The Two Great Temptations

We can learn a lot about how the devil works in our lives by examining the story of Creation. In fact, when the serpent approached Eve in the Garden of Eden, he used two specific tactics that he still employs today, and I think it behooves us to look at them in greater detail. First of all, he attacked the woman by planting doubts in her mind about the Word of the Lord. He slithered up to her and said, “Did God really say…?,” and unfortunately, he’s been doing this ever since. He knows that human flesh is weak, and he’s aware that it doesn’t take a lot to get us to violate our conscience. We all have areas of sin and struggle, and if he can just convince us that it’s not our Heavenly Father’s will that we surrender those things and be transformed, he wins a victory. By getting us to doubt the authority of Scripture and reject the keys to abundant living found in it, he subtly sets us on a wrong path. The trouble with this is that after a while, our hearts become hardened and we can no longer discern truth from a lie. Then there’s the second attack the devil waged against the woman, and that was to convince her that God didn’t have her best interest at heart. By planting the thought that her Creator was purposefully withholding something good from her, he compelled her to give up all the amazing gifts she already had. By appealing to her innate desire to have knowledge that would make her more like the Lord, he stirred up discontent in her spirit, and the rest is history. Even now, our enemy assails us by convincing us that we know better than God. He whispers to our minds that our reasoning is superior to Christ’s perfectly-fashioned path, and he uses the pride in our hearts to keep us doing it our way. Though we can change course at any moment with the Holy Spirit’s help, the longer we persist in pursuing the world’s foolish wisdom, the greater the consequences become.

My friend, the most liberating thing you can do is let God be God. When He tells you where to go, how to behave, and what to abstain from, it’s wise to follow His path. Because He is the embodiment of righteousness and goodness, His way always leads to abundant life. He is for you, not against you, and as hard as the devil tries to convince you otherwise, your most joyful, peaceful, passionate, and productive existence is in His perfect love!