‘Not Today Satan: Satan Tried It’ is a blog series to help us become more aware of how easy it is for us to believe something because it sounds eerily similar to something that is in fact true. This series will show us how our own eagerness to attain status, wealth, power, etc can be easily manipulated that leads us astray. Down a path that becomes increasingly challenging to detach from over time. Which leads to destruction, pain and a battered soul. Free yourself so your soul has peace and joy.
In this blog post, I want to point out 3 lies about God that Satan used on Eve but are still relevant today as we pump ourselves up on what we deserve and who we think we are in this world.
Before we focus on the 3 lies about God let’s see it in the context of the Bible. Then we’ll put it into context of what’s happening in the world right now.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:1-5 CSB
We see Eve was persuaded. Satan ignored using the name of the Lord but evoked God. This is the beginning where religion is retained and the personal relationship is being removed. Before the fall of man, Adam and Eve had a direct line to communicate with God. No buffers, filters, etc. God spoke directly to them as they were created to have dominion (to rule) over the earth. Satan intentionally misrepresented what God told Adam and implied what he was saying was God’s command to Eve. However, Adam never not once stepped in and protected Eve from the choice she was about to make. Chile…that’s a whole ‘nother blog post but let’s stay focused on these 3 lies Satan tells us about God. And let’s look at this from today’s perspective.
God Is Holding Out On You.
The world will have us believe that we deserve better than what we currently have or receive. Who is to say what’s better? Who is to say what we have or don’t have is what we deserve? Now look God doesn’t want anyone to live in squalor and without their needs met, okay.
Look at the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16 where the people who worked all day received the same amount as the people who worked an hour. The ones who worked all day were upset at what they received. They felt they should have received more because they worked all day. Instead they received what they agreed to just like the ones who worked an hour.
Let’s put that into perspective today. We attain degrees, experience, skills, positions, etc and we tell ourselves or it’s fed to us that we deserve to make more money than we do. That we deserve to have whatever we can ‘manifest’ such as houses, cars, lifestyle, trips, etc. And if we don’t have what we believe we deserve then God is punishing us. Or some may feel God doesn’t love them enough if they don’t have the visible glitzy lifestyle that will bring them admiration or respect. Even if that respect and admiration isn’t genuine from others.
To shift our mindset to think that earth is temporary and eternal life is never-ending is surreal. We say it. But do we understand it? Do we understand that whatever years we have on earth is not even 0.00000000001% of the time we will live in eternity? So if that’s the case why do we live for things that can vanish in the blink of an eye? Or fire? Or flood? Or be stolen?
Refer to Matthew 6:19-20 to remind yourself that God isn’t holding out on you. God has much better in store for you in a much better place than earth.
19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.
Now NOWHERE is God telling you having things is against the Bible. That you’ve sinned if you attain them. What God is saying is that He has something much better that will blow your mind. Something that you could never imagine. So if you’re not receiving earthly material possessions then God may have something greater in store for you to have throughout eternity. Remember this scripture if you start to feel God is withholding anything from you, Psalm 84:11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favor and honor; he does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity.
Sin Carries No Consequences.
We live in a time of God’s grace so people believe all they have to do is say ‘Forgive me, Lord’ and God will forgive their sins sans consequence. There’s many examples in the Bible where we see this just isn’t true. God will handle you either on earth or on judgement day. But you won’t get away with what you’ve done. Let’s look at Hosea 10:10
“I will discipline them at my discretion; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage for their double iniquity.”
Now this is talking about the kingdom of Israel for their sin of idol worship and greed to attain wealth by any means but let’s look at the very first sentence- ‘I will discipline them at my discretion.’
I’m going to use an example of a child who did something wrong but did it in response to another child doing something wrong to him. Now the child who responded got into trouble. And cried why the person who did him wrong first didn’t get into trouble. What was that child’s punishment going to be? Let me put it another way. I want a tax refund but my finances are saying otherwise. So let me claim these kids that aren’t mine and split this refund. Or maybe this way. Every time you see someone you dislike or who you deem an evil person doing well or getting something you silently spite them. And wish for ‘karma’ to happen to them because of what they may have done to you.
Just because you can’t see someone else suffering doesn’t mean what they did will be forgotten. And if you’ve escaped a consequence for your own hurt or harm done either to yourself or others that no one else saw, please repent so whatever comes your way won’t be as harsh as it possibly could. Remember this scripture if you start to feel God ignores the sins of some while punishing others for what they’ve done.
12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. 14 For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. 15 As it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
Hebrews 3:12-15 CSB
Essentially believe that God will pass out consequences for your sins. Rebelling can lead to being disconnected from fellowship with God. We’re also to encourage one another to avoid sin’s deceptions. And that means let people know there is a consequence whether here or on judgment day. Chile….there’s a reaction for every action. Know that.
Humans Can Become Equal To God.
What’s up king? My Queen. Or what the 5 percenters call each other, ‘god’. Yes, we are made in the image of God. To have dominion on His behalf. But not to take His place. And these ‘titles’ are to evoke a so-called higher status which one may not feel just being themselves.
Titles come with authority. And authority comes with responsibility. Responsibility means you must step up for those in your charge or care. Even if you don’t like or agree with them. I know God steps up for us even when we show all the way out then hopefully repent. But can you do that for others when they did you dirty wrong? If not, then you probably are not someone who can be on the level of God. The only one equal to God is Jesus Christ.
2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures— 3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead.
Romans 1:2–4 CSB
We were created to essentially bring glory to God through serving others out of love. So when we condemn people for what we believe they did wrong, law they broke or immorality we are putting ourselves on the level of God using authority we were never given in the first place. The book of Jude warns us against rebelling against God’s ordained authorities and distinguishes between truth and error. In other words, Jude 1:4
For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
Don’t overstep the authority you have been given. We’ve been led by false teachers of the Bible that grace washes all our sins away without consequence. And with that mindset, some of us step up into power positions we created ourselves to dish out punishment, exact judgment, condemn others and make our own voice the authority in which others are to submit. The sooner we grasp that we should worry about our own self and let God deal with the headaches and heartaches of other people’s decisions then we’ll have a greater sense of peace residing within. Knowing that authority comes with responsibility should have us all clearly look at whether we want to walk around and act like a ‘god’ or not.
I choose peace and joy. And I have that when I resigned myself from no longer condemning people for the decisions they make. Whether those decisions affect me or not. I pray that God will handle it and I go on about my business. Chile….it took a good long minute to get here but it’s a freeing existence. Remember this scripture if you start to feel you need to do God’s job.
My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; 2 for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. 3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people.
Proverbs 3:1-4 CSB
In other words, trust that God got it. Do what you’ve been taught so your life is full the way it was created to be and let the one with the real authority & power deal with everything else.
We’ve all fallen for one or all of these lies at one point in our lives. Myself included. But now that we’re aware of these lies, we are more equipped to detect when 💩is being spoken to us.
Satan started with 3 lies about God and he continues to evolve those lies into manipulative mind games to make us question who God created us to be, to do and what authority we really were given.
- Safe House International Faith Fellowship 2023
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- Mantles Conference 2023: TREAD Night and Day 2
*CBS= Christian Standard Bible. This translation is used for all scriptures in this blog post.
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