Genesis 3:1 (The Fall)
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’?”
Tag: Satan is Crafty
Before we look at the above verse, which clearly talks about the temptation by Satan to deceive Eve, note what Jesus, Paul and Peter say about the Devil:
John 8:44 (Jesus)
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
2 Corinthians 2:11 (Paul)
so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (Peter)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
What we learn from God’s Word about Satan is that he is crafty at what he does. He has “designs” (Paul’s Words). The word denotes plans, devices or thought out actions. Satan has a plan and the desire of the plan is to move us away from God’s Truth. He is a master at planting doubt in our minds. He desires to undermine our faith. He plants a little lie that can appear to be true on some level. Yet, it goes against God. In the story of Eve being tempted by the Devil (in the form of a serpent), Satan simply casts a little suspicion in her mind to doubt the truth of God’s Word. The rest, as they say, is history. Satan simply needs us to hold a small doubt about God’s character, God’s promises, or God’s intent. If he can get use to look at God with a skeptical eye, he has trapped us into being like him ... a liar and self-centered rather than God centered. Notice what Paul told us about the lies Satan tries to cast into our minds:
2 Corinthians 10:5
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
We are to “take captive” our minds. We are not to allow Satan to lead us astray. The words: “... and take every thought captive ...”, gives us the idea of taking control of our thoughts. Once God saves us He gives us the power to take control of our minds. We are no longer led by the same lies Satan wants us to believe. Eve failed to obey God’s Word and that cost her living in the garden and brought judgment on mankind. We must hold to the thoughts of God’s Word and not allow Satan to causal us to doubt it.
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