Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
--Genesis 3:1-4
In order for us to understand what happened when sin entered the Garden of Eden, we must understand that there was someone else there besides Adam and Eve—Satan, the tempting serpent.
And today, Satan is alive and well…and has been tempting human beings ever since this moment described in Genesis 3.
A lot of people wonder where Satan came from. He was part of the angelic hosts that God created before He created humans. Originally, Satan was named Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12, King James Version), and he was a great and mighty angel. Unfortunately, he wanted the power and worship that belongs to God alone, and rebelled against God. God judged Satan’s pride by expelling him from heaven and dooming him to hell, which Jesus said was made for the devil and his angels.
We must understand that it was the pride of Lucifer that caused his fall. He rebelled and lost, and will one day lose for all of eternity. But in the meantime, he is active here on earth.
There are two common mistakes we make concerning the devil; we either overestimate, or underestimate his power. Both of these extremes are dangerous, because the devil is subtle and cunning.
At the very moment you think you don’t have to worry about him, he is smiling because that’s where he wants you.
But you also need to remember that the devil isn’t more powerful than God. You can resist his attempts to get you to fall.
My encouragement to you today is to stand firm, and don’t give in to Satan’s temptation. Resist the devil and flee from him, and God will give you the strength to resist him.
Remember that Satan is not more powerful than He that is in you!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
"And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."
Luke 11:37-39
I read about a little boy who was preparing to leave for his piano lesson. Before they left the house his mother wanted to make sure he was presentable when he got to his teacher. “Did you wash your hands?” she asked. “Yes, Mother,” he replied. “Did you wash your face?” Yes, Mother,” he said once more. “And did you wash behind your ears?” she continued. He hesitated for a moment and then said, “On her side I did.”
The Pharisees in Jesus' day were not concerned with genuine holiness, but rather only cared about the outward appearance they presented to others. Those who only saw them in public would be quite impressed as they passed by with their elaborate garments, praying loudly as they went. But God saw their hearts, and He was not impressed because He knew that their outward religiosity hid inward evil.
It is possible to outwardly conform to the commands of Scripture for a time without truly desiring to love and follow God, but eventually what is on the inside will show up in our lives. If we want our conduct to be pleasing to God, rather than focusing on the external, we should begin by focusing on the heart. “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
Today’s Growth Principle:
The cleansing of our lives begins when we align our hearts with the things God wants us to love.
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