So the LORD God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?

And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13 HCSB

Sadly I could often use this excuse when I’m stepping on the scales. I think the devil often tells me that just one more brownie won’t hurt anything or a whole bag of Oreos will do no harm. The devil is good at deception, after all he is the father of all liars (John 8:44). He can convince us that one little white lie won’t matter, one more drink won’t matter, smoking won’t hurt us, a little flirting won’t do any harm. We are warned about him throughout the Bible. We are told in Genesis that the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made.

Now we all like to think that we are strong and can rely on our own strength. No one wants to admit weakness, but it is important that we never underestimate the lengths that the devil will go to in order to cause us to sin. In Genesis 3, we see the first temptation and the fall. God had told Adam and Eve that they could eat from any tree in the garden, except one. The serpent asks Eve in Genesis 3:1, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden?’ Eve responds by telling the serpent that they were not to touch the tree in the middle of the garden or they would die. Then he tells her that she won’t die but instead will be like God. So he lures her in by trying to confuse her. Did God really say that? Maybe you misunderstood. Surely God will understand why you can’t do what He asked. Or, surely God will understand why you are committing this sin after all you have been through. The devil has used those on me a time or two.

After the devil causes her to question what God said, perhaps she misunderstood or perhaps God didn’t really mean that, he tells her God was lying. He tells her that she will not die. Now it’s so easy to look at Eve and think, “How could you fall for that?”  Well, my friend, we fall for that every day. The devil has not changed his tactics since the earth was created. Why would he? They still work like a charm for him. We still allow ourselves to be deceived and we still fall for his same old lies.

We believe him when he tells us that what God has called us to do is impossible. We believe him when he tells us that we could never be forgiven after all we have done. We believe him when he tells us that our situation is hopeless. We believe him when he tells us that God will overlook our sin. Sadly, many of us still believe him when he tells us that the temptation is just too great and we are powerless to resist him. We believe him when he tells us that we don’t deserve the goodness that God gives.

So I ask you today what lie is the devil telling you? What is he trying to make you do? Take a minute to think about this because remember he’s very crafty and you may not even realize it’s the devil. There was a time in my life when I had wandered away from God just like Adam and Eve wandered alone in the garden. The devil lured me in by causing me to question God then he convinced me that because God loved me he would want me to be happy even if that meant sinning.

It would be very easy to sit here and say that the devil had made me commit that sin, but we are warned to avoid him in 1 Peter 5:8, we are told to be sober and alert for the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. We are warned in Matthew 26:41 to watch and pray that we may not enter into temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that whatever we are facing is not uncommon. It tells us that God is faithful and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle. It also tells us that with the temptation, God will provide a way of escape so that we may endure it.

My friend the devil is lurking about in your life. He knows where you are weak. He knows just where to attack, so be on guard. Don’t let him deceive you. Submit yourself to God and let Him fight the devil for you. James 4:7 tells us to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from us.

The devil can’t make us do anything and he can’t win against God. Trust in God, surrender to Him and remember the battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15). Just sit back and enjoy the victory!

Have a great day!