“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’?’”
– Genesis 3:1
It’s worth noting the way that Satan approached Eve in the Garden of Eden. Though it’s easy to think of the devil as being blatantly evil, the reality is that a lot of what he says is logical and appeals to our intellect. Rather than making accusatory statements or denying God, the serpent asked the woman a question that started with, “Did God really say…?” By getting her to second-guess the authority of His words and appealing to her ability to reason, he shook her confidence in what she thought she knew, and the rest is history. Trusting in the Lord was her default programming until a seed of doubt was planted in the form of a simple inquiry. Not surprisingly, since it worked so well then, the approach of the enemy hasn’t changed much to this day. He doesn’t blatantly deny the truth of Scripture, he just plants seeds of doubt. In the area of our finances, he may whisper, “I know you trust the Lord to take care of you, but what if you have an unexpected crisis?” or as it concerns our health, he mutters, “If Jesus has healed you, why are you still feeling sick?” Whenever we exercise faith and put our trust in the intangible promises of God, the devil’s first line of attack will be our intellect. If he can inject fear in our minds, he stands a better chance of commandeering the battle. My friend, faith is the antithesis of fear, and fear is always the enemy’s first line of attack. The last thing the devil wants is for you to stand boldly and confidently in God’s good plan, so he will always seek to insert questions. In fact, the greater the Lord’s call on your life, the harder he will fight. Thankfully, you have been given the authority to send him on his way. By calling on the Name of Jesus, standing firmly on the promises of Scripture, and refusing to meditate on doubts, you can resist the devil and he will flee from you! If you’re unable to attend your local church or need an extra dose of weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode. |
Prayer
Jesus, help me to reject the doubts planted by the enemy and fill my heart with overcoming faith.
Reflection
How has the devil tried to evoke fear in your life by planting doubts? How can you resist him?
