February 7, 2022
A Lesson Learned from Adam and Eve
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it — she’d know everything! — she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6 Message)
My child throughout history no decision has had a greater impact on humans as Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God and do the one thing He absolutely forbid them from doing. Their one decision to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil has affected every human being who has lived from that time on. There are important life lessons we can learn from Adam and Eve’s actions:
1. The importance of what we focus on, such as the goodness of God. He’s a good, good Father and He is so good and faithful to us.
Adam and Eve listened to the devil! He came to them in the form of a snake. If you have a dream of a snake, spiritually it means deception. The enemy is trying to use someone close to you to deceive you. Be alert! Adam and Eve chose something they believed was better than what they had. The grass is not greener on the other side. ”Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)
2. Know the real and you’ll know the fake too. ‘You will recognize them by their fruit.’ (Matthew 7:16)
3. Know God’s word and you’ll know when it’s being twisted and manipulated.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing is symbolic of someone who outwardly looks harmless and kind, with good intentions but inwardly is full of hate, evil, and deceit. We are warned of this false teacher. (Matthew 7). This person seeks to twist truth and Scripture to fit their own agenda. The truth can get twisted in life if we listen to the enemy. Blurred. Manipulated. Boundaries get crossed. Things that were once seen as black and white may start to appear gray. It may seem harder to recognize what’s true than what’s false. What’s lightness and what’s darkness? At the heart of the battle, is a real enemy who prowls around seeking someone to devour. ‘For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.’ (1 Pet. 5:8) He’ll stop at nothing!
He and his imps quote God’s word since the beginning of time, twisting it, trying their best to manipulate the truth, their main goal is to deceive and lead astray. They know who God is and the Bible says they ‘shudder’ in fear at His name. (James 2:19) They know that God alone will be victorious and no matter what traps are used today to try to distract you away from Him, in the end, they will not win.
How can you spot a wolf in sheep clothing?
1. They love power and they love themselves. They do not want to empower people with freedom and truth but keep them under his power with boundaries.
2. They blame others for their circumstances, never taking responsibility for what they have done. In a disagreement, they will often shift the blame on the other person – you.
3. They have issues with authority figures and do not like submitting to authority and figuring out a way to get out of it. They are in control of everything in their world.
4. They appear meek and even godly around people but privately show aggression when confronted.
5. They use emotion to get what they want. A self-pity attitude about their life, shame, guilt, and fear to keep their control.
6. A wolf knows when to speak sweet words of compliments, and when to use cutting words to fuel their insecurities.
7. They lack the fruits of the spirit. In front of people, they appear gentle and loving, but behind closed doors, they lack kindness, gentleness, self-control, and other fruits. (Galatians 5:22-23) A wolf gives into sinful natures and will display them when feeling attacked.
The best way to expose the enemy is to know the truth, read the Word of God and know the voice of the One who matters most – God the Father. Know the real and you’ll know what is false. In dating relationships, a person can be on their best behavior for a year or a little longer but give the person two years and you will see true colors come out if they are not real. I have discovered that the counterfeit will usually show up before the real deal does.
How does a person know when they look at a $100 bill if it is a counterfeit or not? They have studied it, every part of it, and easily recognize when they receive a counterfeit. As we press in to know God, who is real, who is truth, and we set our minds on His Word, spending time there, meditating on it, eventually we become very trained in detecting the “fake.” Paul warned us in (1 Peter 5:8) Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce on you and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. The devil knows you and your hot buttons to divert our attention from the goodness of God. Pluck out the fangs of this lying lion by keeping your focus on who God is and what He has done for you. The closer we get to the return of Christ the more there will be counterfeits trying to deceive. Stay Alert!
