THE GREAT DECEPTION:
Genesis 3:1-7 MSG
[1] The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?” [2-3] The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’” [4-5] The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.” [6] When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. [7] Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
Deception has grave and long lasting consequences. The greatest of which we are all suffering from today, and we Will continue to suffer until Christ comes again to remove sin completely from the earth. God created a beautiful garden in Eden and placed Adam and Eve there to tend it, but the serpent came in and tricked them into eating the fruit of the tree that God specifically told them not to eat.
As a result of that one act of disobedience sin entered the world, man lost his authority and place in the garden of Eden, was cursed to suffer and struggle for food, and women cursed to give birth through difficult labour pains. If they knew how much that one meal would cost them and the generations after them, they would have seen through what the serpent was trying to do and wouldn’t have compromised.
This is how sly deception is. It makes disobedience so plausible and palatable that we easily fall for it. It makes us feel we are being cheated from enjoying some sort of hidden pleasure. It makes evil look good and righteous obedience unreasonable. So we all easily fall for it. Today, many of us have fallen from our places of favour and blessings because we are refusing to obey simple things that God requires of us.
But we give thanks to God for sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to come and redeem us from sin and all its consequences.
I John 3:7-9 NKJV
[7] Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. [8] He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. [9] Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Through Christ we have overcome sin and regained our lost authority. We are more than conquerors! We are free! We are blessed with the blessings of Abraham and we have favour with God. We have power from God through the Holy Spirit and we are victorious. Hallelujah!
Have you accepted Christ as your Saviour? Do so now and be free, too!