5).

Satan had added to God’s words and he had taken away from them. He said that God hadn’t really said they would die. Then, he presented the ultimate temptation—the same one that had gotten him thrown out of heaven—the desire to be just like God. (See Isaiah 14:14.) He said, “Eve, if you eat this fruit, you will be as gods” (little g, little o, little d, little s). The real truth was they would be as devils knowing good and evil. Up to this point, Adam and Eve hadn’t known what evil was. Everything surrounding them had been from God, and it was always good.

Eve wanted to be as wise as God; she wanted to know everything. So, she broke off the fruit, ate it, and then handed it to her husband, repeating the lie from the enemy: “We won’t die; our eyes will be opened to good and evil, and we will be wise. It’s going to make us wise.” And they ate. 

As soon as they partook of the fruit, their spiritual eyes were opened, and at that moment, evil flooded them. When their eyes were opened, they saw their nakedness. Adam and Eve had enjoyed a close relationship with God, but now they were afraid of Him. Adam, son of God, was suddenly afraid of the One whom he had always walked with in the cool of the evening.

As evening approached, it was time for the Lord to meet with them. Adam turned to his wife and said, “It’s time for the Lord. Look at us. We are so evil. Let’s go hide.” So, they ran and hid in the bushes. The Lord came looking for them, and they weren’t there. He called out, “Where are you, Adam?” Finally, Adam had enough nerve to answer, “Here we are, Lord!” “Where, Adam?” “Out here in the bushes.” “Why are you out there in the bushes, Adam?” “Hiding from You, Lord.” “Why are you hiding from Me, Adam?” “Because, Lord, we are naked.”

Now, listen to the words of the Lord in Genesis 3:11: “Who told thee that thou wast naked?” God knew why they were hiding, and He also knew the answer to His question. He knew who had interfered with His perfect creation with the sole aim of bringing destruction. God knew who was giving Adam and Eve thoughts of fear, guilt, and shame. But He wanted to know if Adam knew who had come to destroy him and his perfect communion with God.

Thus began Adam and Eve’s journey of being flooded with all the temptations of Satan’s kingdom. When the first temptation came, they embraced it and followed it, and it became a part of their personalities. And so it has passed from generation to generation. Death has passed from generation to generation. Even those who did not sin in the same way that Adam and Eve did inherited the same curse of death. (See Romans 5:12–14.) Disease also passed from generation to generation, and we are still battling temptation and disease today.

But God had another plan. He had a plan through His Son Jesus to redeem a people who would love Him. He had a plan for the people who would choose not to listen to the devil. He had a plan for the people who would resist temptation. God gave us a plan for our salvation through Jesus Christ. He also gave us a plan to defeat the enemy in our lives. So, why aren’t Christians always following that plan? We will address that question next.

Be blessed,

Dr. Henry W. Wright

Talk to God About It

Use this time to thank Father God that He had another plan. Thank Him for sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem us and recover us from the power of death and destruction. Ask Him to strengthen you by His Spirit as you learn how to defeat the works of the enemy in your life.