by Patsy Norwood (c) All Rights Reserved (See Permission page for exception)
Our first look at Satan is found in the account of Eve in the
book of Genesis. Having been cast out of
heaven, Satan was looking for a way to get back at God and what better way to
do it than to go after that which God created and loved.
Let’s look at the facts:
Satan approached Eve and set about appealing to that which he
obviously thought would be a temptation to her.
He went straight for what she had been forbidden by God to have.
(1)“Now the serpent was more cunning than any
animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God really
said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (2) The Woman said to the serpent, “From the
fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; (Genesis 3:1-2 (NASB)
From Genesis 3: 3-4, we see Satan contradicting God’s Word.
But from the fruit of the tree which is in the
middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or
you will die.” (4) The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not
die! For God knows that on the day you
eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing
good and evil.
Satan told Eve she wouldn’t die if she ate the fruit which is
in direct contradiction to what God said.
Satan wants us to believe that doing the wrong thing won’t hurt us, either!
From Genesis 3:5, we see that Satan promises Eve
self-enhancement.
For God knows that on the day you eat from it your
eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.
Satan told Eve the forbidden fruit would make her like
God. He wants us to believe that sin
will make us smarter, happier, or more popular and that it’s okay just this
once.
In Genesis 3:6 we see where Eve’s thoughts took her after
listening to what Satan had to say …
(6) When the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to
make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to
her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3: 6 NASB)
For Eve the temptation was the forbidden fruit; for us, it can
be anything we shouldn’t have/do. Satan
caused Eve to look at the forbidden fruit in a different way, he planted the
first seed of temptation that would grow into full blown disobedience to
God. Satan started out small with a
simple question and then continued to build on it. As Genesis 3:1 says, “… the serpent was
more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made …”
and he used his cunning ability on Eve.
He uses it on us today too!
Satan is constantly looking for ways to steal, kill and
destroy and he started with Eve!
The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I came so that they would have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10
NASB
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like
a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
I Peter 5:8 NASB
‘Being of sober spirit’ means to be level-headed, steady,
even-tempered, rational, free from intoxicating influences. ‘Be on the alert’ means to be watchful!
The devil wants to destroy souls! This is not a game; Satan doesn’t play fair
and will use whatever tactics available to him to pull us away or keep us from
having a relationship with God.
We are not powerless though; awareness of Satan’s tactics is
just one tool in our weapons of battle.
Others include:
Consistent prayer to God
Consistent personal Bible study
Consistent fellowship with true Christians
I Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God is faithful and will not
let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.
This verse also tells us that He will provide a way out so that we can
endure it. (The context of this verse,
along with verses 1 – 12, centers on the message of avoiding Israel’s
mistakes.)
No temptation has overtaken you but such as it
common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond
what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also,
so that you will be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)
Is looking for and choosing the way out easy, a thousand
times, NO! The heart wants what it wants
even when what it wants goes against God’s word. Just ask Eve!
(For further study on ‘the heart,’ look at these
verses: Genesis 6:5; Genesis 8:21; Proverbs
10:20; Proverbs 28:26; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19; Mark
7:21,23;)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This series of lessons was researched, written and taught by Patsy Norwood in a ladies' Bible class in 2022.
It is my prayer that it is beneficial to you in your walk with God.
In part 3, we're going to take a look at the ways Satan tempted Jesus, yes, Satan even went after Jesus! I hope you'll come back for that. Part 3 can be found HERE!
May God be gloried in all that we do,
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