Tag Archives: genesis 3

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Charles Stanley – Temptation: Strong but Resistible

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Genesis 3:1-24

Satan is so cunning that he was able to deceive Eve into sinning. Her response to his question (Gen. 3:1-2) reveals that she knew exactly what God had told her. Aren’t we just like that today? We know precisely what the Word of God says, and yet we often fail to obey Him.

Do you spend more time indulging your desires—even if that sometimes means bordering on sin—than you do meditating on Scripture and praying? We have an enemy who is not only wily and intelligent but also savage and relentless. His goal is to alienate you from your Creator, stunt your growth as a believer, and minimize your impact for God’s kingdom. He knows your weaknesses; he also knows how to surprise, lure, and camouflage.

This is why it is imperative for every believer to maintain a strong defense by means of vibrant, abiding fellowship with Jesus Christ. He is our refuge, and His Word is a very effective weapon.

The Lord is holy; Satan is evil. Learn, therefore, to react to temptation with the understanding that its source is an evil enemy bent on stealing your joy and destroying your effectiveness as God’s child. Then turn to the Lord and ask Him to help you overcome. He is the One who is able—and eager—to give you victory.

Remember: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Develop a reflex to turn to the Lord when Satan throws his darts. Pray, “Thank You that I am Your child. Please protect me.” And God, who is faithful, will lead you through the way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13).

 

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The Subtle Attack – Greg Laurie

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Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall—Proverbs 16:18

What brought Adam and Eve down? We assume it was the attractiveness of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But it wasn’t the fruit; it was what the fruit promised.

Satan told them, “God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). In other words, “Eve, listen. You will be a goddess. Adam, you will be a god. Come on, go for it.” And they did. The devil had appealed to their pride.

That is one of the devil’s subtle ways to strike: he attacks us through pride. Popularity can be more deadly than persecution. Christians start believing their own press and become inflated with pride.

First the devil comes to us and says, You are worthless. You are a piece of garbage. God would never use someone like you.

We reply, “Well, I don’t know. The Bible says that if I will confess my sin, God is faithful and just to forgive me my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. And the Bible also says that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. So I think God will use me.”

Then the devil changes his whole mode of attack. Instead of trying to tear us down, he whispers in our ear, You are the awesome man of God (or the wonderful woman of virtue)! Everything you say is wonderful. You are so great! And we soak it up.

So if you have become filled with yourself and have started to believe you’re “all that,” then watch out. The Bible tells us that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).