Satan's Tool

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? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 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. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 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. 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.  Genesis 3:1-6

He was lurking and watching the daily lives of Adam and Eve. He saw their daily communion with God and the life they enjoyed in paradise. He had that, once upon a time, but his greed and self-importance were the source of his downfall. Now, he would bring these into the lives of God's greatest creation, to bring mankind's downfall.

In paradise, Eve feared nothing. God created a beautiful garden for her and Adam to enjoy and care for. Their lives were perfectly splendid. Until..... they weren't.

When the serpent spoke with Eve, he included what God said. He was cunning and crafty in his speech so that there was just enough truth in the conversation to put her at ease. Didn't God say...? But then, he spoke to the heart of all mankind - you shall be a god. (Note the little "g") Whoa, wait a minute... wasn't this his desire? Wasn't this the reason he was cursed and tossed out of heaven?

He told Eve that she would not die - in a sense that God lied to her - and she could be like God. Even with the knowledge that she had from spending time with God and enjoying the beauty all around her, she believed him. Why? Because it's what she wanted to hear.

Her eyes were immediately open to the beauty of this tree. Gone were the warnings from God about it and how it would bring death to her. She took from it and then gave to Adam to eat.

Then their lives were no longer perfectly splendid.

Don't be too hard on Eve, we are guilty of this as well. We take the word of someone with ill intentions over what we know to be true and share it with others. We're sharing a prayer request we'll say to cover the reality of what it truly is.... gossip. Or, we'll see a chance for us to increase our earthly belongings and finances at the expense of our relationship with God. 

Satan will take a beautiful creation of God and turn it into a tool for our destruction. Just as he used the fruit in the perfect garden, he will use things in our lives to cause havoc and pain.

Don't be his tool

-C