withstand
“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’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:1-5 ESV
It is the greatest lie of the enemy to convince us sin is not bad and God is not good.
From the beginning, the enemy has tried to undermine God’s children by undermining God’s word. He knew if he could confuse Eve about what God had said then his battle was partially won. He still does this today by creating a spirit of apathy towards God’s Word or encouraging us to neglect it or think it’s irrelevant.
This is precisely why the Word of God is called the Sword of the Spirit. It is our greatest weapon. By God’s Word we overcome and combat the lies of the enemy!
Oftentimes the enemy will seek to pervert God’s goodness by making His commands seem stern or unfair. But God’s commands are for our good. When God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree,” He was setting a boundary in order to remind Adam and Eve that they were not God and they were responsible to Him.
It is the greatest lie of the enemy to get us to view sin as something good that a bad God doesn’t want us to have. If the enemy can keep us in doubt of God’s goodness and faithfulness, then our hearts will begin to harden and we will live without hope.
This is a charge Beloved, we are never without hope. Remember that by the blood of Jesus, the battle against our opposer as been won. Let us put on our armor daily. Let us go to battle and refuse to give the enemy a foothold by the blood of Jesus and the Sword of the Spirit.
In joy, peace + love,
Riley Rae Baker
additional reading:
Proverbs 28:13, Isaiah 1:20, Ephesians 6:13-17, 1 Peter 5:9, James 4:7
reflect:
In what ways does the enemy get you to doubt? What changes can you make this week to put on the full armor of God?
centering prayer:
LORD, thank you that by your blood, the battle has already been won. Help me press into your word so that I may go to battle and conquer footholds and strongholds the enemy has no authority over. amen.
