I was watching T.D. Jakes on TV. He is a vibrant preacher whose teachings stay with me for days. He was talking about how Eve had a conversation with the snake in the garden of Eden. She first listened to his questions and then his suggestion.
"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" Genesis 3:1
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Yea, hath God said?—Is it true that He has restricted you in using the fruits of this delightful place? This is not like one so good and kind. Surely there is some mistake. He insinuated a doubt as to her sense of the divine will and appeared as an angel of light (2Co 11:14), offering to lead her to the true interpretation. It was evidently from her regarding him as specially sent on that errand, that, instead of being startled by the reptile's speaking, she received him as a heavenly messenger.
I thought about how I had learned in the last few years how Satan whispers half-truths and lies to our minds. I thought about myself and the times I have doubts about God's goodness. How I sit and think about that and argue with myself - or what I thought was myself.
Even this morning I woke with questions in my mind. Where did these doubts and questions come from that plague my faith? Well, they came from the snake in the garden and I was having conversations with him. I was listening to his half-truths and lies. Because like Satan tempted Jesus in the desert by quoting scripture, so Satan quotes scripture to us and then leaves us with a big question mark. Is God really loving? Why did God do this and that? And on and on it goes.
I'm not saying we shouldn't study our faith and learn all we can about God. But when doubt's about God's wisdom or love come into our hearts, they come from the serpent in the garden and we need to say, "Get thee behind me, Satan, in the mighty name of Jesus."
Satan must leave us then, as he had to leave Jesus. But, as the scripture also says, "When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came." Luke 4:13
Satan will leave us, but only until another opportunity comes. Let us be ready for this serpent from the garden and not give him our ears or our mouths.
1 comment:
The wonderful truth I have learned of the Garden Truth is the serpent came to Adam-female first, and as she consented to conversation with the serpent she revealed to him her lack of knowing the Truth and therefore his entrance into her soul was made clear for him .... if she had partaken of the Tree of Life she would have known of this sly cunning serpent, and she would have never misquoted God's Word....which is symbolic of us today...if we will hide His Word in our hearts ....we first would never carry on a conversation with the serpent, and we would know to never add or take away from His Word.
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