Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.
Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For 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. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:1-6 (NKJV)
Theres an old cliché that is used, which is The same old, same old. It simply a redundant way of saying, The same old thing or nothing new.
I think this phrase best sums up what the devil does with regards to his tactics used on us simple humans. We can take a look at the verses above and see that what hes doing to lure us down the wrong path hasnt really changed over the last 6-thousand years or so.
There are (3) things that mankind has always faced and will always face until Christ comes back. They are:
1.The World: This consists the things of the world and the worldly systems that are in direct opposition to God and His will. The world system encourages us to live for our own selfish personal gratification. It encourages us to put our own wants and needs above everything else.
Jesus spoke of the people who hear the word of God, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.
The next thing we face daily is:
2.The Flesh: This is the sinful nature in our human bodies that lives to be gratified and is manifested in unrestrained sensual appetites.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians and warned them that those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit (See Gal 6:8).
3.The Devil: Satan and his emissaries (fallen angels) are continually attempting to get us to sin against God.
Once they are successful, they will then come back and accuse us through the process of condemnation. He then goes to God and accuses us (See Rev 12:10).
Bottom line is that Satan is our adversary and he will never stop coming against us as long as we are here in these bodies. One thing we can know though is that he will continue to use the very same 3-things to lure and attack us as he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
We dont need to fear the enemy or the attacks that will come our way, we just need to stay focused on the Lord and utilize the strengths and gifts that have been given to us as outlined in His Word.
In Part II of this message we will take a look at the 3-things that the enemy uses to cause us to stumble and we will look at how we can alleviate falling for the same old, same old.
I just want to remind you that to be born of God is to be safe from the power of the evil one. But, not to be born of God is to be wholly under the power of the evil one.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. John 4:4 (NKJV)
STUDY QUESTION: What three things will we face as long as we are here on earth?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Can you see where these three things are challenging you?
APPLICTION: We need to stay focused on the Lord each and every day, and in each and every situation. Dont compromise and use the world as a gauge to justify your actions. Dont allow your desires and/or lusts determine your actions either. Make Gods Word your foundation for determining your actions, and choices.
Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For 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. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:1-6 (NKJV)
Theres an old cliché that is used, which is The same old, same old. It simply a redundant way of saying, The same old thing or nothing new.
I think this phrase best sums up what the devil does with regards to his tactics used on us simple humans. We can take a look at the verses above and see that what hes doing to lure us down the wrong path hasnt really changed over the last 6-thousand years or so.
There are (3) things that mankind has always faced and will always face until Christ comes back. They are:
1.The World: This consists the things of the world and the worldly systems that are in direct opposition to God and His will. The world system encourages us to live for our own selfish personal gratification. It encourages us to put our own wants and needs above everything else.
Jesus spoke of the people who hear the word of God, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.
The next thing we face daily is:
2.The Flesh: This is the sinful nature in our human bodies that lives to be gratified and is manifested in unrestrained sensual appetites.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians and warned them that those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit (See Gal 6:8).
3.The Devil: Satan and his emissaries (fallen angels) are continually attempting to get us to sin against God.
Once they are successful, they will then come back and accuse us through the process of condemnation. He then goes to God and accuses us (See Rev 12:10).
Bottom line is that Satan is our adversary and he will never stop coming against us as long as we are here in these bodies. One thing we can know though is that he will continue to use the very same 3-things to lure and attack us as he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
We dont need to fear the enemy or the attacks that will come our way, we just need to stay focused on the Lord and utilize the strengths and gifts that have been given to us as outlined in His Word.
In Part II of this message we will take a look at the 3-things that the enemy uses to cause us to stumble and we will look at how we can alleviate falling for the same old, same old.
I just want to remind you that to be born of God is to be safe from the power of the evil one. But, not to be born of God is to be wholly under the power of the evil one.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. John 4:4 (NKJV)
STUDY QUESTION: What three things will we face as long as we are here on earth?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Can you see where these three things are challenging you?
APPLICTION: We need to stay focused on the Lord each and every day, and in each and every situation. Dont compromise and use the world as a gauge to justify your actions. Dont allow your desires and/or lusts determine your actions either. Make Gods Word your foundation for determining your actions, and choices.
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