Genesis 3:1-6

THE PEOPLE THE DEVIL USES TO TEMPT YOU

Genesis 3:1 (KJV) – “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field” – The serpent was the wisest of all created animals. Through this, we learn that the Devil chooses and uses the best as his agents to tempt us.

The question is, who is the best?

1. Close family members and friends

The Devil will use close family members and friends that you love the most to tempt you because he knows it is hard for you to say no to them. Most times, these close people in your life may offer you advice that sounds right but is contrary to the Word of God.

Here are some examples:

Genesis 3:6 (KJV) – “She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Eve gave Adam the fruit to eat. In most instances, when someone partakes in sin, they want you to tag along and sin together. For example, many of those doing drugs will try to pressure those who don’t, making them feel that they are not cool enough. Misery loves company.

Most people in prisons and rehabilitation centers are where they are because of an invitation from a friend or someone close to them to engage in sin.

Genesis 3:7 (KJV) – “And the eyes of them both were opened.” They faced the consequences of sin. Sin is dangerous; it does not care whether you are innocent, a believer, or a non-believer. The consequences of sin do not spare anyone.

For instance, if you commit adultery, you may contract STDs; that STD won’t care if you are a believer or non-believer. Likewise, on the other hand, if an atheist does things God’s way, he is blessed.

If an atheist practices integrity, he will get the blessings for practicing integrity. Therefore be careful with the lures that come from people close to you. It may be difficult to discern if they are right because sometimes the temptations are not so obvious. Ask God to guide you in such situations.

Genesis 16:2 (KJV) – “And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.”

Abraham decided to listen to Sarah’s advice instead of having faith in God by believing that God would do as He had promised. Abraham could not comprehend how Sarah would get a child since she was past age, and because he could not make sense of it, he went ahead and did contrary to God’s will.

The Devil did not use someone from far to come and tempt Abraham, he used the closest person to Abraham at the moment, and that was his wife.

Luke 1:57-61 (KJV) – “⁵⁷ Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth a son. ⁵⁸ And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹ And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. ⁶⁰ And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. ⁶¹ And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.”

Before the birth of John the Baptist, God instructed the child to be called John. The neighbors and cousins did not like that advice. Therefore, Elizabeth’s friends and relatives gave a good reason (not a righteous reason) why the son shouldn’t be called John.

The reason they gave was that no person in that family and lineage had ever been given that name. The friends and relatives upheld tradition above God’s Word. Some traditional practices contradict God’s Word, and your close family members and friends may want you to do them. Once you do them, you will have disobeyed God.

One reason many people stick to the religion or the churches they were born in, despite those churches preaching messages contrary to God, is the tradition they feel so closely attached to. Another reason is that they worry about what their family and friends will say about them.

2. The most influential, powerful, rich, talented, and intelligent people

“In order to accomplish his work unperceived, Satan chose to employ as his medium the serpent—a disguise well adapted for his purpose of deception. The serpent was then one of the wisest and most beautiful creatures on the earth. It had wings, and while flying through the air presented an appearance of dazzling brightness, having the color and brilliancy of burnished gold. Resting in the rich-laden branches of the forbidden tree and regaling itself with the delicious fruit, it was an object to arrest the attention and delight the eye of the beholder. Thus in the garden of peace lurked the destroyer, watching for his prey.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 53.4, Ellen G. White.

The Devil does not use the least esteemed people in society to drive you into temptations. He will not use that person who you despise or underrate to get you into temptations. He will use the best. The Devil did not use the cow or the goat to tempt Eve. He used the serpent, who was the cleverest of all animals. The Devil will use the most good-looking people, the best-dressed people, and the most intelligent to lead you into temptations.

In Daniel 1:3-4, when King Nebuchadnezzar captured the children of Israel, he decided to take some of them to serve in his palace. Let’s see what type of people he chose.

Daniel 1:3-4 (KJV) – “³ And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; ⁴ Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.”

The King of Babylon (a pagan king) chose the best that he could find among the children of Israel, and out of the whole congregation, he picked only four to serve in his palace. That is how the Devil works.

The Devil will use people you view as role models to give you ungodly advice, like, “Africa is poor because they are focusing too much on religion instead of beneficial things like science.” And since those words come out from people that society looks up to as successful, you get swayed and start believing that. Gradually, you start sinking in sin.

Psalms 1:1 warns us against the counsel of the ungodly. The Devil will use celebrities in music and movies, the best looking and most talented, to give sin a cool factor and make Christianity look like something old-fashioned and boring.

Many are born into Christian families and show much commitment to God as they are growing up. Many of these reach a certain age, and due to the intense influence of people around them, they backslide and start disobeying God.

Sometimes it’s hard to overcome these influences since the majority of the world is always in the wrong. By yourself, you cannot overcome them. When faced with temptations, seek God and He will deliver you.

THE TACTICS THE DEVIL USES TO TEMPT YOU

The Devil tries to make you doubt God’s Word

Let’s look at Genesis 3:1 again;

Genesis 3:1 (KJV) – “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

The Devil was fully aware of the instructions that God had given Adam and Eve. However, he went ahead and asked Eve, “Has God said?” We can see that the Devil started by compelling Eve to doubt God’s word. In Matthew 4:5-6 (KJV) – “⁵ Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands, they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” The Devil attempted to tempt Jesus by doubting God’s word. Drawing from these two instances, we can conclude that Satan’s most powerful strategy is causing us to doubt God’s Word.

The same way he asked Eve, “Has God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” is the same way he may ask, “Has God said the seventh day is the Sabbath?” or, “Has God said you shall not steal?” He may not constantly ask you this directly because he has innumerable tactics.

I remember one day a close friend of mine asked me a certain question. He shows some level of diligence in seeking the Lord but does not want to agree that the Sabbath is the seventh day (despite the Bible mentioning it severally) and does not want to agree that we should not work on Sabbath. He tried to challenge me by asking me, “Show me a verse in the Bible that says we should not work on Sabbath.” I quoted to him Exodus 20:8-11. He responded by saying, “Those are just assumptions.”

In all Satan’s tactics, one common thing is making you doubt God’s Word. Satan may use agents to tell you things like, “There is no importance in giving tithe because pastors use that tithe to buy expensive cars, and houses, thus, enriching themselves.” Once he tells you this, you begin doubting God’s Word. The Devil may tell you, “That tithe instead of giving it to the Church, go and help the poor. It’s the same thing.” If you do not know the Word of God well concerning that subject, you will follow such advice.

Let’s digress a bit

If you know the Word of God, you will know what God has said. Malachi 3:10 (KJV) – “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Take note of the phrase, “there may be meat in my house.” This phrase alone clearly shows that tithe is meant for the Church. Return the tithe to God. If you want to help the poor, help them with another portion exempted from the tithe. If you read the history of the tithe from Genesis 14:19-20, Genesis 28:20-22, Leviticus 27:30-34, Numbers 18:21, and many others, you can conclude that tithe is meant for the Church.

The doctrine of replacing tithe with donating to the poor is like saying that poverty is the only problem people face. Poor people face problems, and the rich face problems too. Poor people get depressed; rich people get depressed too. As much as poor people need Jesus, the rich also need Jesus. The tithe is directed to the church because the church (the body of Christ) aims to cover a wide variety of problems since Jesus is the answer to all problems. Therefore, the tithe is meant to help the church become a more comfortable and conducive place for everybody.

When God gave that commandment, He knew that some pastors would squander money from the Church and use it for their benefit, and undoubtedly they have their reward. However, if you return the tithe regardless of whether the clergy misuses it or not, you will receive the tithe’s blessings. Take note. You don’t give a tithe; you return tithe. You return to God what is already His.

The Devil will test everything you believe in and make you doubt God’s Word. Genesis 3:2-3 (KJV) – “² And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. ³ But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

After the Devil asked Eve what God had said, we can see in the above context Eve told the Devil precisely what God had said. Let’s see what the Devil answered:

Genesis 3:4 (KJV) – “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.”

After Eve quoted the Word of God, the Devil immediately opposed God’s Word. The Devil does the same thing to us to this day. He makes you doubt the Word of God then he brings opposition to God’s Word.

When you compare Genesis 2:17 (Thou shalt surely die) and Genesis 3:4 (Ye shall not surely die), we can see that in Genesis 3:4, the word “not” is the only one added hence signifying a small change. However, that minor change changed the whole thing from what it was.

God is a specific God. He is a God of detail. He is a God of accuracy and preciseness. Matthew 5:18 (KJV) – “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” See how Christ was precise in these words when he mentioned the word one in the phrase ‘one jot or one tittle.’

In 1 Samuel 15, Saul was commanded by God to go and destroy the Amalekites. He went and smote them all but spared King Agag. By doing that, he obeyed God 99%, and that 1% of unrighteousness angered God. You may be doing everything in God’s sight but holding on to one sin, like thinking negatively about others or gossiping. Ask God to save you from that sin.

Doubting and opposing God’s Word is Satan’s central tactic in all his temptations, and how do we defeat him in this? By having knowledge and understanding of the Word of God.

Therefore commit to studying the Word of God every day and ask God to give you the Holy Spirit while you are studying so that you may be able to comprehend the truth.

The Devil thrives by creating division among people

Genesis 3:1 (KJV) – “And he said unto the woman.” Satan timed Eve when she was alone, far from Adam. The Devil knew that one person alone was weaker than two people combined.

Therefore he took advantage of that weakness. God knew that unity is strength, so he created Eve as a helper for Adam. Genesis 2:18 (KJV) – “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”

“The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating herself from her husband while occupied in their daily labor in the garden; with him she would be in less danger from temptation than if she were alone. But absorbed in her pleasing task, she unconsciously wandered from his side. On perceiving that she was alone, she felt an apprehension of danger, but dismissed her fears, deciding that she had sufficient wisdom and strength to discern evil and to withstand it. Unmindful of the angels’ caution, she soon found herself gazing with mingled curiosity and admiration upon the forbidden tree.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 53.5, Ellen G. White.

The Devil thrives where there is division, especially among God’s people, but he has less chance to thrive where people are united for the Lord’s sake.

Let’s look at the power of unity:

Genesis 11:6 (KJV) – “And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”

The people were building a tower to reach heaven so they could reach God and probably talk to Him face to face. Their determination to do evil was so high, and God saw this. God also saw that the people were not only determined but also united (Behold, the people are one). This unity made their quest so powerful that for God to restrain them, He did not lower their determination. He just broke their unity by bringing different languages so that they may be confused.

Jesus being the Son of God, while living in this world, despite being sinless, did not carry out God’s work alone. Thus He chose twelve disciples (Luke 6:12-16). Their work was so powerful that even after Jesus ascended to heaven, they continued working, bringing many people to salvation.

Apostle Paul rarely went alone to preach. He always had companions that he would go with. While on his journey to Rome, Paul was accompanied by Aristarchus of Thessalonica (Acts 27:2).

Barnabas accompanied Paul in his mission numerous times, defending the Gentile converts against the Judeans. In Acts 11:20-22, Barnabas went to Antioch. He found the work there tremendously tricky and had to return to get Paul.

In Acts 11:25-26, Paul returned with Barnabas to Antioch and labored for a whole year with him. Paul had other colleagues that helped him in the work of Christ, for example, Epaphras (Colossians 1:7) and Gaius (Acts 19:29). Paul, Silas, and Timothy used the house of Jason of Thessalonica to seek refuge (Acts 17). Paul referred to Sosipater, Lucius, and Jason as his “countrymen” in Romans 16:21.

Other companions that assisted Paul in his mission were John Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Onesimus, Silas, Sosthenes, Trophimus, Tychicus, Timothy, Ananias of Damascus, Damaris, Dionysius the Areopagite, Erastus of Corinth, Gamaliel, Lydia of Thyatira, Priscilla and Aquila, Philemon and Theophilus. We all know the great work of Paul. He wrote about half of the number of books of the New Testament.

Let’s look at other Bible texts on unity:

1 Corinthians 1:10 (KJV) – “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment.”

Philippians 2:2 (KJV) – “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

Psalm 133:1 (KJV) – “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Matthew 18:20 (KJV) – “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

We can see that one powerful tactic the Devil uses is division among Christians because he understands Christians’ power when united. Most times, he uses social classes to cause division. Some of these divisions are; the division between the rich and the poor, people of different races, people from different countries, people from different tribes, and people from different families. The Devil will strive to cause division inside a family united for Christ, weakening that family significantly.

Satan tells you the ‘benefits’ of sin

Genesis 3:5 (KJV) – “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

From Genesis 3:5, you can see that the Devil did not tell Eve to eat the fruit. He just told her of the ‘benefits’ of eating the fruit. Another tactic the Devil uses is giving you a false promise to exalt you. The carnal mind, which is always filled with pride and wanting self-exaltation, often falls for this trick. Remember that the Devil promises you what you already have, as he promised Eve they will be like gods (small gods).

Eve did not realize that they were already created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, they were already like God (the supreme God). God’s image is the highest and best image. Eve was ignorant of what she already had and therefore craved to have more than what she had. Lucifer did the same when he was in heaven. He was the highest angel possessing more power than any other angel. Lucifer was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28:12). God created him as close as possible to Himself. Lucifer was not satisfied and wanted to overthrow God’s kingdom and take the place of God (Isaiah 14:13-14), and God could not allow that to happen.

We can also see that the Devil promised Eve to be like a god (minor god) while God (the Almighty God) created Adam and Eve in His image. The benefits Satan offered were less than what God had already given man. The Devil will use tricks to make you think that what he is offering you is more than what God has already given you.

The Devil may come with temptations promising you to be rich, and you may fall for them because you don’t have in mind that you are already rich. In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, the older son is jealous that he has always been with his father and has never disobeyed him, and his father has never given him a young goat to eat with his friends. What did his father say to him? Luke 15:31 (KJV) – “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” The older son was lamenting over a kid. He did not know what he had was way more than that. As a child of God, everything that God has is yours.

God owns everything in heaven and earth. If all that God has is yours, what can we conclude? We can conclude that you own both heaven and earth. Therefore, don’t let the Devil trick you that he will give you Range Rovers, Maybachs, Rolls Royce, a hundred billion dollars, and mansions worth millions of dollars. You already have more than that.

We often settle for mediocrity (what sin has to offer) rather than for the highest (what God has to offer). That was the same case with Abraham, God promised him that he would make him a great nation, but instead of believing in God, he took heed of his wife’s advice and lay with Haggar, bearing Ishmael. Some practical examples are: The Devil may tempt you to engage in corruption, promising you that you will be the richest. What we don’t have in mind is that if we believe in God, we are already the richest. The Devil may tempt you by telling you that you need many girlfriends to have validation and to know that you are attractive. You should realize that you are the most attractive because God created you in His image.

Another example is that you may feel that you have to lie to get liberty from a challenging situation. At the same time, the Bible is clear that the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).

You may feel that in order to raise your self-esteem or feel good about yourself, you need to take your friend’s boyfriend or husband. In contrast, God has already called you a Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). You don’t have to go around insulting people on social media with pseudo accounts to curb your insecurities; the answer to insecurity is the Bible.

In Conclusion,

Genesis 3:6 (KJV) – “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

The above context says that when Eve saw what the Devil told her, made sense. She partook in sin. Take note that the Devil will always tempt you with things that seem to make sense and are logical to the carnal mind. The Word of God should always guide your thinking.

Aim to apply faith before you understand because we understand through faith (Hebrews 11:3).

GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY!!!!

Author: Mark Alex   

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