“…Did God really say…”
If you plan on beating your enemies on the field of battle you might want to study up on the tactics of the enemy first. Just like the scene in Indiana Jones when Dr. Jones is confronted by a sword wielding warrior and the crowd is waiting for Dr. Jones to die. Well, “Don’t bring a sword to a gunfight.” Boom !!! No more swordsmen. He brought the wrong weapon.
In Genesis 3 we see for the first time the tactics of Satan. Now Eve was just hanging out in the garden with her husband Adam. They have been notified that they are not to eat of certain trees, namely the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. All the other trees God gave them full permission to eat from. A note here: God has already given us all we need but there is an element of self discipline we must master in order to fulfill all God has for us.
The first tactic is to question God. “Did God really say…” Everyday we face this question, the first tactic of Satan. We wake up and have to choose life, the Bible says. James tells us that there is the power of life and death in our tongues and we must master what comes out of it. The good news is that Jesus has overcome the world and with a renewed heart from Christ you can do all things through Him who loves us.
Next, Satan twists the word of God. Just by adding a single word, Satan pushes Eve into the realm of questioning God. At this point it is crucial that you know the Word of God. Without the knowledge of the Bible you can easily get persuaded into believing things that are completely skewed from the Bible. In Eve’s case, she knew the commands but once she listened to Satan, desire popped into her head that was never meant to be there. In verse 6 the Bible says that Eve “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom”.
The final tactic of Satan is to change your mind about things you know to be wrong. It did not matter whether or not Eve knew the words of God, what only mattered was that Satan sold her a bill of goods that he was never going to give her. You see, Satan promised things only that God can give. Those things Satan puts in our heads about food, things pleasing to the eye, and gaining wisdom are all things only God can give.
Today, practice self discipline. If it ain’t from God then you don’t want it! Pray today that you will be strong in the power of His might and for your eyes to only desire the things of God. “Did God really say…” Yes, He did and we all should memorize what He said and practice it. Don’t let Satan use your friends or others to cause you to question God. We will see what the outcome of giving in to Satan’s plan plays out like tomorrow. For today, get to know what God says and commit to follow it. Sin is sin and it has a price that you don’t want to pay. Satan’s whole plan is to get you to sin and convince you that you don’t have to pay for it. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Become aware of Satan’s plan and study God’s word so you can equip yourself for battle.
Let It Go 
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